Project: Inktober 2017

Oct. 2017

This year, I didn’t have a set theme, so I went with the drive of filing out a moleskin I had. Most of the designs were to buff out some sets and series that I have had on my mind for years and never had a chance to create.

I started with some design ideas I had about taking Nintendo’s Mario characters and putting them into the style of ZUN’s Project Touhou.

Princess Peach in the Touhou universe. I modeled the pose after looking at some of the figures you can get online, and then figured her dead eye stare was a ringer to Yukari.

“Touhou Peach” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Princess Peach © Nintendo

Princess Daisy in the Touhou universe. I modeled the pose after looking at some of the figures you can get online, and made her chain-chomp more reminiscent of the Komeiji sister’s third eye.

“Touhou Daisy” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Princess Daisy © Nintendo

This series below had started out as "In Memory of Rose Quartz" and was a watercolor and ink combination. Though I haven't caught up on the show in some time, I still think the concepts of the characters in the Cartoon Network show, Steven Universe, remembering Rose Quartz in the way one remembers loved ones who have passed on works well with the theme of Dia De Los Muertos.

"She Saw the Beauty in Everything” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Steven Universe © Rebecca Sugar

“She Was Always There for Me” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Amethyst © Rebecca Sugar

“She Felt Real Love for Those Around Her” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Garnet © Rebecca Sugar

“Everything I Ever Did, I did for Her” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Pearl © Rebecca Sugar

“Is There Anything That’s Worth More Than Peace and Love on the Planet Earth” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Peridot © Rebecca Sugar

“It Took Me So Long To Learn To Like This Planet” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Lapis Lazuli © Rebecca Sugar

“I Fought Against Your Armies, I Respected Your Tactics” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Jasper © Rebecca Sugar

“Every Moment You Love Being Yourself, That’s Me, Loving You” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”. Rose Quartz © Rebecca Sugar

This series below is like a character reference for a Seven Sins story. The story’s working title is “Versal Vice”, but this series set is titled “The Plague of Vices”. It's set in 1954, and has lots of supernatural bits like possession and murder.

First is Gluttony. Meet Ernest, a man whose body is bound to the soul entity who guides insatiability and consumption. He's a timid guy, but his unbound form has his chest cavity open up to a void maw and until he reverts back, he's unable to control himself.

“Gluttony” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

Second is Sloth. David is a smart youth whose body is bound to the soul entity of inaction and indolence. He doesn’t mean to be, and despite occasional narcoleptic episodes, works hard to focus on his studies and rocket models. At a young age, he had lost both legs in an unfortunate accident, of which he still holds Ernest accountable for.

“Sloth” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

Third is Wrath. Lena is a rough gal whose body is bound to the soul entity of emotion and conflict. She tries to stay level-headed because she's afraid of losing control of herself and setting everything around her aflame with her, also uncontrollable, pyrokinesis. Often distracting herself with physical sports like soccer and softball, she's seen as boyish and unapproachable.

“Wrath” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

Fourth is Envy. Judith, or Judy as she prefers to be called, is a young lady whose body is bound to the soul entity of discontent and resentment. As one of her two souls was once a powerful oracle, Judy still retains a bit of future-sight to be able to see into the future, but it’s not always reliable. Additionally, she’s capable of extrasensory perception which opens her up to empathetically channel the emotions of those around her.

“Envy” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

Fifth is Lust. Jessie is an ambitious entrepreneur whose body is bound to the soul entity of want and extravagance. To keep his second soul in check, Jessie is constantly managing projects so that he's always getting some sort of adoration or attention. In soul form, he has the ability - if he can stay focused - to pause time so that only things touching him move through the frozen moment.

“Lust” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

Sixth is Pride. Marjorie is a strong beauty who's body is bound to the soul entity of satisfaction and vanity. As the head, soul-wise, of the group, she feels it’s her responsibility to patronize and vilipend her siblings so that the balance of vice is kept in order. She doesn’t enjoy being resented, even if it’s not her fault, and finds it difficult to connect or open up to others. As Chris puts it, “She’s a good manager, but a terrible leader.”

“Pride” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

Seventh is Greed. Chris is a strapping young man whose body is bound to the soul entity of desire and acquisitiveness. A kleptomaniac by nature, he often simply acquires other people’s possessions, and willingly returns them. He’s thoughtful and can lead better than Marjorie (but gleefully chooses not to) but often struggles between doing what’s best for the family and doing what’s best for himself.

“Greed” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

This series below is a card series to present some characters of one of my more major story arcs in a more spiritually October way. Initially inspired by Card Capture Sakura cards, I ended up ditching the framed design in light of showcasing a whole image. Maybe I’ll go back to the series and develop them into actual cards like Tarot.

The Fire Keeper. Presenting Cassie Jones, a novice Fire Keeper (which is like a witch who practices fire magic), and last in line for inheriting the position of Keeper of Darklore from her grandmother. Cassie's story begins when her father moves her and her brother in with their maternal grandmother, who introduces her to a world her mother tried to keep her from. Like Grandma Jinx, Cassie has the ability to see spirits and souls.

