The Daily Cryptid: An Art Challenge

The Stronsay Beast:

The Stronsay beast was a large carcass or globster that washed ashore on the island of Stronsay (at the time spelled Stronsa), in the Orkney Islands, after a storm on September 25, 1808. The carcass measured 55 feet in length, but as part of the tail was apparently missing, the animal was actually longer than that (Wernerian Society Notes, 1808–1810, Library, Royal Museum, Edinburgh).

The Stronsay beast was 55 feet long, as measured by three witnesses (one was a carpenter and the other two were farmers).

It was 4 feet wide and had a circumference of approximately 10 feet.

It had three pairs of 'paws' or 'wings'.

It had skin that was smooth when stroked head to tail and rough when stroked tail to head.

Its fins were edged with bristles and it had a 'mane' of bristles all down its back.

The bristles glowed in the dark when wet.

Its stomach contents were red.

Don't be alarmed, but I might be back!

Also shamelessly channeling Winsor McKay's Gertie the Dinosaur. Also making pink sea monsters.

Because I can.

Some sketches from behind the Anime Boston table of the Kappa.

Lower one is actually based on a duck.

Oh I'm sorry. Was I supposed to be drawing?

I was over here. Eating my emotions.

So, like any good nerdfighter, this post comes in parts. Two to be exact.

1) An apology. The Daily Cryptid started as Daily. Then most-days-but-not-every-daily. Then I ran into some issues and it disappeared. I don't feel comfortable discussing my health on a blog for my art, but the short of it is, I wanted to make art and my brain told me that it would be much nicer to just lie facedown and go "No, go away."

So. Hopefully I'll be getting back on track after this weekend, because...

Issie:

According to mythology, Issie was a white mare which had a little foal, and they lived together on the shore of Lake Ikeda. However, when the foal was kidnapped by asamurai, and Issie was unable to find it, she jumped into the lake, and her despair transformed her into a giant, saurian beast, which since then frequently surfaces, trying to find her lost child.

Is anyone else hearing the music from Lavendar Town in their head? No. Just me?

The Hugag (via Fearsome Critters of the Lumberwoods, 10th Online Edition):

Very noticeable, however, are its jointless legs, which compel the animal to remain on its feet, and its long upper lip, which prevents it from grazing. If it tried that method of feeding it would simply tramp its upper lip into the dirt. Its head and neck are leathery and hairless ; its strangely corrugated ears flop downward; its four-toed feet, long bushy tail, shaggy coat and general make-up give the beast an unmistakably prehistoric appearance.

Fei Lian:

He is a winged dragon with the head of a sparrow, the horns of a bull, body and legs of a stag and the tail of a snake.

If I sit around and wait for myself to stop falling apart, art is never gonna happen.

Kingstie:

The Gunni:

The Loch Ness Monster:

Modern interest in the monster was sparked by the 22 July 1933 sighting, when George Spicer and his wife saw 'a most extraordinary form of animal' cross the road in front of their car. They described the creature as having a large body (about 4 feet (1.2 m) high and 25 feet (7.6 m) long), and long, narrow neck, slightly thicker than an elephant's trunk and as long as the 10–12-foot (3–4 m) width of the road; the neck had a number of undulations in it. They saw no limbs, possibly because of a dip in the road obscuring the animal's lower portion. It lurched across the road towards the loch 20 yards (20 m) away, leaving only a trail of broken undergrowth in its wake.

So, if you want to know where my fascination with cryptids began, here you are. For reasons I can't recall, when I was in grade school I was utterly fascinated with the Loch Ness Monster. I read every book I could get my hands on and was unnecessarily well-versed in Nessie lore, as well as passably educated on Champ, Ogopogo, and other lake monsters.

I guess the fascination never quite went away.

Kappa:

It has been suggested that the kappa legends are based on the Japanese giant salamander or "hanzaki", an aggressive salamander which grabs its prey with its powerful jaws.

...

Kappa are typically depicted as roughly humanoid in form, and about the size of a child. Their scaly, reptilian skin ranges in color from green to yellow or blue.Kappa supposedly inhabit the ponds and rivers of Japan and have various features to aid them in this environment, such as webbed hands and feet. They are sometimes said to smell like fish, and they can certainly swim like them. TheTheir most notable feature is an indentation on the top of their head that holds water; this is regarded as the source of their power. This cavity must be full whenever a kappa is away from the water; if it spills, the kappa will be unable to move.

As the first part of the wiki-paste suggests, I drew inspiration from the Japanese Giant Salamander here for its body.

Giant Ground Sloth:

Megatherium was one of the largest land mammals known, weighing up to eight tons, about as much as an African bull elephant. Although it was primarily a quadruped, its footprints show that it was capable of assuming a bipedal stance. When it stood on its hind legs it was about twenty feet (6 m) tall, twice the height of an elephant.

Says the List of Cryptids page: "Extinct. Alleged sightings in the South American Amazon Rainforest. Thought to be confused with a legendary spirit."

Hey, I'm back. Long story short, I only meant for this to be a day or two, to recuperate from some emotional/anxiety issues that I'd rather not go into and I'm sure you'd rather not read.

Then I went to a session of bikram yoga. The kind that's in a 105 degree room. It didn't agree with me.

It's very hard to draw when the room is spinning.

Is "I can't stop feeling like I'm teetering on a complete breakdown" a valid excuse for a hiatus?

No?

Whatever I'm taking it anyway.