Xmas Sketch-25Dec Parranda Robots

Happy Holidays! Here's the last Daily Xmas Sketch! I give you the "Parranda Robots"! Celebration takes many shapes in different countries, and this type of caroling is still very popular in Puerto Rico. A group of folks, which make up the "parranda", will gather, and visit friend's houses, unannounced at any time during the holidays. They bring typical holiday music, and their appetite for food and drink. When its over, they "visit" another friend's house.  It is also locally known as "Asalto" (a "hold-up"). The victims either decide to join the friend-hopping, or accept that the group continues to party where they are. The Guitar, Guiro, and other percussion instruments are commonly used, adding to that, if you have local clout, a Cuatro, or even some brass or woodwind instruments. It gets pretty involved.
I really hope you like these four guys, and that they never show up unannounced at your place to eat your aluminium foil chips, and drink your kitchen oil. Happy Holidays! And have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-24Dec Mistletoe Robot

I know I'm a few minutes late, but here's the daily Xmas Sketch for yesterday, Christmas Eve, the 24th of December, 2010. Xmas prep activities had priority. In fact, my daughter is already playing with her presents. She went to bed around 9:00pm, Santa got here between that time and 11:00pm (me and my didn't hear a thing!), and my daughter got out of bed around 11:01. So we're already celebrating. Lots of boxes to open, wires and toy harnesses to undo, some batteries that were not included, that kind of thing.
So here's Mistletoe Robot for you. I hope you find him cute enough to kiss. I thought of making him pucker, but it would have looked scary with all those teeth. There's one more daily sketch to go, and it should be done sometime this Christmas morning. Happy Holidays, everyone! Have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-23Dec Snow Angel

Today's daily Xmas Sketch is Snow Angel Robot. I actually drew the rough for this "snow-angeling" robot while waiting an interview with prospective employers. This was a good idea, but drawing too small later affected the inking. Had a hard time positioning, and drawing snow. It's kind of coarse, but still kind of cute.

The rough for this Hipster Santa Robot was a simpler looking guy, before the accident. Since I refilled my pen with calligraphy ink instead of India ink, like I was supposed to do. The pen let loose a big ol' drop of ink on this guys chin and neck area. I improvised with a little pointy beard, which doesn't make sense on a robot, but who cares. I know the face looks weird, but I really like the scarf!

Here's another scale problem. I had penciled this nice scene of the robots slugging it out with snow balls, and it all went wrong when I didn't take into account scale. You can see how rough the robots outlines look. But then I started testing my refilled pens for a bit, and we have some weirdness going on. I like that chap on the lower right corner.
So I have to do something about the ink I'm using. Regardless, I'll keep using it for now. Hope you've liked these. There are 2 more daily Xmas Sketches to go. Thanks for your visit, happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-22Dec Caroling Robot

Getting closer to the 25th. In today's daily Xmas Sketch, the robot is practicing his carols for the season. Good thing he's MP3 compatible.  There are 3 sketches to go. This time I almost postponed it for tonight. I'm glad I didn't. The 23rd is going to be a busy day for me, and I may have to pre-sketch tomorrow's number tonight. As for the rest of the days, there will always be something in the way, but as we get closer to the 25th, anything one does is bound to be related to the holidays, and/or inspiring in some aspect. I hope you're enjoying these, and I wish you a great holiday season. Thanks for visiting, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-21Dec Cookie Robot

Today's Daily Xmas Sketch idea spark came from Kate Sherrod, a good friend from Twitter, who is well known for her beautiful sonnets to be found at the Suppertime Sonnets blog.  She suggested robots making Christmas cookies. Now that I think about it, I haven't drawn kitchen-based robot mayhem just yet. Thank you so much Kate!
And yes, I know robots don't eat cookies, but these robots are trying to do all they can to celebrate the holidays.  I hope you like it.
Update: I fixed the wonky looking eye on the original image, and since then, Kate wrote us a Happy Holiday Sonnet! Check it out!
Watch for four more robots coming up between tomorrow and the 25th. Have a happy holiday, and as always, have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-19Dec Isotope Tagged

Since the last sketch had a snow-ball fight theme, but with "isotopes", this sketch depicts the action. I'm kind of bummed because my trusty ink-pen gave up halfway through it. The small size of the sketch book I'm using for this kind of forces one to use fine point pens, if there is any fine detail to be rendered. So there may not be as much detail on this piece. I'm looking forward to getting more supplies. I was told Santa knew about it, and would help out, but I don't think I can wait.  In any case, I liked the poses, especially the robot that's throwing the "charged" snow ball.

