Well, I finally finished that sketch that’s taken me 3 days due to work being demanding again. And since its FRIDAAYYYYY, right after work I will be scooting out of town to where there is no scanner for the weekend. I will continue to draw, but my blog will be asleep until my return.
So, until monday, HAPPY FRIDAY!

Will be working late tonight. I started a sketch (a legendary turtle! Ashley, YOU know what I’m talking about, MWUAHAHAHA!), and I hope to finish it post it tonight. Wish me luck! I wish you all a wonderful Wednesday as I attempt to be effective in mine

One of my personal favorites, the Ki’rin. A Japanese version of the originally Chinese mythological beast of peace, wisdom, and smiting down the wicked. It is loosely called the “Japanese unicorn”, and is famous for being so gentle, when it walks it doesn’t bend a blade of grass. Unless, of course, its smiting you. Then its a fire breathing bad-ass with the wrath of the heavens, and you deserved it because they are all knowing.

Oh yes yes! Both Ashley and Donny: thank you for mentioning one of my favorite creatures in sea-faring lore and legend, the amazing and fearsome KRAKEN! A huge squid/octopus/cephalopod that is the bane of pirates and sailors alike. I figured the ones eating all the ships are the baby ones, playing with what they see as little bath toys. Enjoy!

Thank you all for your ideas for more fantasy creatures! Today’s is a Basilisk, a cross between a bird and a lizard. This is the creature that is most commonly depicted as being killed by St. George. Its most famous characteristic it its long, leathery, dangerous tail that can lop a man’s head off in a single swipe. It is supposed to be terrifying, poisonous, and so fearsome that a single look could turn a grown man to STONE! (oh MY!) Oh, and its only 12 inches long. I figured that most things small and poisonous are also quite beautiful. So, I went the “It’s terrifying cause its so PRETTY” route.

Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent for the fantasy coloring book!

And the collection grows. Thank you guys for your comments! I LOVE THE IDEAS!

News #1
I finally got the title of my Panda story copyrighted! This means I don’t need to use the term “Code Named Panda” anymore on the blogosphere, I can actually tell you all now that officially, my book’s name is “Panda’s Perfect Pocket”.

News #2
This year, I have decided to finish one painting a month for Panda’s Perfect Pocket. I need a total of 13. I have one painting finished, so if I can manage this slightly aggressive timeline I could, technically, have the whole thing illustrated by the end of this year! We shall see how I manage to balance work and illustration. I started off really strong last year, but by July work became so demanding I was lucky if I had a lunch break, or even a weekend for that matter. I need a benefactor. Know anyone?

News #3
The daily sketches, well, no so daily as of late, but anyway my daily sketches that I am turning into my fantasy coloring book for kids have an actual plan now. I will be approaching Dover Publishing with it in April.  That should give me enough time to draw the rest of the pages and ink the whole set. I also know how many I need: 29-30. I have 13 so far, so that means 16-17 more to go! And if Dover doesn’t like it, then self publishing it is for this one!

News #4
You get to offer up ideas for fantasy creatures YOU would like to see! Just leave it in your comments.
The ones I know I will be doing still are:
1. Sea Monster
2. Ki’rin
3. Feathered Serpent

So, folks, what fantasy creatures would YOU like to see in this coloring book?
Comment below!

Whatever, and wherever you can give -

I am posting links to the relief efforts and projects that I trust and have donated to myself. Pick one, or all, and pass it on. We CAN help, and we do, even if we aren’t there.

While Facebook and cell phone donating is a great way to collect funds from people who would not otherwise donate, I encourage you to make your contributions directly to the organizations of your choice.  Cutting out the middleman removes unnecessary fees that reduce the impact of your gift.

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake/

http://www.redcross.org/

I am a member of Child Fund. Its a fantastic organization that focuses on the healthy growth of children while combating starvation and poverty. They don’t have any stations set up in Haiti yet, but they have a few contacts and would like donations to be able to get started in Haiti. I have donated, because I believe in their mission and their methods for dealing with the aftermath of such a terrible disaster. Check them out when you have a moment.

http://www.childfund.org/help-haiti/

And also, Soles4Souls is mounting a massive response of emergency relief to the victims of Haiti’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake near the capital city of Port-au-Prince. 3 million people are directly affected by the damage, and are in immediate need of the most basic necessities, like food, water, AND SHOES.

Soles4Souls is partnering with local shoe and sporting goods retailers to collect used shoes for men, women and children to be immediately shipped to Haiti, to help survivors locate others trapped in the rubble and begin the rebuilding process. As you can imagine, the amount of broken glass, twisted metal and raw sewage is staggering.  S4S is also partnering with others to supply new boots and shoes, tents, blankets, duffle bags, food and water.

You may donate gently worn shoes at one of their many local donation sites, http://www.soles4souls.org/

An excellent source for finding out how charities are doing with the efficiency of their funds.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Another page for the fantasy coloring book. The ever classic winged horse, or otherwise known by name as Pegasus. In Greek mythology Pegasus was this ONE horse with wings, not ANY horse with wings. His daddy was Poseidon, the Greek God of the Ocean, and his momma was Medusa. The chick with the snake hair…yeah…weird. I couldn’t make that up, it is written in many languages. However, the name Pegasus has become so a part of our vocabulary to describe any winged horse, that it is now the term for this magical creature. However, don’t think too hard about the original mythology..because that would mean that Triton has a winged horse as a half brother. (Poseidon is Triton’s daddy too.) Anyway, winged horses rock.

Yesterday, I bought “The Dream Hunters”, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano. Had I known that these two artists that I treasure and follow independently of one another worked together due to encouragement by my much adored Studio Ghibli….I would have had a Joy Seizure much earlier in life. But no…I had my Joy Seizure last night…upon the discovery of this beautifully written and illustrated work of art at Borders Books. I read, I absorbed, I adore. In one particular moment, the main character meets an itsumade, sometimes considered the Japanese version of a gryphon. It has the head of a lion, body of an eagle, and a serpent for a tail. Yoshitaka Amano is an amazing illustrator/fine-artist/painter/dreamer, and the creature he portrayed was pure magic. I was inspired to do a coloring book page dedicated to that creature, because I think its gorgeous. So below you will find a scan of the image in the book (that doesn’t do this incredible piece justice and I hope you buy the illustrated novel and enjoy it), as well as my coloring book page!

Another page for the children’s fantasy coloring book, inspired by my nieces and their cultish fervor for line art and coloring. I present, the elusive Hydra! Typically portrayed with 5 heads, the most notable characteristic of this Greek beast is if you chop one head off, two more grow in its place – very bad. That is why if you have a bad Hydra Monster in your back yard, its best to leave it alone.

Happy New Year! Remember that fantasy coloring book I’m doing for kids? Well, I’ve got another creature for you to print out if you like, a Gargoyle! Yep, I’m sketching again, and hopefully EVERY DAY! So, be expecting another sketch tomorrow. I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a hard yet wonderful and productive year.