What Shall I Draw April 29th?

In the honor of the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War movie, this month’s What Shall I Draw Today? will be Marvel themed! For all of that Sunday, I will be exclusively tackling suggestions for characters and things from Marvel comics and other media.

What Shall I Draw Today?

Sunday, April 29th, 2018

Eastern Daylight Savings Time:  12pm noon - 8 pm

Pacific Daylight Savings Time:  9am - 5pm

Post your suggestions at any of the following places where you see the above prompting image:

• Blog:  monotonae.blogspot.com  (here in the comments)

• Instagram: @monstergram7

• Facebook: @I'm a Fan of Bryan Mon

Any non-Marvel suggestions along with the things I won’t have time to squeeze in Sunday, will go in the hopper of ideas that I may yet draw before the May edition of WSIDT.

Got questions? Please check out the WSIDT tab above for some FAQs.

Black Panther
(inspired by the work of Jack Kirby)

Have a MARVELous day!

Sun Kissed

For every comic book convention at which I have a table, I compose a marketing image for a limited edition commemorative print. At least I’ve tied for every show. For WonderCon, Anaheim 2018, I finally brought to completion an idea/ theme floating around for a few years inspired by old orange create label art.

Back in 2014, I had wanted to produce such a piece more based on classic painted advertisements, a la Sunmaid Raisins, Land-O-Lakes Butter and similarly Quaker Oats and 1950’s - 60’s Coke-a-Cola ads. Alas, the project on a whole always seemed to be too complicated to achieve the level of rendered finish I had envisioned. The cartoony style used for Wichita’s stories, allows for the rendering not to approximate photographic lighting and shading.

Go back to my WonderCon 2014 announcement [click here]

Scarlet red pencil on Bristol Board.
27.94 cm x 43.18 cm (11.00 in. x 17.00 in.)

For Heroes Convention 2016 in Charlotte, NC, is did produce a Coca-a-Cola ad inspired piece similar to what the orange crate style would be. Strategically, the image has a flat color field for a background, and it’s sans Wichita. Secretly, with the print image crop to her hips, the digital painting wasn’t completed any further down, and to this day I have yet to finish it.

Black India Ink and scarlet red pencil on Bristol Board.
27.94 cm x 43.18 cm (11.00 in. x 17.00 in.)

The significance of this theme, of course, is that the host city, Anaheim, CA, is nestled in Orange County. Before Disneyland settled in the city, Anaheim was a farm community of orange groves. I usually include neither the convention name nor the host city in the print design, adding those only as small super-imposed type with the “Unstoppable Tuff-Girl” logo. As a rare divergence, “Anaheim” is added to one of the 3 crate labels, which personally means “yes, finally I did this for Anaheim.” Said crates, are more the size of those used for strawberries, with more accurate common designs being much taller with the labels on the short, handle ends and not the long sides. So much for, drawing them by memory.

Digital color at final cropping with white offset for print.

Regarding Tuff-Girl’s costume, it’s consistent with the theme. Tuff-Girl does go through many costume changes. I doubt, however, that she does much monster butt-kicking in this ensemble, even with her practical leather work boots.

The mountain range is modeled after the San Gabriel mountains north of Orange County.

What I Drew Sunday – March 18th

There seems to be a pattern of the larger, more complicated drawings ending up in the top liked spots during the What Shall I Draw Today? sessions. This Sunday’s was no exception.
Here are the top three:

#1 – The Real Housewives of Disney: suggestion by  Kinzey Freels

Frequently entertained by puns, I replaced “Real” with “Regal.”  And instead of “Disney” in the title I went with the all-Disney encompassing location of “The Magic Kingdom.” In selecting the characters, each of the six had to be a wife and either or both of the following: a) of royalty; and b) a significant supporting character.

Because pickings were slim, Lady Tremaine gets a spot by being important to Cinderella’s story and probably of high standing in the kingdom if not quite royal.

Rapunzel’s birth mother, Queen Arianna, gets a spot by being slightly more interesting than Princess Aurora’s Queen Mother.

Let the games begin!


#2 – Belle and Beast: suggestion by eddysbrothersgf

This is an amalgam of the character designs from the classic 1991 Disney animated feature film and a moment from the 2017 Disney live action treatment. The costumes are inspired by elements from both.

I’m afraid that the Beast doesn’t quite have the expression conveyed in Dan Steven’s line delivery. Here he seems to either be in mid-sneeze or a gnat has flown into his mouth.


#3 – Chip n Dale at Disneyland: suggestion by Jeff

Here’s an idyllic scene in the hub / center courtyard of the Anaheim theme park. It’s idyllic if for no other reason than the scarcity of other guests. But that’s pretty much how the park appears when Disneyland was portrayed in comic and coloring books.