Now there are five Xmas related sketches left to create. These will most likely be of robots in some sort of holiday theme. Five more Xmas concepts to think about. Let's see how much Yuletide Spirit we can muster into these tin cans. Hope you liked this one. Thanks for visiting, happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-19Dec Isotope Tag

Going through some holiday activity ideas for a piece, I thought an old fashioned snow ball fight theme was in order. I changed the game to "Isotope Tag" (notice the squiggly radiation tell-tale lines) for some more sci-fi flavor. The "snow ball", hovering between the hands, is radioactive. This last fact makes the isotope much it easier to find. Do wear proper protection if you intend to try this sport.
Hope you like it. There are six more to this Daily Xmas Sketch series.
Thanks for dropping by, happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas.Sketch.18Dec Nutcracker Robot

Today's daily Xmas sketch is based on the Nutckracker. When I decided on drawing the robot as the nutcracker soldier, I didn't really think about its nut cracking jaw. Then I realized I wouldn't need any special jaw alterations for this robot to play the part.
I have 7 Xmas sketches left to create until Santa comes to town, on the 25th. And as you may have guessed, I'm continuing the robot theme until the very end. I wonder if anyone else is drawing robots with a holiday twist. I honestly haven't searched. Do you know?
That's it for today's impulse driven sketch. I hope you liked it. Happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch 17DEC10 - Gift Robot

Here is today's daily Xmas Sketch. A robot, just happy to give you a gift. We need more of these robots around, don't we?  I say that because I intend to keep to the theme until the last Xmas Sketch is done. In fact, this would have been "the 12 Robots of Xmas" except for the fact that I started one day late to do that. I suppose I could do a double sketch on the last day, just to celebrate with 12 robots.
I'm enjoying this "themed" series. It allows me to experiment within boundaries, on specific aspects of a piece. You know all this very dark shading? I working on understanding how to use it, but I'm sure you've noticed its not perfect by any means. The Lighting seems to vary angle, depending on what part of the subject you're looking at. In other words, this practice is really necessary so I can peg down how to use this special shading. There are other things I'm learning here, but we'll wait for a last post, and do a little analysis at the laboratory blog.
At least we're going to have enough robots hanging around when Santa comes to town.  I hope you are all enjoying this Xmas robot parade. I certainly look forward to creating these pieces every day. So stay tuned because tomorrow there will be more!  Have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch - 16DEC10 - E-1

Here's "Xmas Sketch" number 2: The E-1 is a new addition at Santa Claus' North Pole complex. The "Elf One" is a little controversial amongst Santa's helpers. In fact, "elf gossip" says its supposed to be a replacement elf in the workshop. This is far from the truth. The E-1 was built to entertain Santa's helpers during long work shifts. It is programmed to dance and sing, as well as tell jokes, and serve hot cocoa. Here we have it going through one of its basic dance routines. I would include an elf joke example, but we wouldn't get it. Its a regional thing. Even if you tried listening to it at one of its famous stand-up comedy shows, you would go crazy from all the high pitched laughter.
So there you have my second Xmas Sketch of 2010. Looks like most of these will be penciled and inked.  I'll keep making them until the 25th. These may even become family presents this year. I hope you like this one, wish you a happy holiday, and prescribe lots of art in as many ways as you can take it.  In other words, have a great art time!

Princess Captured

I came across a recent piece by the great Socar Myles, called "You Have Been Trolled". It features a handsome troll! Awed by her piece (click on the title), I followed up on what she mentioned as particular influences: John Bauer, and Wangjia.

I liked Bauer's trolls, which seemed peace-loving. A particular illustration from 1915, depicting four trolls that had kidnapped a Princess, made me want to sketch the whole thing . So I sketched the Princess. This is 100% impulsive.

I hope you liked the princess, and the story of the sketch. Thank you kindly for your visit. Have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch - 15DEC10 - R-1

I've temporarily replaced the recently started "Boot-Up Sketch" series a daily "Xmas Sketch". I was talking with a good friend about how I had not drawn a single holiday related thing this year, and decided to do this. This self-imposed "commitment" is a daily exercise in creativity, as well as a warm-up drawing.
I now give you R-1. A prototype robot, based on the legendary "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer". He is seen here in one of its practice runs. R-1 is one of the best pieces of technology that ever came from the North Pole laboratories. Of course, this is second to Santa's time-dimensional-travel magic sleigh. R-1 has a navigation module able to cut through the thickest of winter storms (notice the nose). North Pole authorities have assured us that this is not replacement for the real thing. In fact, most equipment in Santa's North Pole complex is powered by "Holiday Magic", and were it not for Rudolph's presence, this robot would not be able to fly.
There you have the first of my Xmas Sketches for 2010. I intend to draw them on a daily basis until Santa gets here. I hope you like it, and wish you a holiday season full of cheer, happiness, good times, and of course, full of art all around you. Thanks for dropping by!

