Adam Heine - Happy New Year

My hope for the new year is pretty simple. Some context for this picture is appropriate.

In 2006, we got 3 kids.
In 2007: +3 more kids
2008: -1 kid
2009: +1 kid and -2 others (net: -1 kid)
2010: +5 kids
2011: +1 kid

TOTAL KIDS: 10
INSANITY LEVEL: High
WATERCOLOR SKILL LEVEL: Low

Marie Criddle - Happy New Year!

Okay, lemme explain. :)

This year I started a lot of huge creative projects, both professional and personal. At times things felt like they were spiraling out of control and going up like mushroom clouds, but only because I couldn't objectively see the progress on my goals. Writing a book in a week = impossible, but writing a page a day = doable.

So one of my New Year's Resolutions is to start small. Not aim small, just start there. I think I'll be less overwhelmed and maybe get a bit more stuff done (without so many bouts of insanity) if I don't bog myself down with how big I want it all to be.

Also: SMALL CANVASES SQUEE SO CUTE.

Happy New Year, guys!

Jaqai Mickelsen - Happy New Year!

Behold. The first "finished" 100% computer free thing I've done in probably 65 thousand years. (Ok, ok, I admit it, I adjusted the levels slightly upon scanning it in.) It was fun being out there with nothing more than a pencil and an eraser. :)

Charles Eubanks - Happy New Year

This year, I resolve to be more punctual with my Anthdrawlogy posts!

Happy New Year, everyone!  SQUAWK!!!

Topic for 12/26 to 1/1/12

Here's to hoping everyone's holidays went/are going smoothly! It was so neat to see peoples' "year in review"s, too. Hopefully we can do it again in another 52 weeks! (Oh man, how cool would that be?!) Well, in celebration of this week, our topic is:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So...uh...happy new year! Any suggestions for future topics (or contributors to Anthrdrawlogy!) welcome--as always--in the comments.

Charles Eubanks - Year In Review

This sequence is from a book dummy I created for a really awesome class at UCSD Extension called Illustrating Books for Children.  The instructor, Joy Chu, challenged us to retell the story of The Three Little Pigs with any animal of our choosing.  I, of course, picked dinosaurs!

You can download the entire 20-page book as a .pdf at my blog.

Jaqai Mickelsen - Year in Review

Ok. So, this exercise was kind of depressing. Why? Because...wow. Outside of some doodles during some meetings and a few things I've drawn up for work, I've drawn very little in 2011. And the proof is that I literally had like two things to choose from. And this one I'm choosing? "eh" at best.

This was an idea I had for a tshirt around the hype that was surrounding the Book of Mormon Broadway show. I'm originally from Utah (and a big fan of the guys who created South Park), so I was definitely intrigued by the whole thing...then I simply wondered what would happen if the door to door stuff went the other way.

I'm not sure if it lands really...there is kind of a lot to figure out here to get the joke. (Also, looking at it now, it annoys me that neither of the bicycle helmets have straps.)



I think I know who I am artistically, (let's hear it for goofy cartoons!) but this little activity has shown me, in no uncertain terms, that I've been doing jack and squat to evolve my drawing muscle recently. So once I'm done rocking back and forth in the fetal position, I'll be excited to jump in with both feet on this Anthdrawlogy next year. Theme music!

Adam Heine - Year in Review

I don't know enough about art to evaluate who I am artistically, but I looked through everything I've drawn this year and found a piece that (a) I haven't put up here before* and (b) more or less represents "what I do." I think.

This sketch was actually commissioned by our own K. Marie Criddle, being a character from one of her works in progress.

* That was hard. The whole reason I joined Anthdrawlogy was because I almost never draw outside of it.

Marie Criddle - Year in Review

I posted this a few months ago over at my other blog, but it's been one of my personal favorites. Thanks for opening up my mind to some great new art, fellow Anthdrawlogians! And happy holidays to all!

Peter Hong - Year In Review

This is a comic cover I did earlier in the year for a Thai audience. Happy Holidays, guys!!!

Topic for 12/19 to 12/25

As the year is winding down and the holiday insanity is winding up, I thought it would be fun to do something a little different this week.  The topic:

YEAR IN REVIEW

BUT!  Instead of creating a new piece, look back at the work you've done in 2011 and pick something that you feel successfully represents you as an artist.  This can be something you've already posted, or something you just never bothered to scan.  The point is to look back at your body of work with fresh eyes, and evaluate who you are artistically.

And... if you find that you're beating yourself up and hating everything you've done, don't fret; I highly recommend this video.

