Scumbug - TMNT Redesign

My own version of Scumbug from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

For my version of Scumbug I tried to make him look quite distinct from the cartoon design, but also directly copied some design elements. I also had to throw in a couple of 80s and 90s references as well (of course).

Keen eyed viewers will probably notice that I've done this character in a different style than the rest of the TMNT redesign series. I can't bring myself to do these designs in vector anymore (it is way too OCD), so I tried to do a close approximation in raster.

Is Something Wrong?

This is my tribute to the original Stephen Gammell illustrations from the "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" series. This is my recreation of the illustration from "Is Something Wrong?" in "Scary Stories: More Tales to Chill Your Bones" in my own style. I couldn't help adding a bit of color in there.

Gravity Falls - Big Bad Grunkle Stan

I am super excited that the second season of Gravity Falls just started this month, so I drew this up in celebration.

Nightcrawler

Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler of the X-Men.

I made this from paper, basswood, foam adhesive, and acrylic paints. It's approximately 20 pieces that were cut out, painted, and then glued together. 

Steller's Jay and White-Headed Woodpecker

Here are some more bird cut-outs that I did for my ongoing series. This time it's the Steller's Jay (on the left) and the White-headed Woodpecker (on the right).

I actually did a lot of work with white-headed woodpeckers this spring, doing surveys for presence. They are one of my favorite little birds, but quite aggravating to survey. I swear that they sometimes called back to me, then hid behind a tree so I couldn't see them. We played quite a few games of hide-and-seek.

There are a few of these available at our Etsy store if anyone is interested. We also post updates about our store regularly on our Facebook page (much more regularly than I update this blog). 

Scary Tree Sketch

Whenever I really feel like drawing, but don't know what to draw, haunted trees are my go-to subject. So here it is - another haunted tree.

Even though I set out on this project with the intention of doing some painterly colors, I really like how this one turned out with the flat grey.

Non-expressive-post-abstract Expressionism

... ho hum ...

Non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism is typically characterized by the use of a limited palette, commonly restricted to shades of white and black, in simple quadrilateral geometric shapes.

To the lay-person non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism is often confused with minimalism or abstract expressionism. Although the non-expressive-post-abstract expressionists drew heavily from both schools of art, including the minimalist aesthetic, there is a clear difference in intention. Whilst minimalism seeks to strip down art to its most fundamental forms, and abstract expressionism is defined by intense emotion and spontaneity, non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism seeks to create designs without purpose or emotive imagery.

With the advent of production line art sold in retail stores internationally, it became clear that the public cared little for quality or artistic integrity, opting instead for mass-produced "wall filler". There still existed a demand for pieces that appeared artistic, but consumers were uninterested in meaning or technique. This created the perfect niche for non-expressive-post-abstract expressionistic works . According to the creator's artist's statement, "The purpose of non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism is to create background art that elicits no emotional response whatsoever. In order to prevent compelling analysis and conversation, we endeavor to create unobtrusive images that are ultimately meaningless."