#INKtober 2015 No.11: Pumpkin Spice

Almost didn't post this one. It didn't turn out the way I imagined it. Somehow it seemed funnier on my head. I feel this could have been better, but my workload is getting very heavy lately - so it shows in this INKtober submission.

I like the character, but my idea of a joke is definitely weak. If I had the time, I'd do this one all over again.

#INKtober 2015 No.10: Half-Lit Lantern Fish

This No. 10 image for INKtober is inspired by one of the creepiest looking fish in the world: the deep sea Lantern Fish.

I've always imagined that a lantern fish would probably lose its mind having a bright light shining in front of its face, deep within the dark ocean depths.

INKtober #10 submission with digital shading

INKtober #10 submission with just the Ink

Original pencil sketch, notice the fish looked too long, so the height was adjusted when inking

#INKtober 2015 No.9: Hunchback of Dingleberries

INKtober submission #9:

Thinking of monsters from my childhood past, I started thinking about the popular breakfast cereal monsters of the time . . . Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Boo Berry, etc.  So I started to imagined what monsters were rejected from having their own cereal.

 INKtober's submission #9 including some digitally coloured grey shading via Photoshop

Just the inked image for INKtober's submission #9 using a brush pen

Those paying attention might start to notice the repeat appearance of the little space gnat/fly. I'm planning to use this little character in about 1/3 of the images throughout the month and then end the event with an image feature this little insectoid character. 

The original pencil sketch (including the written text)

#INKtober 2015 No.8: King Kong + the Empire State Building

For those keeping counts . . . Here's INKtober No.8!
This one goes back to my childhood memories of watching all the big ape movies around Thanksgiving. King Kong is often portrayed hanging from atop the Empire State Building -- that image is as iconic as the film itself. But let's face it, the radio antenna on top the Empire State Building is not made of titanium people!

INKtober 2015 image #8 inked then gray tones added in Photoshop

For creating this image, I needed to work in several steps.

First, I needed to make a picture of the Empire State Building in cartoon form. The goal here was to try and capture the characteristics of the building that make it instantly recognizable. If the building is drawn too stiff, detailed or mechanical, it doesn't work with the cartoon. Inking the lines freehand (without a ruler or straight edge) gave the Empire Building a more playful look.

The original inked image without gray tones.

Once the building was sketched, adding the cartoon of King Kong became easier. I also tilted the building to the right to give a better perspective, movement, and energy to the overall image.

Original pencil sketches. Originally two separate images which were combined to create this look.

#INKtober 2015 No. 6: Darth Vader Gnat Force

No. 6 for this month's INKtober drawing is good ol' Darth Vader. Vader is alway fun to draw since he is such an iconic figure of evil. So this image shows Darth in one of his weaker moments, dealing with an annoying insect.

Inktober 2015 image #6 inked with a brush pen and digitally gray tone coloring

This image above is just the inked lines without digitally coloring

The original pencil sketch

#INKtober 2015 No. 5: Zoobie-Dang

The 5th image for INKtober 2015 is a character I've have been developing for a long time. I wanted to develop a character that was so disliked and hated, not because he's evil, but simply because he's boring.

Zoobie-Dang is a leader of the cave dwelling people called Mucklugs. Zoobie-Dang is terribly boring, slow talking and people generally find him incredibly annoying. He's been the default leader for over 5 decades because none of the other Mucklugs wants his job as the leader.

Inktober 2015 image #5 inked with a brush pen and digitally gray tone coloring

Zoobie-Dang might even be a good leader, but his people just can't stand listening to him. There have been many attempts to kill Zoobie-Dang, but the killers always stop, realizing there is no one to take his place as leader.

The inked image without any of the digital coloring

It's worth mentioning that Zoobie-Dang dabbles in magic. His mystic iStick gives him the ability to see people's true emotions, reads minds and can tell when someone lies. So Zoobie-Dang knows everyone's thoughts about him and how much he is disliked . . . which just makes him even more annoying because he acts like he knows EVERYTHING!

The original pencil sketch

#INKtober 2015 No.4: The Swoop

Continuing the INKtober fest . . . here's #4. Getting a little political here, but it's all in good fun. Hopefully, this helps clear up some of the confusion to what's really going on . . .

Inktober 2015 image #4 using a Faber-Castell brush pen and some digital coloring to help define the character.

The original pencil sketch

#INKtober 2015 No.3: Frankendad

The third image for Inktober is keeping with the Halloween monster tone. This one is a typical morning for good ol' Frankendad. Alway fun to take popular outrageous characters and just drop them into a normal everyday lifestyle.

Inktober 2015 image #3. created with two types of ink pens. 
(Didn't care for the coverage of the first pen and went over those lines with a darker black pen.)

I feel the sketch version below is better than the inked version above. I overdid the inking, making it too "muddy" with so much stippling, (those little dots of ink for shading).

I also prefer his relaxed right arm pose in the pencil sketch much better. It helps gives a more tired/lazy look. But I kept the lil' were-baby in for the added humor.

The original pencil concept for Frankendad.

You can also see how I didn't like the first mug sketch, so it was cut and replaced by the Happy face mug.

#INKtober 2015 No.2: Toadasaurus Rex

Continuing with Inktober and my wacky creature/monster theme: The Toadasaurus Rex.

Inktober 2015 image #2. created with a LePen fine point permanent marker (w/some digital coloring.)

Had this idea in my head for some time now. The dinosaur character still needs more tweaking - but for now, it's good enough to play around with for Inktober. I picture this little guy snapping and leaping around at prehistoric house flies.

Ink only version

Original pencil sketch

#INKtober 2015 No.1: Normal-Size Foot

There is an event ever year called Inktober where illustrators draw inked images daily for the entire month of October and share them online. I'm going to try it this year since it not only looks fun but it's also a great way to hone and practice my drawing skills.

Since it is the "Halloween" month, I'm going to also try to and keep all of these images as funny monsters. It is the busiest time of the year for me, so we'll see how it goes.

#1. Average-Size Foot: The idea of this character goes back to my childhood when UFOs, sharks attacks and unexplained mysteries were all the rage. The basis of this character was from one simple question: Would the public still have an interest in such a creature if his foot size was the same as the average man?

Inktober 2015 image #1. created with a "B" Faber-Castell brush pen

Added a bit of Liquid Ink coloring