Good luck everyone, and happy holidays!

Charles Eubanks - Holidays

I have gone much of my life with very little exposure to snow.  In fact, I was 32 before I ever saw snow falling from the sky!  But thanks to Bill Watterson, I know all about snowmen.

Adam Heine - Holidays

I couldn't think of anything Christmasy. This holiday is Loy Kratong, in which Thais release thousands of floating lanterns into the sky and little boats made of banana leaves into the river.

It's also Winter's Night (a holiday I made up for Air Pirates) and apparently Rapunzel's birthday (though I just saw the movie yesterday; I swear I thought of this picture before I saw it!).

This is also the first time I've actually painted (as opposed to the watercolor pencils I keep using) since I used to play Warhammer.

Marie Criddle - Holidays

Christmas in my home state: Arizona! It's not a scarf, it's a wet towel. :)
Happy Holidays, guys!

Jaqai Mickelsen - Holidays!

Sigh. It is that time of year again, isn't it?

Topic for 12/11 to 12/17

Hello, Anthdrawlogians! I see we're all back from the zoo with our limbs in tact...at if not all our limbs, then at least the ones necessary for drawing. Great job this week! I am LOVING the stories that come out of each post. Well, we're wrapping up the year and for a lot of us, that means an overload of this week's theme:

HOLIDAYS!

And there are a LOT to choose from! Good luck!

P.S. Charles pointed out that we've been at this for a whole SIX MONTHS now. Can you believe it?? So freaking cool. Virtual eggnog and sugar cookies for all.

Peter Hong - Zoo

Mandy Shefman - Zoo

Backpack dolls for all.

Marie Criddle - Zoo

They all thought the yarn would placate him...

Charles Eubanks - Zoo

Aren't cardboard boxes the best invention EVER?

Jaqai Mickelsen - Zoo

Hi everyone,

I'm stoked Charles invited me to come play. I've been wanting to draw more...and I'm thinking this group will be great (weekly) inspiration to do just that.

Party on Wayne!

Adam Heine - Zoo

This is me playing with Gimp* more than anything else. You might recognize the gibbons.

*  My free-but-less-user-friendly alternative to Photoshop.

Topic for 12/5 to 12/11

Nice entries last week, everyone!  Is it just me, or does time travel make you feel nostalgic?

Speaking of time travel, I dug WAY back through the comments, all the way to last June, to find this week's topic:

ZOO

Thanks for the suggestion, Mandy!

Also, please give a warm welcome to my good friend Jaqai, whom I just invited to join our little site!

As always, leave a comment on this post if you have any topic ideas, or if you want to invite anyone else to join.

And now, without further ado...  To the zoo!!!

Charles Eubanks - Time Travel

In keeping with the theme, this picture is from another time.  As in, I drew it a long time ago.

Adam Heine - Time Travel

Technically, one second per second is still traveling.

I almost didn't make it this week, due to a lack of ideas (see picture above) and a confluence of productivity-killing news. Also, what is wrong with my scanner?!

Marie Criddle - Time Travel

Peter Hong - Time Travel

This ad appeals to the desire in most of us to forego time spent in unbearable circumstances such as when someone has assaulted our olfactory senses in an enclosed space, or, in this case, when we have been the offender.

Topic for 11/28/11 to 12/4/93

Guys, I seriously love these "audience participation" topics! Can I tell you what a great thing we got going here? I'm so happy, lucky and most of all HONORED to draw with you all. Now onto the good stuff before I cry. This weeks topic!

TIME TRAVEL!

And right on the heels of my Doctor Who marathon! Good luck, space cadets. And again, ideas for topics and ideas for new members ALWAYS welcome in the comments below.

Marie Criddle - Puns

Charles Eubanks - Puns

Peter Hong - Puns

Adam Heine - Puns

My wife assures me this is a word, though we are less sure of its pronunciation.

This was challenging for me, and not because I hate puns (though that didn't help). I just don't draw animals very often. Or tutus. (And yet I managed this in less than an hour or so, which I guess means I'm improving. Who knew?)

Topic for 11/21 to 11/27

Those home improvement drawings made me want to start a new project on my house!  (not.)  Great job, everyone!

The Typos topic a couple months ago was so entertaining, I thought it would be fun to do something similar with Peter's suggestion:


PUNS!


Once again, let's post our drawings without any explanation, and see if others can guess the pun in the comments!

(Hee-hee, "Magma Doodle"...  Still funny!)

Also...  if you guys have any artistic friends who are up for a good, weekly drawing challenge, it would be great to expand our group!  Anyone interested can leave a comment on this post, or contact me or Marie directly.