Boot-Up Sketch Professor Von Splatter

Yep. I'm still having character creation issues. Namely, they just pop up. Here's my boot-up sketch for today, which was interrupted, but continued during lunch, and wrap-up time. It was a weird day, and for some reason, mad scientists were in my mind.
Here's Professor Reginald Von Splatter. He's kind of a steampunk scientist. I didn't come up with a background for him (yet) but you can bet he's a risk taker. Seems like a good chap, or is he? We won't know until he gets a role in some future story. Or should I say, when he gets a role in an alternate history story? Oh well. Mainly, I just wanted to try to draw them steampunk goggles.
That will be all for the boot-up sketch today. I hope you liked it. Have a great art time, wherever, and whenever you are.

Boot-up Sketch - Yoga Robot

Today's boot-up sketch reflects my reaction to this morning. Things had to be dealt with balance and meditation. Just like robot #5.
I think this post belongs at the LAB, but it was an impulsive post! Penciling this was a quick matter that left me wanting to ink. Problem: I didn't bring my PITT pen set (med/fine/pen-brush). I couldn't find a gel pen I had around, so I settled for a "Pilot EasyTouch" medium ball point black ink pen. Thoughts of deep troughs and canals showing through pages haunted me. Once I got going, I discovered that only 3 to 4 pages were affected. A folded piece of paper as backing did the trick! By doing this, and softening the plow-like pressure I was using, I decreased the effect. Handy little discovery! It was simple and effective.

Here's the tortured sketchbook page on the right. I shaded it with pencil, and intensified levels with a computer. Hopefully you can tell the outline of the robot in "white". I was done inking about 2/3s when I inserted the folded paper backing.
I hope you liked this, and that perhaps this little tip will help you save some paper. Thanks for dropping by, and have a great art time!

Impulsive Motorcycle

I visited my sister, and brother-in-law so my daughter could have a bit of cousin play-time. My brother-in-law was washing his motorcycle, and proposed I draw his bike. Sketchpad and a knobby pencil at hand, I was ready. For a good drawing of something I haven't drawn in decades (yes, decades), time was going to be a problem, so I approached it roughly. Please don't mind the offset lines you see. I didn't bother to erase (no eraser). So many machine parts! Proportion was a constant preocupation. A straight-edge would have been nice to have, but without those types of tools, this was going to be a very rough rough. So I sat on a garage step stool in the sun, I tried to capture the essence of the machine. I think I managed this, judging by my brother-in-law's grin when he saw the sketch.

I'm not much of an aficionado, I just use transportation from point A to point B, but I can recall a time when this was very different. Funny cars, racing cars, and motorcycles featured prominently in my elementary school notebooks, alongside spaceships, and flying saucers.

This weekend was not as art-filled as I would have liked, but I did get my kicks. I hope you like this sketch. Who knows? I may use it for family holiday purposes this year.

Thanks for dropping by, and as always, have a great art time.

Webcomic Jam Fan Art

I inked my "morning sketch" this time. Looks like I've taken to doing this. I love the way ink looks, and there's plenty to master, so the more practice, the better.
This is "Block", part of the cast from the first story running in our Webcomic Jam. This is a collaborative strip based webcomic which is about to hit its last two strips. I thought I'd do some fan art, and maybe start some other folks going on it. Block is Ted Seko's creation, and its character has been crucial to just about every strip so far.  This, of course, is my current interpretation of "Block". Go take a look at the story so far.
As for the impulsive part of this post, I'm impulsive about inking. Hope you liked it, and that you visit the Jam. Leave a comment here or there. Thanks for visiting, and have a great art time.

One More Step (BU-Sketch-10Dec10)

This morning, during my office workstation boot-up, I sketched a little dinosaur scene. Since this is during boot-up, getting online reference is not an option, so I eased the difficulty curve by making the robots. Drawing robots is handy when you're not sure of the anatomy of what you want to draw. For example, dragons! Who can tell you, with authority, what the anatomy of a dragon looks like? So this mythical robo dinosaur is from "memory". That poor robot guy had to climb up that vine. The dino itself doesn't seem like its hungry, maybe just curious. But this robot person will be spared any incident, since the dinosaur is about to fall into the stream. Robot guys acting like monkeys?
Dinosaurs being curious, maybe even playful? Sure, why not! I "robotized" in this piece for two reasons: 1) I'm practicing/exploring robot characters for another piece, and 2) given the time I had this morning, I had to draw something quick and dirty, and robots are easy to draw. It was mainly a time saver.
Well, that should do it for now. We have a weekend ahead, and hopefully, I'll be able to break out some paints, and catch up on some over-due "work" of mine. I owe some friends some art.  Hope you enjoyed this. If you have a comment, or a question, please do not hesitate. Let me know. I love discussing these things, and learning from them. Thanks for dropping by, and have a great art time!

