Featured Creature: The Shard

"Nick.  I've found something, something amazing."

Tony looked ill.  His skin was very pale and his eyes had dark circles beneath them.  His hair was disheveled and he had obviously been wearing his wrinkled tee shirt and jeans for several days.  As we walked across campus, he developed a slick sheen of sweat on his face and neck.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"That doesn't matter.  What I found is gonna change everything!"  He raised his arms up as danced around euphorically.

We turned the corner of the mathematics building and moved around the backside, a shortcut through the faculty parking lot to the cafeteria.  The building butted up against a large grassy field at the edge of the university property.  Birds chirped and danced in the sunlit grass. I enjoyed the warm afternoon air despite Tony's cryptic euphoria.

Psyche Delectus: In the Bloodlands

Even the soil weeps
for the imperative horror of life
on those blighted plains.

Saturday Sketch: Classic Man-Thing

I've always had a fondness for Marvel Comics' Man-Thing since I first saw him in Marvel Teamup #68.  Something in this simple guardian of the Nexus of All Realities appealed to me.  That particular issue was also the first appearance of D'spayre, one of my favorite Marvel concept entities.  I've drawn Man-thing before here and D'spayre as well.  Although Morbius got posted first, this piece was actually the first Saturday Sketch I did.

{2.5x3.5, created in Adobe Photoshop}

I claim no copyright for the properties represented in the Saturday Sketches.  All copyrights and trademarks are retained by their respective owners.  I make no money from what I am presenting here.  It is presented for portfolio and appreciation purposes only. 

From the Archives: Loose Twisting Zombie Sketch

Within this sketch, you can see that I was fighting the looseness a bit.  The essence of the loose style is present, but I don't feel that is it as successful as the slender zombie I presented last week.  I feel like the fault lies with the detail.  Although in some areas it works better than others, the arm for instance, but I feel like it flattens other areas, the legs and shoulder.  This one also belongs to the 11x17 folded set.

{11x17,  Graphite}

Featured Creature: A Room at the Alta Viso

Rocco waited until the last car had passed before he slid under the plastic tarp and into the building.  The sun was almost set and in the long shadows he was sure no one could see him.  He moved quietly through the dust and darkening rooms.  On cold nights, the Alta Viso building was his secret spot, at least for now. 

The second night he'd slept here, Rocco overheard two contractors discussing the pending renovation of the Alta Viso.  The old business plaza had approval pending as an historical landmark.  This meant that any renovations were on hold until the approval passed. From the way the contractors had talked, it sounded like the process would take months.  Rocco had slept here every night since.

As he snuck through the lobby and past the scaffolding he noticed the doorway to the basement hung ajar.  The fetid odor of rot and sewage drifted up through the open door.  No renovations there yet, he thought.  He rushed up the stairs.

Psyche Delectus: Red Satyr

He is the throne of his own desire.

Saturday Sketch: Classic Morbius, the Living Vampire

Welcome to the Zombie Bites Saturday Sketch!

The Saturday Sketch is a way for me to familiarize myself with and practice drawing popular dark characters from different genres.  I'll be focusing primarily on superhero universes that involve dark, occult, or magical characters.  However, I think over time the subjects may bleed over into other fictional works with dark or supernatural aspects. 

To double the challenge, I'm giving myself very little time to finish each piece.  I'm not allowing myself to work on each piece longer than a single sitting, about two to four hours.  The goals for me are speed and veracity of representation.

Featured Creature: The Judgement of Winter

I've been giving it some thought and I think I finally understand the reason small children are instinctively terrified of Saint Nick.  Children do not have the filters in place that we develop as we age.  They sense what we've all glossed over or forgotten: Santa Claus is a Judge.

Featured Creature: Grüße vom Krampus!

Here's a naughty portrait of Krampus to help celebrate Krampusnacht!

{8x5.33,  created in Adobe Photoshop}

From the Archives: Loose Slender Zombie

More loose zombie goodness from some time ago.  This looser style is very visually pleasing in retrospect, but at the time I remember being frustrated with the loose shapes and lack of explicit detail.  I wish I could let go more to explore this style, I enjoy the organic quality of the shapes.  I can't imagine inking it though.  My inking process is very controlled.

This one is the first of a set of sketches I'll be posting that were done on 11x17 sketch paper.  For storage purposes I had folded the sketches and placed them in binders.  After scanning, I went back into the images in Photoshop and removed most of the fold lines, but you can still see the folds in a few places.

{11x17,  Graphite}

Featured Creature: The Thing in the Tree

Here is something creepy and furry in preparation for upcoming Krampusnacht.  Sorry there's no fiction this week, but I am currently struggling through a rough bout of the flu.  I even got the flu shot this year.  Go figure.  I'll update as soon as I can. 

{8x5.33,  Sharpie and Uni-ball Vision Elite Pen with color added in Adobe Photoshop}

Psyche Delectus: Aethernaut

The flesh must made virtuous
before the spirit can sojourn.

Apologies

Apologies for the tardiness of this week's Featured Creature.  Things have been a bit hectic leading into the holiday and I didn't realize that my automatic post was for the wrong date until early Wednesday.  I hope everyone has a pleasant holiday!