Why doesn’t Dale say the word “popcorn” but rather has a stylized 1960’s box of popcorn drawn? In some way, it made more sense to me that way having opted to show neither a popcorn cart, nor Donald Duck with a fresh box of buttery fluffiness.

As the final piece drawn that Sunday, I rushed to keep details to the essentials. And I missed the opportunity to sneak in a hidden Mickey.


And here are all eight pieces drawn that Sunday:

Yes, only eight done, and that’s including going overtime by nearly an hour. That’s what happens when I draw scenery and multiple character pieces.

You can see each one more clearly on my Instagram, @monstergram7.

All of these and more original pieces of art will be for sale at my Small Press table at this weekend’s WonderCon, Anaheim comic book convention. SP-10
See my announcement post for information.


Thank you to everyone who pitched drawing suggestions.

Thank you for liking and following


The next session will be late April.


All drawings black ink and color pencil on Bristol Board.
“The Regal Housewives” and “Beast and Belle” 17.78cm x 12.70 cm (7.00 in. x 5.00 in.)
“Chip n Dale” 12.70 cm x 17.78 cm (5.00 in. x 7.00 in.)

What Shall I Draw March 18th?

The March edition of What Shall I Draw Today? will be happening a week earlier than originally planned and announced so as not to coincide with WonderCon weekend.

What Shall I Draw Today?

Sunday, March 18th, 2018

Eastern Daylight Savings Time: 12pm noon - 8pm

Pacific Daylight Savings Time:  9am - 5pm

You may post your suggestions at any of the following places where you see the prompting image above:

• Blog:  monotonae.blogspot.com (here in the comments)

• Instagram:  @monstergram7

• Facebook:  @I'm a Fan of Bryan Mon #BryanMon


Since this is a pre-con WSIDT, and all drawings will be for sale at said con, some of you planning on attending WonderCon may think you can strategically toss in a commission disguised as a WSIDT suggestion. To that I’ll say that I neither promise to draw suggestions by WonderCon attendees nor will I reserve drawings. I will, however, be taking commissions at WonderCon.

As always, you may find guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions at the WSIDT tab above.

Marceline (Adventure Time with Finn and Jake)
in the style of Dan DeCarlo (Archie)

WonderCon Anaheim 2018

Monster Enterprises presents

Bryan Mon (Disney)

&

Merrill Hagan (Teen Titans GO!)

returning to

WonderCon, Anaheim

Small Press: table SP-10

Anaheim Convention Center

800 West Katella Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92802

March 23-25, 2018

#WCA18

L  B C N U!

What I Drew Sunday – February 25th

These are the top 3 liked pieces from Sunday’s session of “What Shall I Draw Today?”

#1 – Suggestion mashup: Wendy with Chip ’n’ Dale (suggestion by @elijones94)/ the Piranha Scene from the Jungle Cruise attraction (suggestion by anonymous)

#2 – Mira Nova: suggestion by @booster_manny

#3 – Wonder Woman Meets Black Widow: suggestion by @bhagyashree.l

The mashup of two or more suggestions is a rare thing, but putting Disney characters in a scene from a Disneyland attraction seemed natural because that boat needs somebody in it to react to the flesh-eating fish.

Mira Nova is from the nearly 20year old animated TV series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. As with many suggestions, thanks to internet search engines that I was able to find the character that I had forgotten. I rounded much of the character’s angular design.

What could happen should Wonder Woman met Black Widow? They could fight. They could talk about “Steve’s” that they know. I went with the potential conflict of the warrior wielding the lasso of truth encountering the ex-Russian spy who certainly has a thing or two she’s hiding. I also chose their cinematic costumes overlaid with a style inspired by Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.

And here is the whole set of 10 pieces drawn that Sunday:

Not of any plan, it seems that I chose to draw a couple of movie archers and a pair of blue cartoon girls. Ol’ Black Panther didn’t come out as Jack Kirby-esque as I had hoped.

You can see all of these as posted on my Instagram, @monstergram7.

All of these are going into the hopper of original art for sale that I’ll have at my next comic book convention show, TBA.

Thank you to everyone who pitched drawing suggestions.

Thank you for liking and following.


Tune in for the March 25th session, with more surprises I’m sure.


All drawings black ink and color pencil on Bristol Board.
“Jungle Cruise” 17.78 cm x 12.70 cm (7.00 in. x 5.00 in.).
“Mira Nova” 6.35 cm x 8.89 cm (2.50 in. x 3.50 in.).
“Wonder Woman Meets Black Widow” 12.70 cm x 17.78 cm (5.00 in. x 7.00 in.).

What Shall I Draw February 25th?

It’s time for more drawing your suggestions with a new session of What Shall I Draw Today? happening this Sunday!

What Shall I Draw Today?

Sunday, February 25th, 2018

Eastern Standard Time:  12 pm noon - 8 pm

Pacific Standard Time:  9 am - 5 pm

You can post suggestions at any of the following places where you see the image prompting image above.

