Valentines Zombie Revision!

Hi all, Mark here!
This week's theme was Valentines Day.

I've developed a new style I really like involving gradients.  Since my original zombie illustration wasn't rendered at all, I decided to revisit the piece and render it finally.  I figured love struck zombies was a close enough match for the Valentines Day theme.

Crab Cake!

Hi all, Mark here!
Today's theme is "Dessert Characters"!

I love crabs--especially hermit crabs-- so I created a crab character, "Crab Cake".
Also, the fact that I drew a cake character 9 days before my birthday isn't at all a thinly-veiled attempt at coercing my friends into getting me cake, no sir.

I would love this character as a plush!

And on the subject of dessert characters, here's my line of ice cream bears, the Cub Cones!  I created them in 2012 and hope to someday license them to a company like Sanrio.

You're welcome, America

Animal Breakfast Diner!

Hi all, Mark here!
Today's theme is one I love-- "Breakfast"!

A few years back I did a chicken waitress illustration called "Chicken & Waffles".  I've improved a lot since then, so I thought it'd be fun to redraw the piece in my new style!  The look of this piece was inspired by vintage Nintendo game box art, as well as the art of the Paper Mario games.

I will take any excuse to draw a cute bird girl

Mermaid Sisters!

Hi all, Mark here!
Today's illustration is for the previous theme, 'Mermaids'.

I love mermaids, so I drew two cute mermaid sisters (a pouty goth and a happy nerd).  They are best friends despite their different personalities.
The art for this was inspired by the Paper Mario video game series.

All jokes aside, this is a perfect representation of the two types of women I'm attracted to

2015! Year of the Wooden Sheep

Hi all, Mark here!
Today I'm coming at you with a post I missed for the theme "Happy New Year!"

My drawing today celebrates the start of 2015-- in the Chinese Horoscope, 2015 is the Year of the Wooden Sheep (hence the leaf in my pic).  My character design was inspired by the art of the 'Paper Mario' series.  (Nintendo characters are and have always been my biggest influence, artistically)

Happy (belated) New Year!

Penguin Cheer!

Hi all, Mark here!
After some time away from the blog, I'm back with some adorable Christmas cheer artwork.

For this piece, I took inspiration from Kirby, the Nintendo character, and I tried to emulate the look of Kirby's artwork (particularly the art of Kirby Super Star Ultra).
I typically don't use gradients, so this was a fun experiment!

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays, everybody!

Leeloo's Multi Pass

Hi all, Mark here!
This week's theme is the 90's movie "The Fifth Element".

The film features a "Multi Pass", which is like a combo passport, credit card & ID.  I did a cute version of the Multi Pass used by Leeloo, since my impulse to cute-ify things can't ever be ignored.  Sorry, not sorry.

Leeloo doesn't really act like this in the film, but I wanted to draw a chibi Milla Jovovich, dammit

Also, I originally did line-work for a more realistic version of Leeloo, featured below.

Hummingbird Tribute

Hi all, Mark here.
Today's post is a special tribute--
fellow Scribble Nerd Ashley's dear friend Armanda recently passed away, and as a group we each decided to illustrate a special piece in her memory.  I did not know Armanda, but I have learned from Ashley's writing that Armanda was a positive, compassionate, and very loving person.  She had liked the idea of a hummingbird and daisy for a tattoo, so my tribute features my take on those those two things.  I feel that the energy and beauty of a hummingbird is a fitting tribute for such a special person.

My deepest condolences go out to Armanda's family, friends and loved ones.

Creature From the Black Lagoon!

Hi all, Mark here!
This week's theme is Scary Movie Monsters, so today's piece is all about the Creature From the Black Lagoon!

Water (and the things that live in water) have always been a little alien to us, so a fish man is right up there on the Uncanny Valley.  Happy Halloween!

Swamp Photograph from MorgueFile-- user Photojock

Zombie Love!

Hi all, Mark here!

The theme of the week is Zombies!  I am not a zombie fan, so when tasked with making zombie art, I thought, 'Could a guy zombie be love-struck over a cute girl zombie?'  The answer: HELL YES.

