Denizens of the Deep

Yet another Doodle challenge entry, this time “Mermaids”.  A bit of a departure for me.  I am mostly satisfied with it, although next time perhaps I will be brave and show a humanoid face.   I did try a couple times, but the poor creature kept complaining about her recent trip to the dermatologist.  Something about a healing chemical peel.  And you thought mermaids had no need for such things, didn’tya?

Hand drawn with Micron pens on Bristol board, then corrected and colored digitally.

A Tricky Place at Night

This strange scene comes courtesy of Doodle challenge #2, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”  I’m not entirely sure about the good or the evil.  Though it’s true the flowers do have convenient smiley faces.  And the carnivorous plants have sharp teeth.  But looks can be deceiving, and all that.

More thrilling digital color combinations (undoubtedly less thrilling for some of you).  This week featuring a (mostly) monochromatic extravaganza (in green).  Lots of parentheses as well.

Three on a Branch

Elsie (the dog) and Maude (on the right) waited for Blossom to wake up.  They stared in a longing manner in the hope that the combined power of their penetrating gazes would rouse her from her overlong nap.  Maude rested her beak on the top of Elsie’s head which wasn’t particularly helpful but Maude enjoyed it and Elsie tolerated it.

Poking Blossom was out of the question.  The one time they poked Blossom awake she refused to pick up the story where she had left off.  It was a good story too, something about an anteater and a tin of sardines.  (It was Elsie who poked her, if you must know.  Elsie is not as patient as a bird, but she is working on it.)  No, they would have to wait until Blossom woke up in her own good time.

Three on a Branch, Night

Sometimes she slept straight through the day.  Although it looks like Elsie and Maude have been waiting FOREVER, in fact they have just returned to their previous positions after a long and satisfying romp in the forest.   Maude has figured out, mostly, which days Blossom’s nap will be particularly long.

Three on a Branch, In Greens

Flight of the Bumblebee

This silliness is the response to an online doodle challenge called, surprisingly enough, “Flight of the Bumblebee.”  I was going to put the bee on a plane, or possibly stuck in a long line at the airport, but ended up with this pair.

The bee did consider an airplane, but last time all he got for his trouble was a long layover and a terrible stomach ache from too much Cinnabon.  Besides, he does like the wind in his antennae.

Are you a doodler with an Etsy shop?  If so, you could join in on the fun here.

Dimple and Mort in Slumberland

The other dogs cautioned Mort not to go, but they knew it wouldn’t do any good.  Mort had always been independent-minded.  He believed he would be able to avoid most of the enforced napping.  And since Dimple could not leave Slumberland, Mort was very determined to go.

Later he would report that the napping was quite wonderful.  He remembered meeting up with Dimple and discussing sea anemones for about an hour.  The next thing he remembered was waking up.  He was still standing up, and felt like he’d just had the best nap of his life.

The other dogs had all gathered around to hear the details.  But weren’t you worried, asked one, that a predator of some kind might have come along?  Oh no, said Mort.  Dimple said nothing escapes the sleeping events, no matter how big or small.  Besides, have you seen Dimple?  Not many would tangle with him.  They hadn’t actually seen Dimple, but they let the comment stand.

Billie & Regina Argue about Spitting

You want me to what? asked Regina, standing with her back to her sister as instructed.

Walk twenty paces, then turn and spit! said Billie.

Are we having a duel?  Really?  A spit duel?

Yes! said Billie.

You can’t, said Regina.

Can’t what?  Duel?  Sure we can duel!  It won’t hurt.

No.  Spit.  Have you ever spit at anything before?

Not exactly, said Billie.  Should we practice first?

Regina sighed.  You know you have a beak, right?  I don’t think a beak is made for spitting.

Olive's Niece and the Uneventful Visit

Olive was exasperated with her husband.  This habit of sleeping upside down, for one thing, always gave him a headache.  Her husband never connected the two events.  Lack of caffeine was his firm conviction vis-à-vis headache causation.