Boot-up Sketch 9-Dec-10 - Alien and Bot

Drew boot-up sketch this morning. The first thing in my head were aliens. So we have an alien, apparently about to have a serious talk with someone (maybe that little robot?) I like the robot best. It could be a relative of "Gypsy" from Mystery Science Fiction Theater 3000 (MST3K).

I really believe that the secret to getting good practice drawing, inking, and painting has to do a lot with "exercise" time. Last month, when I was drawing almost daily, figures, and ideas seemed to flow a lot more easier from my mind to the paper. The rapid pace of creation kind of "oiled" up the "machinery". I still have some roughs I haven't touched from that time. So a great thing to do: art exercise. No matter what you have in mind, just draw. You may think you're wasting paper and supplies, if its just a "junk" thing you are doing, but you are not! Every little stroke of the pencil, stylus, whatever, counts! It is exercise, and your muscles and your mind learn to dance together better, every time you do it. So do it!!!!!!

That's my little art sermon of the day. Thanks for dropping by. Have a great art time!!!

Boot-up Sketch & Tiny Figures

I started a boot-up sketch this morning, but it was interrupted. So I continued doodling between and during tasks, including during the big end-of-the-year office-wide meeting this morning. You know, awards, good-byes, propaganda, that sort of thing. I thought I would be able to sketch some of my fellow co-workers, but the environment didn't look "artist-friendly". With all the gossipy, and watch-each-other attitude in this place, I couldn't draw faces without the faces watching me. You see that guy on his side? He's my original sketch. The rest was fun experimenting. Check out that "bus scene", or the "hanging scaffold sitting scene" on the first page.

You may notice lots of little figures on both pages I used from my new small sketchbook. There are also some little ladies in recognizable poses. The second page has a Spanish dancer, a few astronauts, some mad scientist, a superhero of sorts, a bug-guy, etc. I went about with little figures following one goal: to draw simple/tiny figures showing emotion, intention, or a situation. In other words, their silhouettes should tell you a story or who they are. This was kind of difficult, but not impossible. Most of them look like those little people they use in architecture models, but I've tried to give them some variety. Most wee folks are found on the first page. I made them a bit bigger with more detail on the second page.

I hope you like these. (I may use these tiny figures for story boards some day soon). In the meantime, thanks for dropping by, and have yourself a great art time!

Pen Brush Work-Out

The latest rush of drawing and inking left me with art momentum. I had some pencil roughs to play, but my preferred medium point ink pen gave out. Thinking this would be momentous in artist's life, I asked my friends, but now I owe them a round of drinks.

I took the seldom used darkest gray pen brush, and I inked over the roughs, erasing later in the process. This person with the ape face background was an unfinished character. Now it represents something that the person doesn't care much about, but that makes the ape sad. That aside, I had some exercise making all these streaky lines. Trying to get the feel of the pen brush.

Here I had started roughs for a couple of girls, and robots. As I inked, and managed their positions with each other, I added a couple more robots, and a boy. Funny that I didn't notice that longish neck on the girl on the left side. I think she would be toppling all over the place.  This time, with the pen brush, I tried some hashing, and shading. Its a little bit tricky, but possible to master. Practice!

This is more of a doodle page, than anything else. Reminded me of some school notebooks I've had. Originally, there was the floating hair guy, the stone looking face, and that duck bird animal in front of a fan. The rest occurred as I tried too get used to the pen brush thin to thick action, and what little flourishes, and twists can do. Jury is still out on that one. But I got re-acquainted with pen brushes.


I'll have quite a few more of these pen-brush practice sketches. Its a good exercise routine. So that's all for today, hope some of these lines please you, and I wish you the best art time!

30Char - 2010 Character Parade!

As promised, here's a slideshow of the 30 Characters I created for the 30 Character Challenge, underground edition. I embedded a Picasa slideshow from a web albums. Hope you enjoy.

If you have any questions, suggestions, requests, songs you'd like to sing, or drawing to show, let me know. Have a great art time!

IS-02DEC10 Waiting by the Metro

I drew this impulsive sketch today, while waiting for a car inspection, at a local gas station lot. It close to the metro railway station, which railway's support system you see here. I really wanted to draw that railway structure.
I started drawing the left side to anchor things, then threw some perspective out the window when I started drawing the railway structure. The impulse to draw this sketch was obviously to capture the railway structure, the rest be damn. So there you have it. Actual Escher-like dimensionality by pure mistake. Genius! Thank you! Sure.
Obligatory Explanation:
Impulsive Sketches, by its nature and origins is prone to, and will sometimes contain errors, scratches, smudges, happy/un-happy mistakes, possible stains, etc. You have been warned.
This same sketch will be posted on dA's group for Impulsive Sketches. Look it up next time you visit DeviantArt. Thanks for dropping by, and have a great art time

30Char Fallout 1

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I still don't have a slideshow of my 30 characters, but I continued inking remnant characters.