Marie Criddle - Home Improvement

 

Once in a blue moon, I dabble with the comic strip form and this one was an unfinished one I touched up JUST for this week. I also think it's a lot more interesting without words. :D

Charles Eubanks - Home Improvement

Peter Hong - Home Improvement

Adam Heine - Home Improvement

When I showed this to my wife, she said, "That makes me sad."
"Only because it's true," I said.

Topic for 11/14 to 11/20

I love our robots, guys. I think there should be a sitcom about our robots living in a house together and trying to make ends meet while learning valuable lessons. What? I mean...uh...THIS WEEK'S TOPIC! We took it to twitter and asked for suggestions and one great follower, @keri_726, suggested:

HOME IMPROVEMENT!

Sounds fun, right? Like the act itself, this topic can be interpreted in many awesome ways. Some that might involve Tim Allen. But I'll leave that up to you. Good luck, Anthdrawlogians!

Marie Criddle - Robots

Adam Heine - Robots

Yesterday was very busy, and I realized I have no idea how to draw the kind of robot I want to draw (which is why I put it off until yesterday to begin with). So I pulled down one of my favorite anime series and commenced Very Fast Copying. DON'T LOOK AT ITS LEGS!

Charles Eubanks - Robots

Unicycle Happy Bot 5000 is ready to hug it out.  Resistance is futile.

Topic for 11/7 to 11/13

I hope last week's topic brought out everyone's inner child!  Well, this week should bring out everyone's inner toaster, because the topic is...

ROBOTS!

Domo arigato to Peter for the awesome suggestion.

Remember, if anyone has ideas for topics, post them in the comments!

Charles Eubanks - Babies

This is a quick color version of a sketch I did a while back.  Rawr!

Marie Criddle - Babies

Adam Heine - Babies

My parents used to tell us this was where babies came from.

Topic for 10/31 to 11/06

Serious, guys? Hairdos was one of my FAVORITE topics. And that's saying a lot coming out of unicorns! So this week, we got a round of GREAT suggestions from Laura, and out of them we've decided to start with:

BABIES!

I know, doesn't it make you want to cry with happiness? Here's to hoping we can deliver! Remember to milk your creativity for all it's worth. And if you're stuck on a style, don't be afraid to change it! We gotta cut the cord from our comfort zone sooner or later. (ooo, that was a stretch.)

Good luck!

Charles Eubanks - Hairdos

(Cross-post from frameadvance.com)

Eratosthenes was an amazing Greek scholar/librarian who invented the discipline of geography.  He was the first person to measure the circumference of the earth, and the tilt of the earth's axis.

...Not to be confused with Hairatosthenes, his crazy half-cousin, who was famous for his unkempt hair.

PeterHong - Hairdos

Laura Saterbak - Hairdos + Ruins

Adam Heine - Hairdos

Cousin Itt made the mistake of falling asleep first at the slumber party.

Marie Criddle - Hairdos

Olivia just had to find a way to hide those unsightly horns.

Topic for 10/24 to 10/30

Great ruins last week, everyone!  I find myself yearning to visit England.  Or [Easter|Rhode] Island.  Or a dystopian post-apocalyptic future.  Well, maybe not that last one.

I am super-excited about next week's topic:

Hairdos

Thank you Peter for the awesome suggestion.  SO much fun potential!  Let's go crazy, people!

Marie Criddle - Ruins

Modern Rhode Island ruins! I'm still figuring out a lot of fun settings on my new paint program and I wanted to do something a little different than my regular style. Still have some work to do. :D

Adam Heine - Ruins

For some reason, landscapes demand color in my head. These are watercolor pencils. What little ink work there is was done with the most amazing pen Japan has to offer (courtesy of Marie Criddle).

Peter Hong - Ruins

Charles Eubanks - Ruins

Sheep + castle = fun!  Loosely based on Dunstanburgh (rhymes with Edinburgh, not Pittsburgh) Castle in northern England.

Topic for 10/17 to 10/23

Thank you thank you all for indulging me. Those unicorns were hilarious, beautiful, spooky and corny...everything a unicorn needs to be! This week we've decided to switch gears and instead of characters, we're going to try landscapes! So, per Adam suggestions, this week's topic is:
 
RUINS! 

Good luck and can't wait to see what deserted landscapes you guys have cooked up in your brains. And, as always, if anyone has any suggestions for a future topic, please leave them in the comments!

Dave Hudson - Unicorns

Peter Hong - Unicorns