Either way, he shouldn’t be napping when their niece Gloria came to visit.  But it ran in his side of the family, the constant napping.  Gloria tried to stay awake, but she too fell asleep shortly after her arrival.  Right side up, at least.  His side of the family.

But I made cheesecake! groused Olive.  With licorice!  She huffed about for several minutes then went to check her email.

In an effort to track the history of my descent into madness… er, the learning curve of this whole digital coloring business, I hereby present the newest creature(s) with several color variations.  The first is the one I prefer, and will likely have a print made.  The blue one is nice.  The pink one, a mess.  Of course, people being what they are:  both amusing and infuriating, strange, unknowable and endlessly interesting in their variety – someone is bound to like the pink one most.

Maybe I should also mention I have been uploading all these myriad of creatures in 72 dpi.  If one clicks on them, they blow up quite a bit clearer and nicer.  But not so nice, one hopes, that people steal them and print them out and/or pretend they made them.  Which does assume someone will show up here and find them, *and* be a person who wants to steal and/or print them.  On the other hand, many can also be found at Etsy or deviantArt (see the links on the right side of the page)!

Two Dogs, One Beast, in Orange

The dogs had been waiting more than an hour for their guide to arrive. When she finally showed, they did not know what to make of her. Cyrus, the larger dog, was particularly suspicious. This was not a dog. Was it? Had he seen all the other kinds of dogs in the entire world? And besides, what kind of place was this? The chairs were very strange.

He decided, finally, to trust the odd beast. What choice did he have?  Luckily,  the beast turned out to be very nice – although she did not speak dog very well. Mops, the puppy, never experienced a moment of concern. He just followed Cyrus around. You know, like a puppy.

Two Dogs, One Beast, Bare

Two Dogs, One Beast, in Blue

Two Dogs, One Beast, with Pink Planets

Yeah, not sure about the planets.  First of all, they don’t actually look like planets.  If I wanted planets, I should have drawn in some planets before scanning.  They look a bit more like party balls than planets.  In any case, I do not consider the planet/party ball business a success.  I just added this one for another color comparison.

When I started painting these Seussian beasts, ages ago (oh geez, 1987?), they were always accompanied by dogs.  I’m not sure why I left off the dogs for a while, but they are back.  Because dogs are the coolest.  And I wouldn’t really be interested in a land with purple skies and crazy, long-necked beasts without dogs.  I do know one dog-averse person (I don’t really understand it), so at least one person wouldn’t be interested in the dogs.  And I’m sure cat people might like some cats to appear.  I think perhaps there will be some cats.  But these things take time.

I like the bright skies partially covered in bright clouds.  This is not a difficult digital-coloring trick.  You have to start somewhere, however.

Sneeble tried to start a conversation with the strange dog. He said he was friends with Cyrus, a dog who liked to roll in the dirt beside the river. Did he know Cyrus?  The strange dog said, no, he did not know Cyrus, why would he know Cyrus? And anyway, did Sneeble happen to have any snacks?

Sneeble said he figured dogs knew other dogs.  He offered berries from the stripey grasses, but the strange dog turned up his nose.  Sneeble looked past the strange dog into the distance, in the hopes that a better conversationalist would appear.

Cyrus was not paying attention and almost walked right into the painted beast.  Pardon me, he said.  I am Cyrus.  The painted beast replied with two snorts, a sort of whinny and a shake of her hair.  This was a language Cyrus had never really mastered.  He was pretty sure the painted beast was not going to eat him.  Or spit on him.  Or something else distasteful.

He waited a few moments to see if anything else would happen.

Jolly and Kitten Nap in the Great Blue Cloud

Originally, they had set out on a Grand Adventure.  Their intended destination?  A crystal clear lake in the middle of an expired volcano.  But they did not get very far before Jolly said, how about a nap?  And Kitten said, yes, I think so!  So they took a slight detour to the outskirts of the Great Blue Cloud, and there they napped.

Mr. and Mr. Difficult in Purple Cloud

Jeeves and Farley have made many appearances in relatively few days on this site.  It’s that or listen to them complain.  They are world-class complainers.  I mean that in the nicest way, of course.