Here's my vampire pig. His title, Count Bacon. A vampire bites a pig, which bites a human in turn. The Count is currently living in Argentina, and fancies himself a worldly sort.

I had to post this one just because of the pig's faces. The slight disregard for anatomy makes it endearing, don't you think? There are a couple more fallout characters that may deserve attention. This last month of more intensive drawing built a good momentum. Maybe I should keep the rhythm going.

Hope you like it. Comments and ideas welcome. Have a great art time!

30Char - 30 - Chamaneleon

And here's the final entry! # 30 of the 30 Character Challenge, "The Underground Edition". I've inked an weird animal.
This is a chamaneleon. It's more aquatic than his more popular cousin, and you won't find one like it anywhere else. At least not one that talks. Mr. Leon, as he likes to be called, is a demanding CEO. Other company lizards loathe him. We catch him during leisure time, getting a snack. Did you know his weird eyes can see in the dark?

Tempted to try my latest dark shadowing trick, I didn't use it this time. I have possible mixed-media plans for those eyes. So I called this one done, and the official closing piece for the 30 Character Challenge, Undergound Edition! This has been a great opportunity to learn, and the practice is invaluable. Many lessons to talk about in my next post, which will include a Character Parade (I coin it!).

Anyway, here's a little guy that got inked in the meantime. One place that will be bubbling over with characters will be the 30 Character Challenge web site. Now, for registered, unregistered, and underground creations, visit some of my crazy awesome artist friends: Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward.

Follow me on Twitter, click gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog if you like. There's bound to be a new sketch or piece every couple of days, at least. Leave a comment please, they're very much appreciated. That's it for now, as always, have a great art time!

30Char #29 - Uncle Sal

Entry # 29 of the 30 Character Challenge, Underground Edition. In the next to last character, I offer a humble pencil sketch. Its marked "Boot Up Sketch" because it was started while booting up a computer (I haven't beat the computer yet).

Meet "Uncle Sal". Mr. Salvatore Vespucio Poggolini. Kind hearted, he spends evenings at the lodge, never getting in trouble. Look at that face, looks like he's going to tell you there's spinach between your teeth. Go back 30 years, when he knew every cop and every crook in another town. These days he doesn't talk about it, but every now and then you'll see him stare out the window, and at his cello case. You know, I don't think I've seen him play his Cello either.

I'm glad I can say I missed drawing with just pencils. This means I've been inking at least for four days straight. It's nice to let loose with pencils. After all, that's where everything comes from.

There are more new characters for today and tomorrow at the 30Character Challenge web site. But for registered, unregistered, and underground creations, visit some of my crazy awesome artist friends: Kevin Cross, Bob Learned,Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward.

Only one character left to go. I'm thinking of doing further challenges. Follow me on Twitter, click gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog if you like. Leave a comment, please, they're very much appreciated. That's it for now, as always, have a great art time!

30Char #28 - Boom!

I  give you entry # 28 for the 30 Character Challenge, Underground Edition. This i s starting to look like a robot parade. I have just scratched the surface on that one. Experimenting with a couple of techniques, while locking to a style/theme is new to me. But robots keep popping up on the sketchbook. Only 2 left to do, before we see slideshows.

Here is Boom! Maintenance robot # 4. While getting his weekly module updates, he accidentally connected himself to the janitor's personal music player device. This happened concurrent with that fateful lightning storm that struck the compound's power grid. He didn't make a sound the first day, but after reboot, he literally blew away his companions when he producing a sound. His new powerful audio blast could destroy small buildings. He has learned to control his volume, but his weekly re-boot session is cause of concern. It is important to say that #4 is a heavy metal fan. The hand signal a mix of meditative and heavy metal meaning, announces his "about-to-rock" state of being. Boom!

I experimented with light direction without a harnesss, so be warned. All in all, I'm happy with the things I've discovered. I still need to see some example of good black/white separation techniques at the drawing level. But that will come.

There's way more new characters every day this month at the 30Character Challenge web site. But for registered, unregistered, and underground creations, visit some of my crazy awesome artist friends: Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward.

Two left to go, but will we stop creating at this pace? Follow me on Twitter, click gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog if you like. Leave a comment, please, they're appreciated. That's it for now, as always, have a great art time!

30Charr #27 - Punch!

Here's entry # 27 for the 30 Character Challenge, Underground Edition. I continue with another robot because I'm exploring  a lighting technique, and the robots keep popping up on the sketchbook, and I can't stop. I have to repeat, there are no rules in the underground, and you go with the flow. Only 3 left to do, and we'll have a celebratory slideshow.

