thewindthief asked: I love your artwork and find it highly inspiring. I am always so happy whenever you post anything. In regards to the last ask... mind if I ask you which character reminds you of bleached bones and coffee? :)

Answer:

After answering that ask I realized the odor I was actually trying to describe was Midwestern basement mold.

mr. moldy.

:(

#that's not a five o clock shadow  #with a dash of wet dog  #everybody hates moldy raymond  #he's also modeled after george these days so I guess I just called george moldy 

Anonymous asked: hi! your artwork is so beautiful. i notice you draw a lot of your characters, particularly of the guy and his dog... I was wondering if you had any advice on how to draw characters at different angles? do you recommend any books, tutorials, etc? i have such a difficult time drawing a character's portrait in profile, 3/4, etc., despite reading through the many books on proportions and such... the characters just never look like the same person :3 thanks!!

Answer:

I’m pretty inconsistent with staying on model with my characters, but close enough is usually good enough, heh. My excuse is that my style is still evolving ;)

Try to think about proportions in relative terms: ex. the width of so-and-so’s mouth is 1.5 times that of one of her eyes. The more specific rules you can come up with for how to draw a character the easier it will become to make them feel consistent across different poses.

Don’t be afraid to make rules that sound silly or abstract either—whatever helps you internalize the volumes that comprise a character should be considered useful. For instance, I sometimes wait for a drawing to evoke a specific emotional reaction from myself before I decide it’s right, because that’s how I know I’m recognizing a familiar face. With one dude, it’s the feeling of being in a friendly conversation with someone who is plotting to rob your house. With another, it’s the same emotional reaction I have when I smell bleached bones and coffee simultaneously.

#Anonymous  #ask 

#art  #sketch 

#art  #sketch 

Anonymous asked: I have always been curious if you had planned anything with the world you've been building up over the years (appear to be, anyway). There's been some recurring characters but not a lot of information on them, did you ever want to make a comic or book or are you content keeping it to yourself?

Answer:

I’ve got things I’d like to see come to fruition someday…

Someday.

firenmynus asked: Ah I'm really bummed out, you used to have tons of amazing drawings on devantart, but now most of your work has been removed. I saved dozens of your drawings and sketches on my old computer, but when my laptop crashed I lost them all! I've searched everywhere, but I can't find them anywhere online. I can still visualize a few of your old drawings in my memory and every time I do I wish I had saved a backup copy of those amazing pictures. Is there any way you could reupload your work?

Answer:

…sometimes I work up the courage to have an open directory on my site with an archive of ye olde crappe in it. And then as I am looking through pictures to upload to said directory I unearth the truly weird stuff I forgot about (and buried for a reason), and then I have to go and make myself a cup of tea and take a terrified shower. 

So… yes, although it might take a while what with all the screaming and intermittent bathing

#firenmynus  #ask 

Anonymous asked: just out of curiosity, what made you change your mind about becoming a surgeon?

Answer:

Everyone who knew what an emotional wreck I was in my late teens is probably very grateful I didn’t go into premed. Besides, my art career had already kind of started by accident and I figured it was my best and only shot at surviving or whatever. 

I am comfortable now knowing I have the precise cocktail of personality traits that make for a horrible healthcare specialist but superb dog babysitter. That’s my lot in life! 

#Anonymous  #ask 

#art  #sketch  #WHAT IS IT  #fanart  #ugh  #georgethings 

Anonymous asked: hi, is there any particular anatomy book for both humans and animals that you recommend? do you rely more on a medical book for anatomy or do you think the best option is to just google references? i love how you draw animals but sometimes i feel too fearful that if i google animal anatomy, i'll end up seeing gory photos of animals :(

Answer:

For animals (particularly four-legged mammals), An Atlas of Animal Anatomy for Artists is a great starting point. It is a useful reference, beautiful to look at, and easy to get a hold of.

Most people recommend Bridgman or Loomis books as essential references for human anatomy. I like the Jeno Barcsay book as a complement to those.

You might find the Muybridge collection of Animals in Motion relevant to your interests too. 

I personally have medical texts and stuff like the Bodyworlds catalog on my shelves because they offer another useful perspective from which to study the construction of the human body. Once upon a time I wanted to become a surgeon or a medical illustrator so the imagery doesn’t bother me, but it’s certainly not for everyone. 

Google is a useful resource but it requires patient sifting, and yeah, there’s always the risk that you’ll get exactly what you weren’t looking for. Yay for curated collections of dusty old books! 

#ask 

Anonymous asked: Hi. I've always noticed you seem very good at drawing detailed musculature/anatomy in both people and creatures. How much would you say is from your head and how much do you need reference photos or anatomy books for help?

Answer:

Well, there is definitely a good reason why my apartment is full of skulls and skull replicas and medical textbooks… 

I always start by going off of internalized knowledge (…or lack thereof…) but as I work I will collect, or in an optimal situation, create, references in order to check to see how wrong the stuff that came out of my head was.

#ask 

Anonymous asked: heya! just another fellow veggie buddy offering advice, but make sure you're still getting lots of protein in your diet to combat the withdrawals. you could gradually wean yourself off meat, going from pescetarian to vegetarian, whilst still eating nuts, beans, hummus, meat substitutes, etc. with enough fruit and veg to help balance it out. hope your body adjusts and you feel better soon! the health and energy benefits are totally worth it. I love your work. :)

Answer:

Still eating eggs and dairy for now, so my nutritional intake should hopefully be balanced. I think the worst of it has passed… aside from the occasional drumstick-themed daydream I’m feeling great today. Thanks for your concern; I appreciate it! 

#ask 

#art  #sketch 

#art  #sketch 

#art  #sketch  #it's all downhill and dobermans from here on out buddy 

#art  #sketch