• Instagram:  @monstergram7

• Facebook:  @I’m a Fan of Bryan Mon #BryanMon

• Blog:  monotonae.blogspot.com (here in the comments)

As always, you can find guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions at the WSIDT tab above.

See you Sunday.

Marle (Chrono Trigger)

 

 

What I Drew Sunday – January 28th

Here are the top 3 liked pieces from Sunday’s session of “What Shall I Draw Today?”

#1 – Veronica Mars Teams Up with Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. Gang: suggestion by @alltookayleigh

#2 – Catwoman: suggestion by @bhagyashree.l

#3 – Young Balthazar Bratt (Despicable Me 3): suggestion by @lindsocolo

Oddly, perhaps, not one of the eleven pieces selected to be draw were Disney characters (not including Indiana Jones). This was not planned on my part. However, there’s always something interesting about the challenge of drawing something new. This contrasts with the results from the last held session in September where the top 3 were Disney characters.

When you’re trying to knock out as many drawings as you can in eight-hours, your tend to go with the first thing that pops into your head. Case in point, who should Veronica Mars unmask? Kristen Bells’s The Good Place co-star Ted Danson circa 2004 with mussed hair.

It was artist’s choice with which version of Catwoman to draw. As it landed as the second most-liked piece, maybe Michelle Pfeiffer’s version from Batman Returns was a wise choice.

There were also plenty of things which were introductions to me. Balthazar Bratt was one of those things having not seen Despicable Me 3. For another example, I’m not familiar with most video game characters, so with the suggestion to draw any character from Chrono Trigger, I went with the ponytail blond with the crossbow, Marle, because she looked interesting running abound with a crossbow.

I added a hastily fashioned WSIDT button to visually identify the pieces drawn during the session. It work like a charm because as an in-situ addition it doesn’t alter the artwork and it doesn’t depend upon digital photo editing, because who needs that added step? I will probably fashion something a bit bigger for next time, though.

And here is the whole set of 11 pieces drawn that Sunday:

You can see all of the drawings posted on my Instagram feed, @monstergram7

All of these drawings are going into the hopper of original art for sale that I tote to my comic convention appearances. Next con TBA.

Thank you to everyone to pitches drawing suggestions. "Leftover" ideas may yet pop up on @monstergram7 in the next few weeks before the next WSIDT session in February.

Thank you for following and liking.

Click the WSIDT tab above for this year’s schedule and updated FAQ’s.


All drawings black ink and color pencil on Bristol Board.
“Veronica Mars & Scooby Gang” 17.78 cm x 12.70 cm (7.00 in. x 5.00 in.).
“Catwoman” and “Balthazar Bratt” 6.35 cm x 8.89 cm (2.50 in. x 3.50 in.).

monstergram7 Hits 3,800 Followers

Having quickly blown past the 3,500 Instagram followers milestone during the holidays, I take a few minutes in the less hectic January 2018 to celebrate 3,800 followers with a sketch of Hilary Rabbit. And I recorded the sketching process with a time-lapse video.

THANK YOU for following my Instagram feed and this blog, monotonae!

https://www.instagram.com/monstergram7/

Hilarity Rabbit (some times Hilarity Hare) is a character from my failed comic strip, Cartoon Mondays. Cartoon Mondays was supposed to scratch my cartoonist’s itch when I hired on at Cartoon Network’s marketing/ licensing group. The style inspiration was classic 1950-60’s Hanna Barbera, the Huckleberry Hound and Top Cat era.

I frequently miss the H&B mark by adding a lot of shading, a lot of details and a lot of hash marks. But that discrepancy sits well enough with me, since the drawings lack the benefit of animation.

This piece, I believe, represents the first time that I really had to assign color to Hilarity. So I went with Top Cat inspired yellow with, again, additional non- H&B details of shading and modeling. Obviously there’s something about Hilarity that appeals to me that she lives on past the short-lived comic strip in sketch books and doodles like this. Maybe she’ll hop in to something in my future work.

As seen on Instagram.

What Shall I Draw January 28th?

Here we go again with the first What Shall I Draw Today? session of 2018 happening this approaching Sunday!

Check out the WSIDT tab above for details, schedules and answers to  Frequently Asked Questions.
However, simply, this is a time where I draw other folk’s suggestions posted at any of the following:

• Instagram:  @monstergram7

• Facebook:  @I’m a fan of Bryan Mon #BryanMon

• Blog:  monotonae.blogspot.com (this thing here) in the comments.


See you Sunday.

What Shall I Draw Today?

Sunday, January 28th, 2018

Eastern Standard Time:  12pm noon - 8 pm

Pacific Standard Time:  9am - 5pm

“Dizzy”
Black ink and color pencil on Bristol Board.
6.35 cm x 8.89 cm (2.50 in. x 3.50 in.).