Enjoy!

Halloween Monster Mash-up!

Hi all, Mark here!
As promised, here's my full piece for the previous week's theme of Classic Halloween!

Enjoy these video-game inspired characters!

Chibi Ghostbusters Logo!

Hi all, Mark here!
The theme this week is Ghostbusters!

Of all the movie's positives qualities-- great casting, stunning special effects, sharp humor-- I  think I like the Ghostbusters logo most of all.  It's so simple, sleek, and creative, I just knew I wanted to take a stab at it.  Enjoy my chibi, super iconic take on this classic!

Halloween Monster Sneak Peek!

Hi all, Mark here!
I have a love-hate relationship with Halloween.  Basically, I hate how much I love it.

This week's theme is Classic Halloween, so I decided to do a fun group shot of the main Halloween monsters.  This piece can't be revealed in full right now, as it is part of a local art show on the 17th!  Instead, today I'm coming at you with a special sneak peek.  The full piece will be posted after the show goes live!

Bullying Awareness-- Nightcrawler Edition!

Hi all, Mark here!

I'm a huge Nightcrawler fan, so for Bullying Awareness month, I drew Nightcrawler comforting a young boy.  Nightcrawler is arguably one of the compassionate X-Men, and despite his outcast status, he always treats others with kindness.  Growing up, I was a very awkward and very nerdy kid, so I know that bullying is a serious issue-- but it doesn't have to be.  Be a hero and do your part to prevent bullying!  A little kindness towards others goes a long way.

Stop by Carol & John's comic shop to get this sticker (and 6 additional stickers) to raise awareness for Bullying Awareness Month. 

Nostalgia: Mega Man Edition!

Hi all, Mark here!
The theme this week is favorite nostalgic character, and mine is most definitely Mega Man.

Mega Man is a classic NES video game hero, and to me, the very definition of the early 90's.  I still remember my older brother playing Mega Man 3 when I was only 4, and the art in the Mega Man games inspired me to draw.  One of my earliest memories is when I drew Mega Man on my parents' house with a pen (sorry, mom and dad).

Please enjoy my take on this retro game hero from my childhood!

Mark Self Portrait~ Puppet style

Hi all, Mark here!
Today I'm doing the self portrait challenge!

I have puppets on the brain lately, so I jokingly doodled this drawing at 4 in the morning & then laughed until I cried.  I just lose it over those derpy little frogs.

Kaiju Minis

Hi all, Mark here!
Today's piece is about "kaiju", which are giant or strange monsters.

Kaiju tend to be dark, fearsome & gritty, so I decided to portray them as cute, bright and colorful.  This  illustration would be a logo for a mobile app game where you fight as cute kaiju.  (I would play the hell out of this game)

Fun fact:  I originally drew these out in a different style, before changing to the cute style I adore.  This is how the monsters originally looked:

(Somewhat of a 'Pokemon' vibe here)

I AM GROOT!

Hi all, Mark here!
This week I'm playing catch up for last week's challenge, "Guardians of the Galaxy"!
"Guardians" is a damn fine flick, full of exciting, memorable characters.
For the challenge I drew the kind-hearted, tree-like Groot!

(Tree Bark texture from Photo Vaco)

Adorable Japan

Hi all, Mark here!
The theme this week is Japan-- I take a lot of inspiration from their culture, so this was a fun challenge!

A few years ago I designed these kimono cuties, and this week I decided it would be fun to make a traditional Japanese environment for them.

(I have a big soft spot for anthropomorphic characters.)

Who is your favorite kimono girl?  Mine's the swan.

Bonus Art!  Here are two buttons I designed that Japan-inspired.  

(Kero mean "ribbit" in Japanese, and the creature on the right is a tanuki!)

Batman: Chibi Edition

Hi all, Mark here.
To celebrate Batman's 75th anniversary I did what I do best-- make cute character art.  The name of today's game is chibi style-- big heads and small bodies.

This piece will be part of a Batman gallery show at Carol & John's Comics in Lakewood, Ohio this Saturday!  Come check out tons of awesome art and mingle with the Scribble Nerds (as well as other local artists).