*FORCED* collab(oration)s and ~TWISTS~...

Hey! So every once in a while-- especially since I've been drawing a lot more lately-- I'll see a piece of art, and feel that I just *HAVE* to add something of mine to it or twist it a little. This was the case w/ my buddy, JunkYard Sam's latest piece, 'The Sometimes People'.
I couldn't *not* see a GIANT robot monster, looming in the background, so here ya go...

'The Sometimes People (REBOOT)'

NOTE. Because I just can't help myself out of my reinDeer REJECT obsession, this guy will likely end up with that crew as well:)

Another case, was when Nate Gregory created a character for Inktober, that I just *had* to do a take on. Because it was on the 20th day of October, we decided to name him 'Mr. Day 2Ö'.

'Mr. Day_2Ö'

I actually had a LOT of fun with both of them & plan on doing more in the future- WATCH OUT!

... enjoy!,
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cowPoke Collection: ROUND VI

ROUND_06 contestants. Tough competition indeed!...

cowPoke_27, giddup?

CowPoke_09, Jed & Timothy- Which one's which!? Either way, he'll shake ya, boy.

Introducing the first cowPoke in ROUND SIX: Deputy Piggins! Despite having quite a few in the backlog, I had to add some color to this newer one because of the aforementioned celebrity involved.

cowPoke_33: Deputy Piggins, weeeEEEEee...

NOTE: Going to park a  few more in this post, as they come online, to avoid spreading them out in the block too much:)


 enjoy!,
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reinDeer REJECTS! (#it'sNeverTooEarly)

For those that know me well, know that I LOVE to jumpStart the holidays a *little* early i.e. The tree will be going up Nov. 01 + only wait that long, because Jen insists that we wait until after Halloween;).
In that spirit-- based on the little-known Christmas tradition, that during the three months preceding the holiday season there are tryouts for Santa's team of reindeer-- I've decided to start a series of reindeer that were rejected for the team for various reasons, which I'll be collecting in this post.

Without further ado, here is reject #1...

reinDeer REJECT_01 disqualifications: Illegal use of wings, too much drooling

reinDeer REJECT_02 disqualifications: fraternizing inappropriately w/ the elves and generally a bad influence. Last seen searching for romance on Sugar Beach, Maui.

reinDeer REJECT_05 disqualifications: A real wild card, with no regard for safety. Last seen showboating above Montepulciano.

reinDeer REJECT_04, disqualifications: Too many antlers (makes the elves uncomfortable), dripping a probable radioactive substance from his mouth cavity, and a bad case of pink eye.Last spotted @ Mt. Baker in 2015.

reinDeer REJECT_03, disqualifications: Large size intimidates co-workers, drooling & anger issues, feasts upon human beings due to abnormal dietary restrictions. Last spotted in Whistler BC.

reinDeer REJECT_03, was feeling a bit cramped, so here he is in 'PANOVISION'!

reinDeer REJECT_08, disqualifications: Illegal use of back fins, distractingly-longish tail, spots of the wrong color, and misshapen antlers. Last spotted just south of Buonconvento, Italy nibbling on honey bees.

reinDeer REJECT_10, disqualifications: Easily distracted, unrealistic expectations, back scales (what is up with that?), + lizard-like tail. Last spotted on Blackcomb Mountain, BC.

reinDeer REJECT_09. 'Ol' Pretty Boy', disqualifications: 'Aesthetically- challenged', insufficient antler tine quantity, and those back scales are EXTREMELY illegal (not sure why he even entered the contest). Last spotted @ Mammoth Mountain, CA ~10 years ago.

reinDeer REJECT_13, Disqualifications: much, muCH, MUCH too LARGE, inconsiderate of neighbors' property (see exhibit A), + not even sure this beast in a reindeer (DNA tests under review). Last spotted in NEW YORK CITY's Central Park !

reinDeer REJECT_14, Disqualifications: Where do I start? As is the case with contestant #13, much, muCH, MUCH too LARGE, in addition to being of the robot variety- A SIMPLE SET OF ANTLERS DOTH NOT MAKE A REINDEER! Last spotted near the Parthenon in Athens, Greece!

reinDeer REJECT_11, Disqualifications: FAR too many spots (which he's believed to have stolen off of a car in Kirkland, WA), nostrils too far apart, and antlers grown in a much too haphazard pattern! Last spotted near the Parthenon in Beijing, China!

reinDeer REJECT_12b, Disqualifications: Color of coat does not fit within specifications of Santa's handbook, spots distracting to other reindeer, and (in his words) much too 'gangsta' for the team. Last spotted @ Gas Works Park in Seattle, WA.

reinDeer REJECT_12a, Disqualifications: Generally too plain, scrawny antlers, unfit, and lacking in enthusiasm.

reinDeer REJECT_15, Disqualifications: Oi. Where do I start? Unsanctioned placement of antlers, overweight, color of coat well outside of the legal range, disrespectful of others' property, and just too dang ornery. Last spotted terrorizing tourists between Granada and Sevilla, Spain.

reinDeer REJECT_06, Disqualifications: Perpetrator of tomFoolery in the 1st degree, 5 too many tail curls, and likely infected with some sort of parasite. Last spotted frolicking with elves in Santorini, Greece.

reinDeer REJECT_group_19, Disqualifications: Ah, where do I start? oh yeah- THESE AREN'T REINDEER AT ALL! THEY'RE FISH WITH ANTLERS! GET OUTTA HERE!

reinDeer REJECT_16, Disqualifications: One too many legs, FAR too many fins,and an unsavory color to boot. Last spotted skipping across the Vltava River in Prague, Czech. Republic.

reinDeer REJECT_07, Disqualifications: Extremely careless, and relies heavily on flatulence and and extra set of legs for flight-- Both of which are clearly outlawed for Santa's team in the handbook (he should be ashamed). Last seen flying high over Lisbon, Portugal.

enjoy!,
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cowPoke Collection: CowPoke_17 @ Your Service!

