O: Orca

Geez, I get half way through the alphabet and then I just stop to pursue other interests. LAME! Let me just say, my bad. I should never do something half way.

When last I left the animal kingdom I should have done "O." I chose the orca or as they are known in popular circles, the killer whale. I drew one before these two that came out very generic. I've always had this problem in my drawings. When I cartoon something I tend to focus too much on the realistic aspects of something and in the process lose what would make a better cartoon version. It's the same with my caricatures. I worry so much about likeness that I don't get bold with my exaggerations. Making my pictures nice but boring. That's part of why I'm doing these exercises. One, to draw things I might not generally draw and two, to develop my drawing to create pictures with more energy and life.

The Cowardly Lion takes up Karate

Recently I had drawn a bunch of gag comics featuring only animals. I'm going through this phase where I don't want to draw people (probably because as a caricature artist that's ALL I draw). I've been sitting on them for a few months because I was waiting to see how things went in the contest (see previous post). As the contest is over for me, I have felt the desire to revisit them. I just need to slap some color on them and I'll start posting them here.

This particular gag is actually an old one for me that I recycled. The original featured a little boy practicing his karate in the backyard. It just seemed to fit so well for the Cowardly Lion since there really are talking trees in Oz. I would show you the original but I'd die of shame. I mean I drew it with a stinkin' sharpie people!

N: Narwhal, Nutria, and Newt

While trying to think of what animal to do for the letter "N" I began to realize that I could not think of many. At the time I could only think of newts and narwhals. That was it! Two animals that names start with the letter "N." I even quizzed other people and they couldn't think of any. I ended up looking it up online and there really aren't that many animals for the letter "N." In honor of this I decided to draw at least three of these creatures in one picture, the narwhal, nutria, and newt.

I was ashamed of myself when I realized that I forgot about the nutria. The nutria is a giant river rat, basically think of the beaver without the tail. The reason I was ashamed is because one summer I worked at a camp, LLYC. At this camp they had made a t-shirt making fun of the nearby town, population 150. The shirt was about a make believe community college were the mascot was the nutria. On the shirt was a picture of a nutria. The reason was that there was a river near by in which nutria were known to live. I loved that shirt and that is why I can't believe I forgot about it.

M: Manatee

I love Manatees. They are just such an unusual yet lovable creature. In my high school days manatees were used for many a punchline as it was always the go-to/0ut-of-left-field kind of thing to put into a joke. Now I work at an elementary school and one of our favorite songs/books is by the multi-talented John Lithgow, called I'm a Manatee. I highly recommend the book. It comes with a cd of Mr. Lithgow singing the song, which is a must while flipping through the pages.

I love manatees so much that I may just do a second "M" post so I can draw some more manatees.

L: Lion

When thinking about lions I thought about how they are "the King of the Jungle." Then it got me thinking about "the King of Rock and Roll." So I put the two of them together. By the way who ever started the saying that lions are king of the jungle must of never really known anything about lions, because they don't live in the jungle. I'm just saying...

Below was my first lion drawing. I think I redrew it just to try a few things out. I figured this one was good enough to share without the color.

K: Kitten

The more I draw the more I can see patterns in what I draw. One thing I don't draw a lot of are people of the feminine persuasion. I don't really know why, it's just when I start drawing I tend not to think about it and they just get left out. I'm going to try and fix that. There are other things I need to draw more, but for now I'll just try to stick with more women.

On a side note, the kitten is actually what my cat looks like. The girl looks like no one in particular.

J: Jackrabbit

I: Iguana

H: Hog

I've been playing with more brushes in photoshop. I love seeing other digital work that has a textured look to it. I figured I should get on the ball and start learning how to do that kind of stuff.

G: Grizzly Bear

F: Frog

Fun Frog Facts:

-There are over 4000 species of frogs in the world, though only 88 species in the US and Canada. They are all over the world, except for Antarctica and Iceland.

-The earliest known frog fossils to date were found in Arizona and are believed to be from the late Jurassic period, about 190 million years ago.

-Frogs don't drink water but absorb it through their skin.

E: Eagle

10 years ago today, something happened that changed the world. It knocked buildings to the ground and knocked me off my high horse. I am reminded that in a blink of an eye the world can change and I have no control over it. But I will put my trust in God, who has control over all things. As it says in Isaiah:

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

On this day, may we all say a prayer for those who lost loved ones in the attack, for our armed forces, for our country, and our enemies, who would do us harm. May we all find our strength in the Lord.

D: Duck

When thinking of what would be funny for a duck to be doing all I could think about was duck a l'orange. Then I just thought it would be funny to have the duck juggling oranges.

Fun Duck Facts

-Most male ducks are silent and very few ducks actually "quack." Instead, their calls may include squeaks, grunts, groans, chirps, whistles, brays and growls.

-Ducks are omnivorous, opportunistic eaters and will eat grass, aquatic plants, insects, seeds, fruit, fish, crustaceans and other types of food.

-Ducks are comfortable walking on ice and swimming in icy water because their feet have no nerves or blood vessels making the duck unable to feel cold.

C: Crow

The Crow and the Pitcher

An Aesop’s Fable

A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher which had once been full of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and save his life. Moral of Aesop’s Fable: Little by little does the trick

B: Beaver

Beaver Fun Facts:

- Water downstream of North American beaver dams is cleaner.

- Beavers mate for life.

- A beaver can remain submerged in the water for up to 15 minutes.

- The beaver waterproofs its thick fur by coating it with castoreum, an oily secretion from its scent glands.

- Beavers can close both their ears and nose.

- Beavers were hunted to extinction in England in the 12th century.

On a side note, When starting a new sketchbook either make sure it fits your scanner or draw smaller to fit your scanner.

A: Alligator

Alligator Fun Facts:

-Spanish sailors visiting the New World called them el lagarto which means, "the lizard." English sailors took the name as "allagarter" and over time it became alligator.

-An alligator cannot move its tongue, and must raise its head to swallow.

-Alligators have a translucent third eyelid to protect their eyes so they can see underwater.