“Fire Keeper” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”

The Serpent. Presenting the man named Jack, Cassie’s first Guardian. He’s got a magic mending needle sewn to his heart and has been cursed with the ability to shed his skin to rejuvenate his body.

“Serpent” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”

The Transformation. Presenting Midnight, nicknamed Midi, in both his cat and werehuman form. He’s got a sister named Dawn, and they are the adopted pets of Carmen Jinx, Cassie’s grandmother.

“Transformation” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”

The Hound. Presenting Issac, Cassie’s second Guardian. Poor thing can’t remember who he used to be, and is haunted by vague memories of a dark haired woman in a blue dress turning towards him and a bright house with white columns.

“Hound” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”

The Magpie. Presenting Deven, Cassie’s third Guardian, and Taruela, one of the magpies that haunt him. He’s not native to this layer of the world and was hung by his village for a ritual of good harvest. While hanging, he has a connection with the birds and can see through their eyes as they attack any living thing around his hanging body. To prolong his life, the birds simply give up theirs, resulting in his seemingly immortal age.

“Magpie” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”

The Moth. Presenting Mark and the fire elemental who vexes him: Errol. Mark is a friend of Cassie’s, and, through events, loses his spirit that binds his soul to his body. As a darklore wraith, he’s basically just a soul that just possesses his own body to stay present in this world. Because of Mark’s ghostly sensitivities, Errol tricks Mark into letting him possess Mark’s body, resulting in Mark’s body essentially containing a soul and a spirit again, but at a detrimental cost. He’s a darkling soul and a fire elemental’s spirit sharing a mortal body.

“Moth” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”

The Stone. Presenting Sam, a Water Keeper (which is like a witch who practices water magic) and a human/mineral hybrid (in the later bits of her story). She becomes fascinated with the concept of magic, and delves into it alongside her friend Gabe. Through events, she becomes a hybrid with the body of a mortal human and the soul of a mineral, which makes her normal for the most part, aside from having luminescent bodily fluids and a risk of literally cracking her chest and heart. The positives are that her water magic becomes much more powerful, and she becomes able to mimic the effects of hecatolite on were-Mythics through physical contact.

“Stone” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

The Blood. Presenting Gabe, mid transformation. He’s classified as a therianthrope, but goes through transformative periods when the lunar cycle is in the new moon stage due to his ancestors being cursed to “bear their true form when the Moon’s eye glances away”. He lives with his Grandpa and meets Sam through an event where they’re both captured by a manic witch (who intended to feed Sam to Gabe in his true form). Escaping together, they become inseparable friends.  The creature Gabe turns into is inspired by a creature called the Nya-Nya Bulembu, which is spoken about in an old fairy tale story called “The Moss Green Princess”. I’ve never really been able to find much more information about the creature other than it was ugly, with gnarly horns, long teeth, and moss growing on its skin.

“Blood” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

The Chimera. Presenting Hunter, a product of genetic splicing with the hand of a Pillar of Creation. He was once human, and when his initial splices were successful, they kept pushing his limits. The facility had a containment breach, and upon escaping, Hunter meets Lisa wandering in the surrounding woods. Now companions, the two improvised their own form of language to overcome communication barriers as Hunter can no longer speak a distinguishable language.

“Chimera” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

The Angel. Presenting Lisa, a bright, young, winged girl, protected by Hunter. Her father was the head of Project Blackbird, and on the day of his visitation, a containment breach ignited in the facility. Blind, Lisa has no knowledge of what happened to her accompanying guards, but had found her way into the surrounding forest. There, Hunter discovers her, mistaking her for an escaped victim like himself.

“Angel” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”]

The Usurper. Presenting Zane and his ward, Windy. His father holds the title of Lightlore Keeper, and, though the position is rightfully Zane’s, he refrains from passing it on. The truth is that his father was prophesied to fall to his eighth son and to keep a strong hold on his position of power, he sends his sons away as soon as he can, preoccupying them with marriages and barters to maintain his extent of control. He doesn’t see a threat in Zane, who doesn’t show much magical potential, thinking him to be his seventh son. Windy, or Winnivyn, is the youngest daughter of the Keeper of Ni (Wind), who are both of the Wind Elemental race.

“Usurper” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen, Adobe Photoshop. 5” x 8”

The DollMaker. Presenting DollMaker, in her present incarnation, after awakening from her prison-like cocoon of her previous mortal avatar. She’s a nearly forgotten deity, one of many who created the world, and has the ability to mold physical form.

“DollMaker” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

The SandWeaver. Presenting SandWeaver in her present incarnation. She’s a nearly forgotten deity, one of many who created the world, and has the ability to manipulate time and space. Though passive to the path her creations have chosen, she finds Earth full of fun and infinite possibilities and moonlights as a club DJ.

“SandWeaver” Oct. 2017. Micron pen, Zig pen. 5” x 8”

The DreamScourger. Presenting DreamScourger, how she might be perceived in the subconscious of a mortal. She’s a nearly forgotten deity, one of many who created the world (and one of two who created those who created the world), and has all control over will and mind.