Hey, buddies! We have another recruit, c,owPoke_17! I feel like I should play with the colors on this one a bit more, but gotta keep moving so here ya go for now...

cowPoke_17 readyForAction

enjoy!,
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cowPoke Collection: cowPoke_23

... Yippy keye yay, looks like cowPoke_32 has met his match! Might need to tweak the palette on this one a bit, but here they are for now!

cowPoke_32

enjoy!,
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cowPoke Collection: ROUND III

What!? Can it be so, ALREADY another round of cowpokes + bonus bronco!? YES!
Like I mentioned, I have quite a few on the backBurner, so am really excited to finally add some color to the puppies, and get 'em out! Here are the next three pieces in the mix!

(the infamous) cowPoke_01

cowPoke_20

bronco_11

And a bit of that backstory that I've been promising...
In the future (before the SERIOUS space expeditions began) 'BIG RODEO' crossBred traditional, earthly bulls and broncos, w/ camels, dolphins, and all sorts of beasts to give the cowpokes more of a challenge.
Their thinking was that the dolphin skin would make them more slippery, and the camel humps (which they were able to increase the count of through genetic experimentation), would make them trickier to sit on. Sounds odd, but it seemed to work... for a while...


enjoy!,
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cowPoke Collection: Round II (+ BONUS character)...

A few more cowpokes, the first solo bronco, and rando' character for your viewing pleasure + TONS more to come!...

cowPokes_05

bronco_02

#changeOfPlans/ changeOfPants

enjoy!,
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INTRODUCING the COWPOKE(monsterpoke) COLLECTION (session_01)!

After tinkering on TONS of initial analog drawings for the past few months (& becoming QUITE obsessed with them in the process), I’m excited to finally introduce the COWPOKE COLLECTION! A series of rodeo stars (including honest-to-goodness outlaws, deputies, and even a few sheriffs!) along the BEASTS they ride! I’m working up a bit of narrative to go along with the series (+ have a game idea brewing for them as well of course:)), although it’s not quite ready yet- Please STAY TUNED for that!

I’m planning on staying a little loose/ inconsistent with the level of finish on these images as they come online-- as there is QUITE a backlog that I'd like to post-- then pushing various pieces a little further than the initial ‘launch’ at my whim (or based on feedback:)), including MOUNTY versions of select characters!

Without further ado, here are the first five in the series- If you enjoy them even half as much as I did creating them, I’ll consider that a victory:)

cowPoke_16

cowPoke_26

cowPoke_07

enjoy!,
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critterCountry X: grrR?

Quick color/ cleanUp pass on an #inktober piece (which probably means I'm missing the point;), but it started as ink, so who cares:)?)

... grrR?

+ Might park a few more critters in this post as well, to be more efficient with the real estate- Stay tuned!


enjoy!,
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critterCountry IX: 'birdishes'...

These buddies are from a while back, but just got around to cleaning them up a bit- Could definitely see these working out as fodder creatures in a game- Would def. be a lotta fun to blast away at:)...

Next up, I think I'm going to FINALLY start posting some of the COWPOKE COLLECTION! Really excited about these, as I'm finally going to attempt to work the characters together with a little story:) ~35 pieces on deck so far, just waiting for a little spit-shine polish!

enjoy!,
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RANDO' quick sketch: HOLY FAZOLI

Just a quick color pass on a funny little sketch that I did...

enjoy!,
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critterCountry IIX: anotherHeapingHandful...

Another heaping handful of critters to help populate critterCountry!
Note: I really need to think of a new name for these, if they ever turn into *anything*, as I believe this phrase 'critterCountry' has been taken 10 ways to Sunday. I've been toying around with the idea of a simple alt. spelling, i.e. Qritter Country, Qritter Quntry, kritterKountry, etc., but it gets confusing as to whether 'country' and 'critter' should start with the same letter, be understandable, remember-able, etc... These are the useless quandaries that occupy my brain;) In the mean time, CRITTER COUNTRY it is!...

These little buggers were actually based on a concept from the talented Lily Patenaude, which I feel might make some great little background critters in a game, etc. world. I REALLY need to find her original drawing, of this little guy!

Alt. color variation, just because.

enjoy!,
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critterCountry VII...

Another lonely little critter. Digging this one too, so have him a bit more colorization love than normal:)...

enjoy!,
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critterCountry VI: A Critter Searches...

Today's critter country has only one inhabitant. (One of my favorites actually). Will this bugger find what it's looking for? Only time will tell...

enjoy!,
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Love dem jams (frrrt)...

Having a little fun with a random one-off character. When will I grow up? ... Not sure:)

enjoy!,
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CritterCountry V: The Return of the Critters

Hey, buds! Another round of critters, especially for YOU! Hoping to shift to something more cohesive/ narrative- driven soon, although these little guys just keep popping into my head and I can't help but set them free. Stay tuned!

enjoy!,
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