I make comics!

Trying to get into a habit of drawing/sketching more often to flex those artistic muscles outside of comic making. Should probably get back into a habit of posting here too since its been ages :-/ In any case, I call this woman ‘Wind’

It was my every intention to draw a more innocent monster today with a sweet heartwarming story. Then I realized I had been pretty easy on scares this year so I wanted to go back to the roots. To celebrate Samhain, here's one of the great beasts of Celtic lore, the Kelpie. Kelpies are shapeshifting spirits that dwell within the lakes of Scotland. While it can take the form of a human it is most often seen as a horse or hippocampus. The most famous legend involves a group of young children discovering one. As they reach out to ride it, their hands become entangled in a dark black goo that covers the kelpie. One child survives by twisting their hand free, sometimes loosing fingers in the process. The others are not lucky and remain entangled being dragged below the water's surface. Happy Halloween everybody!

T he world can be filled with dark people doing dark deeds. Sometimes the heroes need a monster on their side. That's where Ghost Rider comes in. A flaming skeleton dressed in leather riding a motorcycle is pretty scary (or AWESOME) to begin with, but then you add his signature ability. Ghost Rider is a "Spirit of Vengeance" and posses the "Penance Stare" Its literally a look into a person's soul that causes them to feel all of the pain and suffering they've instilled onto the innocent. For wrongdoers, that's pretty frightening. Plus, I'll be honest. I just really wanted to draw Ghost Rider today ha ha

Hands down, my absolute favorite episode of The Twilight Zone is "The Invaders" The episode involves a lone woman in a wood cabin under siege by a battalion of alien invaders. The only hook is, the invaders are about six inches tall. Being attacked by miniature monsters doesn't seem like much, but the episode is an expert example in crafting tension. Plus the reveal of what the monster is at the end is one of the series' best endings.

Monster Madness Day 28 - Oogie Boogie The boogeyman is a myth that has circulated the entire world. Every culture and people have SOME version. It seems a lot of people's favorite version is Oogie Boogie from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Considering he's selfish, sadistic, uses luck based death traps, and is a giant sack of insects its easy to see people being unnerved by him.

The Mario series isn't really known for creepy crawlies. Its too bright and cheerful. Every so often though, something unsettling comes. On the cheerful shores of Sirena Beach  something has been tormenting the Hotel Delfino. As the sun sets into the horizon a figure emerges. A single lone shadow crawls across the sea before overtaking the ground.Phantamanta was one of the most unique boss fights in Super Mario Sunshine. Spraying it with water only splits it into smaller versions and once you've made the smallest possible they all swarm you. Every size leaves a trail of damaging goop behind it. It gets to be an intense battle and the ethereal look make it stand out. You just don't see creepy shadow monsters in the Mario games.

Ah time for the obligatory Pokemon drawing. Trevenant is a dual type Ghost/Grass Pokemon. It's also a five foot tall, one eyed, living tree that has wooden claws and the ability to control entire forests. According to its official Pokedex entry it will trap anyone who harms trees in the forest and never allows them to leave. Combined with its signature move "Forest's Curse" this thing can basically keep people trapped in its realm, turn them into trees, and then control them. That's pretty terrifying when you really think about it.

Inktober Monster Menagerie Day 25 - Slenderman Here's the thing about Slenderman. As a monster, they're pretty boring. Its a generic creepy ghost who steals kids. It plays on the most basic of visual imagery. Mysterious "Men in Black", pale skin, abnormal features like long arms and no face, and even the addition of tendrils is just a form of non-human thing on human frame that people associate with monsters. Not a lot there. What's incredibly interesting to me is the whole mystique and growth of the Slenderman trend. It all started as an internet joke and spread like wildfire. Its the same concept behind folk monsters like werewolves or vampires but in the digital age. Instead of this 'legend' being shared around small areas, its reached a global level. Everyone adds their comparisons, their additions, their "I heard that-" to the story and its grown from there. From a cultural perspective it is FASCINATING watching this forum post grow to a known creature who now has appearances in games, television shows, and is actually thought of as a legit monster.

Inktober Monster Menagerie Day 24 - Camazotz In Mayan mythology Camazotz was a human sized bat who was god of death, blood, caves, and sacrifices. One famous myth involves two twin heroes surviving various trials by the gods. One was to survive a night in the "Cave of Bats" They did this by hiding themselves within their own blowguns. One twin poked his head out to check for the morning sun and the instant he did Camazotz ripped their head off and carried it to a field where it was used a ball during the gods' next ballgame.

Once more, with feeling"

In 1955 a Kentucky farmhouse was allegedly assaulted by aliens. The inhabitants claimed strange creatures began rapping at the window and clawing at the front door. For nearly four hours they fought back with gunfire as the figures, twelve to fifteen, floated through the trees and stared with massive glowing eyes. While some claim it was a misidentification of a family of great horned owls, the creatures and their similarities to classic gremlins of folklore have endured.

In the 19th Century a wealthy merchant named Cyrus Gold was murdered. His body was dumped in Slaughter Swamp. The swamp was well known for its mystic properties and elemental magic flooded his body. The goal was to turn him into one of the powerful Plant Elementals but the process went wrong. Fifty years later he rose again, seeking vengeance. Neither living, nor dead. Neither man, nor plant. He remembered very few things of his past, except one fact. He was born on a Monday. Thus began the legend of Solomon Grundy.

Inktober Monster Menagerie Day 20 - Slime Ah the lovable little Slime. The mascot of the Dragon Quest games, the Slime is one of the most well known enemies of any video game series. There adorable look made them instantly popular and its easy to find tons of merchandise featuring their squishy little smiles. They're so simple and yet somehow that simplicity makes them incredibly memorable.You just gotta love the little teardrops of goo.

Inktober Monster Menagerie Day 19 - the Xenomorph Monsters are all about representing our fears and nothing speaks to the existential horror of the unknown found in the vastness of space like the Xenomorph. That's really the main reason the newer Alien films can't hold a candle to the originals. There's no reason to explore the backstory and history of the creatures. The less you know, the better. They work best as 'the aliens.' Its that unknown quality that makes them terrifying. Well that and the instantly unsettling design, second mouth, and fierce aggressive nature.

Inktober Monster Menagerie Day 18 - Teke TekeI feel like most of the monsters I've drawn this year have been pretty tame. I wanted to delve back  into the scary horrifying side. A Japanese urban legend tells of a young woman, sometimes a schoolgirl, who falls onto a train rail and is split in half. She returns as an onryo (vengeful spirit) and wanders the streets at night. As she crawls on her hands and elbows, her midsection grates against the ground causing a scratching "teke teke" sound. Anyone she meets who can't outrun her is swiftly torn in half with either a garden scythe or her own bare hands.

Inktober Monster Menagerie Day 17 - the Lepus In the vast array of cult horror movies there are some truly bizarre monsters. The Gingerdead Man, Robot Monster, the Creature from the Haunted Sea, Deathbed, the list goes on and on. Still, there's something special about the Lepus. 'Night of the Lepus' is a 100% played straight horror movie about giant, killer, bunny rabbits. They're not mutant or horrific, just large. Its painfully obvious too that they're just normal rabbits put in miniature sets. Again, its totally serious too, which makes it one of the all time best unintentionally hilarious movies. No matter how you dress it up, these monsters are simply adorable.