Posca Marker Study: Happy Monster

Posca marker artwork of a happy monster wearing a yellow-feathered hat and talking to a venus fly trap.

I’ve been testing out working with Posca Markers, which are opaque liquid ink markers. Advertised as “mark vividly on any surface” I’ve found that the type of paper used really makes a difference in how they lay down (or tear up the paper), and that some colors seem more opaque than others. Testing out a new tool or material always takes some getting used to, especially if you have an idea of how it’s supposed to work versus how it actually works. So far the best success I’ve had with Posca Markers are for simple pieces.

Rainbow World Series

Series of four illustrations done in four rainbow-tastic colors. A girl and her mule, a bifurcated heart, rainbows everywhere, and a rainbow world interpretation of the Cinderella dress scene.

Looks like I’ve reached the stage in my side project career where much of my work will be inspired by: 1) my 4-year-old daughter’s drawings, 2) my daughter’s imagination, or 3) my daughter and her future. As an ever-changing subject matter, we’ll see how this appropriation of content develops over time.

Update: I showed my drawings to my daughter and told her she inspired me (ensue a long discussion about what the word inspire means), after which she demanded to copy my artwork. Below is the original that inspired me, and the redux inspired BY me. I foresee a long and fortuitous/contentious working relationship…

A Half Dozen Animal Explanations

Over the last year I’ve done a half dozen of these simple “animal explanation” tiles. Today I’m posting the last tile, Turtle Explains the Tough Things, in context of the full line-up: Ostrich Explains the Basics, Bear Explains the Obvious, Fish Explains the Facts of Life, Dog Explains Darwin, and Penguin Explains the Universe. Sometimes animals know how to explain it best.

animal-explanation-compilation

The Bad Touch

A follow up to Jungle Animal Rap, this idea started and ended within 3 seconds when the song The Bad Touch popped into my head and I saw this animal collage in my head. The obvious next step is to get it out on paper or screen as fast as possible before you think it’s a bad idea. So here ya go (jury is still out)!

The typography is a hand-drawn creation blending the attributes of Knockout Junior Liteweight and Block Berthold. I wonder if Hoefler & Co ever considered releasing a version called “Knockout Baby Steps”.

Jungle animal depiction of the Bloodhound Gang song The Bad Touch with the lyrics: you and me baby ain't nothing but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel. Have fun giraffe, monkey, boa, bird and rhino. Uh yeah.