Here is Punch! Maintenance robot # 3. He was charging up in the shack when that lightning storm hit the compound. Ever since getting that unexpected extra jolt, he's able to "fly", and shocked actuator/dynamo system now multiplies his strength. He discovered this last fact when he punched a runaway train to save a dog stuck on the rails. Of course, unlike his brothers, 1 and 2, his IQ is that of 8 year old, which makes him their superior in intelligence. He's looking for a cape.

I wanted to try some more of the last shading technique used on robot #2. and discovered there's more to this. The divisions between black and white areas are hard to figure out. I'm going to have to examine their use. Even though its an experiment, I'm happy with how it comes together as one unit just by using that exaggerated dark shadow. We'll see how it goes. We already have a group of shadowy robots going.

There's way more new characters every day this month at the 30Character Challenge web site. But for registered and (unregistered) underground, excellent daily character creations, visit some of my awesome and crazy artist friends: Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward.


I have 3 left to go, the question is, can we stop? Follow me on Twitter, click gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog if you like. Leave a comment, please, they're appreciated. That's it for now, as always, have a great art time!

30Char 25 & 26 - Crunch and Munch

Finally up to date with entries 25 & 26.  I am slapping down bonus card of creating twin characters! And there are no rules in the underground. Only 4 left now. When we complete 30 characters, we will have to rig up a slideshow page.

Here is Crunch, also known as Number One. Along with his brother Munch, another maintenance robot, he got left outside in a lightining storm one night. Yes, the old lightning-bolt-gives life story. Their programming got scrambled enough to keep working, but develop their own "personality" modules from scratch. These guys are sort of dumb, and daring. A dangerous combination. Without fail, these guys get in trouble helping anyone others. This particular image of Crunch is from way back, when he first tried out his walking routines. We made him build and replace the furniture he broke after he calibrated his walk cycles.

And brother, Munch, good 'ol Number Two. You could say he's the daring one. Dumb as a bolt, he has no problem walking into danger, and catastrophe, with his pointy grin. Here we have him showing us what he's best at. He must have opened the wrong door while on the barn's loft. Lucky he didn't damage himself too much. Other than some rattling from the brain case, he keeps on going. But they take care of themselves. Crunch can handle soldering irons and meters, results are another matter.

I went a little experimental. With Crunch, I inked and used a mix of hashing and shadow lines. It was interesting. But then I tried the black shadow areas on Munch. Oh yeah! Feeling close to some comic inking I like. I will have to explore these techniques.

There's way more new characters every day this month at the 30Character Challenge web site. But for registered and underground, excellent daily character creations, visit some of my awesome and crazy artist friends: Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward.

I have 6 left to go, the question is, can we stop? Follow me on Twitter, click gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog if you like. Leave a comment, please, they're appreciated. That's it for now, as always, have a great art time!

30Char #24 - Betty

Entry 24 for the 30 Character Challenge, (Underground edition). Keeping steady pace, still behind by 2, because its already the 26. This means that to hit the 30 mark, there's 6 more characters to cook up. Thanksgiving was full family time, and not a lick of art in the afternoon or night. And it was a long night. I did manage to finish coloring this piece.

This is Betty Flowers. She's the shy new girl in highschool about to try out for the swimming team. She's a little nervous. She wrings her hands as she walks over to the edge of the pool when called, looking at the team, in a "now or nothing" moment.

The piece has a process history. I started drawing a girl sketch, and coincidentally, my last run of characters were mostly male. My great artist friend on twitter, George Ward (web site link below), mentioned he hadn't seen female characters from me. He offered to give me tips, and I love tips. I include a couple of roughs that we exchanged. Great feedback from George! The initial pose changed significantly in the final version.

I colored with pastel chalk pencils, and used a Q-Tip (cotton swab on a stick) to soften the colors. The blending of slight shadows on fair skin is barely noticeable. I added background for contrast.

For more characters through this month, drop by the 30Character Challenge web site, or visit some of my great artist friends to see their characters. You'll really like creations by Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward. This is a great way to explore creativity, and possibilities. It is also a great way to practice, and share everyday problems, solutions, and discoveries.

Thanks so much for visiting. Drop by for more during this month. You can follow me on Twitter, just click on gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog, if you like. Well, that's all for now, and as always, have a great art time!

 

30Char #23 - Mrs Mills

And here's entry 23 for the 30 Character Challenge, (Underground edition). Steady as she goes, catching up in numbers. I should post entry 24 some time today, and if I'm lucky, 25 will see the web tonight, while Thanksgiving festivities go on. But I may be in a food induced comma, so I can't guarantee that last one. Still, I'm not going to let the backlog grow like it did before.

