IAN DONMOYER

"Divorced Again, Ken"

Pencil & paper

"Outlander"

Pencil & paper

"Bowsette"

Pencil & paper

My tribute to Akira Toriyama

1955-2024

Toriyama was a huge creative inspiration in my life, as I’m sure he was to many others. Few artists - and few have earned the right to call themselves “artists” the way he has - have told stories that are as beloved around the world, that have permeated the culture. He defined a style of action that can be seen in everything today, including big-budget Hollywood movies. But to me - a dinosaur who still calls himself a “cartoonist” - Toriyama was a true cartoonist. There have always been stereotypes applied to anime about it being stiff and expressionless; Toriyama had an art style that simply couldn’t be duplicated, and created some of the most colorful and expressive characters of all time. I often compare Toriyama/Dragon Ball to Charles Schultz/Peanuts, because of their loose, whimsical styles and playful storytelling. And while the series later leaned more into tropes about wild hairstyles and extended fight sequences, you could always see the heart of his creativity in illustrations for other franchises like Dragon Quest, and my favorite game of all time, Chrono Trigger.

Meet Eddie. Eddie Spaghetti.

The last week has been hard, but I don't think a lot of people who know me realize how hard things have been. Angela and I separated last year - I've been living on my own in Kalamazoo and we're now divorced. A lot of people don't know that I've been dealing with recurring eye infections for the better part of the last 8 years, which make it very difficult to do a lot of things, but especially the important things - driving, my pastimes, work, and my art. Doctors have had no answers for me, which seems to be running gag in my life. Michigan isn't exactly my favorite United State, and I still don't know a lot of people here.

So when I turned 41 earlier this week, I was in kind of a bad place. The worst thing I've lost in all these years is purpose. I had that with James, and with my home and family... I don't have it anymore. So I knew I wanted to get a dog, but even that was a long, drawn out process with its own heartache.

But this little guy and I eventually found each other. I named him Eddie after all the greats: Eddie Crane of course, Eddie Van Halen, Eddie Murphy, Eddie Kingston... He popped me in the face and busted my lip open getting in the car. I knew I liked him right away. He's still adjusting and is VERY scared of people, but we'll get there.

Okay fine... I tried "leaking" this design as a real, official update - I was angling for a marketing gig! - but since nothing I post gets any traction, here it is. Yeah, I made it for fun. ("Kinda hope it's not real" ...eat SHIT bruh!)

Definitely some Tekken vibes there, but I was also going for a classic "sport of pro wrestling" feel... Slight variations between the versions but they're all made to scale at a precise pixel depth, which even I'm amazed I did.

James David Donmoyer Born December 18, 2011 Died March 10, 2012

"Hi son. Happy Birthday. It took me 12 years but I finally drew a picture of you. To be honest, your dad was afraid to do it for a long time. I was afraid it wouldn't be good, that I wouldn't remember your face. It hurts to remember. But it was time. So I started drawing anyway and here you are. I don't think I did too bad. But I think I did it because I really needed to see you right now. I wanted to bring you back to me in a way only I know how.

That may be selfish, but I also needed to keep a promise. I did this for me, for you, and for your mom too. I hope more than anything this Christmas that she gets to see it somehow. We all miss you."

Sup gamers

Taking a drawing break for a minute, but - I've been thinking about going back to some of my old doodles and doing some full color pieces. Which one would you like to see as a full piece, or even a print?

"WMed Match Day Pregame Show"

Direction, Lighting, Camera & Sound: me Editing & Graphics: me

"Good Old Days"

Pencil & paper

Fan art of AEW's Jurassic Express ("Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt)

Morning wrasslin' fans! To celebrate AEW ALL IN, I finished the full color version of the Human Suplex Machine, TAZ!