strange dreams

show pieces

These are the three pieces that were accepted to my school's spring art showcase! 

shakespeare shirt

Off-topic, there's a shirt on teespring (sort of like kickstarter for t-shirts) that I hope gets printed because I want one! It needs 100 backers before it'll get made so I thought I'd link it here just for fun. It's from Shakespeare Geek and it's pretty nerdy awesome. It's "To be or not to be" translated into a bunch of different languages. :)

Manta cateia

I'm presenting my thesis on MONDAY! EXCITEMENT AND PANIC. No, I think it will be fine, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking. 

caterpillar

Just some quick caterpillar sketches using a new brush I found for photoshop. They're very rough, but I kind of like some of them. 

Eubalaena falconeri

Equus maleficarus

I like the concept of this one, but the execution isn't quite how I imagined it. If I have time I want to go back and re-work this one a little bit. I like the head and neck area thought. I think I just got distracted because I love rendering shiny things. 

polydentis zbrush sculpt

scorpion snake

dinichthys nebulosa

I might add a few more fishy plates to it if I have time, but overall I really like this one. :) 

Sturnus gemmantis auriculae

The long-eared jewel starling

Its prominent ears allow it to hear stealthy predators approaching. The dual tail structure assists in stabilization in flight, balance on the ground, and temperature regulation. 

The jewel starling's brilliant coloring makes it an easy target individually, but they usually live in large family groups, and when in danger fly close together, making each starling almost indistinguishable from its family. The feather bands are subtly unique, allowing family members to recognize each other. The bright golden bands on the wing feathers may act like zebra stripes in confusing predators when they cluster in large groups. 

They habitually make a quiet "cheak" noise somewhere in between a chirp and a squeak. 

claw frog

I made a claw frog, with a couple of color variations. I think I like the blue one best, but I'm not sure. This frog appears to have both claws and hair, but neither are what they seem. The "hair" is actually a series of small skin flaps that allow the frog to gain extra oxygen from the water. The "claws" are actually bony projections from tips of the phalanges. These extra bones are venomous, having a hollow core through which toxin runs. The venom, however, is intensified by the frog's diet, and if its diet is controlled it is not potent enough to injure a human, making them (relatively) safe pets, so long as their temperament is docile.

And just for fun, since this creature is based off of a Hairy Frog, here's one that might be kept as a pet and thus has grown to an old age. I've named him Gerald, because I think he resembles my favorite naturalist. 

I started a redbubble store, where you can purchase prints, iphone or ipad cases, shirts, and stickers of my art! I haven't uploaded many of my designs yet, but one of my anglers is featured on the homepage!

my redbubble page

redbubble homepage

quick zbrush progress render

 here's a little in-progress image of what I'm working on in zbrush (which is a 3D digital sculpting program). Done from my own reference and using some bovine anatomy.

regalecidae latussos

Oh man the skeleton on this guy took forever! All those vertebrae... But meet the Regal Fringehead, Regalecidae latussos

jellyfish sketches

Some jellyfish sketches. The top couple are more or less based on real jellies, then the bottom ones are my take on it, the shape is based on the human heart.

canine sketches

Working on a new canine creature, a mixture of african wild dog, oarfish, and sarcastic fringehead. (I'll let you guys figure out what that means.) Just a few quick sketches to try and figure out the design.

octocrab? crabtopus? crustaceopod?

finished (more or less) lokis

some more creature notes and drawings

unfinished (and unnamed) creature

final painting

color study

blocking in

adjusted proportions, starting to add detail

adding more detail, until

finished painting!

close up of the most detailed areas.