Mrs. Mills lives in the village. She spends her time tending her garden, and keeps to herself, but on Tuesdays she takes a stroll down to the village market. Folks don't talk with her too much. There are stories floating around that she's a witch. Of course, folks do believe them because of her looks, but the truth is that she's a very nice lady. The few people that know her, defend her at every turn. If you look into her eyes you'll find that there's a caring heart in that old soul. She doesn't mind her fame because most people leave her alone. But her habit of singing to the plants in her garden every full moon don't help dispell the stories at all. Nice lady.

I seem to have a knack for drawing old people, or at least they come out whenever I'm doodling a face. I think its because of some practice drawings I did a while back that tended to use old cartoony folks, which I really enjoyed, while practicing from reference in a Loomis book. I had to color this one with pastel chalk pencils because the linework kind of buried the piece. I think it makes it pop enough to be acceptable. Practice practice!

For more characters through this month, drop by the 30Character Challenge web site, or visit some of my great artist friends to see their characters. You'll really like creations by Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward. This is a great way to explore creativity, and possibilities. It is also a fun way to practice.

Thanks so much for visiting. Drop by for more during this month. You can follow me on Twitter, just click on gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog, if you like. Well, that's all for now, and as always, have a great art time!

30Char 22 - Hank Huggs

Not letting the character backlog grow now. Here's entry 21 for the 30 Character Challenge, (Underground edition). This means I'm still 2 characther's behind with yesterday's and today's character. I intend to draw the reamining ones tonight!  I leave you with a hug now! (ugh!)

Here's Hank Huggs. He's basically a nice guy. Maybe too nice. Actually, kind of ugly! Imagine getting a big old hug from him (shivers). Hank is a relentless ambassador of good will, and hospitality. Try as he may, people avoid him in general. There's something about a person that just doesn't know when to stop hugging everyone. He'll even wait for the mailman just to try to hug him. Don't get me wrong, hugs are a very positive way to convey emotion, and form a bond, but too much is too much. He can take it to extremes. For instance, you don't hug a traffic officer when you get stopped for a moving violation. I'm sure that his happy go lucky attitude and enthusiasm are admirable, but you don't go to a court session carrying a "Free Hugs" sign.

For more characters through this month, drop by the 30Character Challenge web site, or visit some of my great artist friends to see their characters. You'll flip over creations by Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward. This is a great way to explore creativity, and possibilities. It is also a fun way to practice.

Thanks so much for visiting. Drop by for more during this month. You can follow me on Twitter, just click on gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog, if you like. I'm also currently running a Webcomic Jam at my LAB (blog). It's a fun collaboration between 6 awesome cartoonists, and myself. The story that we are developing is really interesting.

Well, that's all for now, and as always, have a great art time!

30Char Underground 19 through 21 - George, Bill and Horace

And the catch up sprint continues for my 30 Character Challenge Underground pieces. Here are 3 more! To be up to date I would need 2 more characters (3 tomorrow). Don't worry, they're in the works as I type this.

George McGreedy doesn't look like a good guy, does he? He likes to hang out in saloons, looking for a likely mark. That villainous look can be deceiving at times. You can tell from his face he doesn't like people. Poker, whiskey, and loose women are his pastime, when he's not trying to get away with loot of some kind. He's tried to swindle pensions from old ladies, and he's not beneath conning the virtue from young maidens either. He's got a gang of ruffians that do his dirty work, but he doesn't like to be seen with them, especially when he's working his cons. I wouldn't be surprised if you find him tying some young thing to a railroad track. (I didn't mean to draw the classic villain, but the face called for it).

Next up we have William Bullington. His no good friends call him Billy the Bull. This time, he found a way to get his jollies by abusing the local elementary school basketball team. They were practicing in the gym, and when their coach stepped away for a few minutes, he challenged the team to a mismatched game which he obviously won. He must get a kick from watching the kids suffer. He should pick on folks his size. Look at the mean smile and the smug face. We all probably know someone like this. Don't worry. Billy will get his soon enough.

And last in this run is Mr. Steward. Horace Steward retired some years ago. Lost his loving wife while he still worked at the railroad yard. A church going man, he turned towards his parish for solace. Now he lives in a cabin next to the church, and the graveyard where his wife rests in peace. He is the grounds keeper, and tends to the grave yard every day. Other than chasing the neighborhood kids from the premises every now and then, he walks about at night with a sad look, talking to himself, keeping company to the spirit of his long lost wife. He takes pride on his job these days. Folks that know him, pity him. Others are scared of him because rumor has it he talks to the dead. Horace has a steadfast heart.

For even more characters all through this month, drop by the 30Character Challenge web site, or visit some of my great creator friends to see their characters. You'll flip over creations by such great artists as Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward. This is a great way to explore creativity, and possibilities. It is also a fun way to practice.

Thanks so much for visiting. Drop by for more during this month. You can follow me on Twitter as gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog, if you like. I'm also currently running a Webcomic Jam at my LAB (blog). It's a fun collaboration between 6 awesome cartoonists, and myself. The story that we are developing is really interesting.
Well, that's all for now, and as always, have a great art time!

30Char Underground 16 through 18 - Henry, Lars, and Harry

On a catch up sprint with these 30 Character Challenge Underground characters. It's suppose to be one daily, but in order to catch up, I'm posting them in 2s and 3s. Here are 3 more!

Henry Hitcher is a sad case. He's been haunting the roads near his home town of Corky Creek for most of his life. If you bump into him, you'll be throw off by his buggy eyes and permanent grimace. He'll tell anyone that will listen the the Cork Pixies did this to him, and to avoid going near the Corky Creek bridge at all costs. You'll often see him on the side of the road trying to get away from town as far as possible, but every time someone gives him a lift, something prevents their vehicle from going any further. Eventually, Henry gives up, and returns to his old shack by the creek. No one visits him for fear of pixies.

Lars Kringle lives near a small fishing village near Amsterdam. No one knows where he came from. One bad fishing season, he realized he couldn't afford his weekly beer intake, so he came up with a plan. He dyed his hat and coat bright red, and broke into the local inn through the chimney. It so happened that the innkeeper's young daughter surprised him as he was quaffing down his 4th flagon of ale. Lars thought nothing of letting her know that he was Kriss Kringle's cousin, and that his job was to check on inn to make sure they were good enough for his famous cousin to visit. Of course, this included making sure the boys and girls had been good as well. The innkeeper discovered the scene, and as the little girl had believed the story, he didn't have a heart to let her down. Lars had a good meal and drink that night, and ever since, every holiday season, he's got a special place at the inn's table. Lucky Lars, eh?

Hypno Harry. Poor Harry. He was sort of awkward at school, and did not have much luck with the girls. One day, a shady character he met at the county fair insisted that his problem could be solved through hypnosis. That science could make him popular with the girls! Harry had nothing to loose, so he gave it a go. Out came a pocket watch, swinging back and forth. Harry was immediately affected. During the session, Harry deeply hypnotized, the police came calling, and the hypnotist, startled, accidentally hit Harry with the watch, as he left running. The blow must have affected Harry somehow. He came out of his trance ok, but now, whenever he sees any type of clock, or watch, he'll freeze up in fear, and sway back and forth in a daze. Poor Harry. Please don't ask him what time it is.

For even more fun characters all through this month, drop by the 30Character Challenge web site, or visit some of my great creator friends to see their characters. You'll flip over creations by such great artists as Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward. This is a great way to explore creativity, and possibilities. It is also a fun way to practice.

Thanks so much for visiting. Drop by for more during this month. You can follow me on Twitter as gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog, if you like. I'm also currently running a Webcomic Jam at my LAB (blog). It's a fun collaboration between 6 awesome cartoonists, and myself. The story that we are developing is really interesting.
Well, that's all for now, and as always, have a great art time!

30Char 14 and 15 - Lola Light and Bernie Zapp

Since I'm on a catch-up spree with these 30 Character Challenge Underground characters, and I have almost caught up, but not posted, I intend to post what I have in batches. Here we go!

Lola Light. She's a city girl. Here we have her hailing a cab, ready for the day. She may remind you of the main character in "That Girl" (that old time TV show portraying a naive, and spunky young woman trying to make her way in the big city), well, she may look the part, but she's nothing like that. Think undercover. She may look innocent, but she's a wiz at hand-to-hand combat, and espionage. She used to sing backup vocals for America Love. In fact, it is said that she picked up a lot of her undercover operative skills while working gigs with America. That handbag carries a concealed arsenal, and the fashionable cat-burglar suits as well.

Next we have Bernie Zapp, your trusty pizza delivery guy, working for Alien Pizza, the oldest integalactic pizza delivery service. Apart from carrying hot, and fast extra-terrestrial goodies that may include Zesty Tentacle Delight, or the ever popular Glowing Magma pie, he's the quickest delivery guy there is. His humble looking hover-board can actually bend space-time, so there is no way your pizza will ever arrive cold (unless you order the Frozen Frisbee Special).

For even more fun characters all through this month, drop by the 30Character Challenge web site, or visit some of my great creator friends to see their characters. You'll flip over creations by such great artists as Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward. This is a great way to explore creativity, and possibilities. It is also a fun way to practice.

Thanks so much for visiting. Drop by for more during this month. You can follow me on Twitter as gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog, if you like. I'm also currently running a Webcomic Jam at my LAB (blog). It's a fun collaboration between 6 awesome cartoonists, and myself. The story that we are developing is really interesting.
Well, that's all for now, and as always, have a great art time!