Garuda Rising VisDev: Ziima & Piquid

More from Garuda Rising. This time around - Ziima and Piquid.

Ziima (Species: Zulii): It sucks to be Ziima on a ship like the Garuda V. Surrounded by other kids her age whose parents are always pushing them to learn how to be independent, capable crew members, Ziima’s parents feel the need to shelter her from the perils and level of responsibility that being an active crewman entails, pushing her to dedicate her efforts to her study of science and technology instead. For all of her sweet nature and adventurous curiosity, Ziima feels held back, underutilized, and treated as though she is the baby of the ship. (Not entirely inaccurate - at 12, she is the youngest) She is quickly becoming the most rebellious of the Garuda V teens as a result.

Piquid (Species: Grint): Engineer, specializing in Life Support Technology. Piquid’s clever grasp of and adaptation to various foreign technologies, as well as his minute size, have made him one of the most valued members of the crew. The dexterous little Grint can climb up and shimmy his way into just about any nook or cranny on all of the Garuda V to fix tech problems in malfunctioning or damaged equipment. His quick thinking and adaptability has made him his Chief Engineer’s top choice in assisting with the dismantling and usage of foreign technology the group intends to sell or trade. Piquid’s ability to move the swiftest in an anti-gravity environment and his full understanding of the life support systems on the whole has also has also made him the go-to fellow on board whenever the artificial gravity emitters give out; A frequent occurrence, as the system became a bit squirrely as soon as Gulthorian technology was added to it 8 years prior.

My artwork can also be found on Facebook & Tumblr.

-Mel

ARMSmasters Valentines

My buddy and fellow artist Mike Winn tasked me with creating this week’s themed artwork for The ARMSmasters Project. The theme? Valentines Day! So, I thought I’d put together a cute piece of one of the cast’s feistier couples (Who also happen to be two of my favorite characters. OTP!) Rune and Inari.

Hope everyone had a very Happy Valentines Day.

-Mel

Garuda Rising VisDev: Tiago and Danica

One of the projects I’ve been working on since the first of the year is finalizing character designs for a personal project of mine - a scifi concept titled Garuda Rising. Thought I'd start with two of the characters who were in the position of being the least fleshed-out visually: Tiago and Danica. Here's a little info on each, for fun:

Tiago Arden (Species: Terran): Tiago is an expert pilot, and a former cartographer/navigations specialist by trade, both skill sets of which he finds use for heavily, and often. In addition, Tiago has the coolest head on the ship, able to keep his focus in even the most tumultuous situation. If by some happenstance you do see him panic, start saying your Hail Mary’s. You’re probably going to die.

Danica Deacon = (Species: Terran/Veorh Halfling) Danica is something of a conundrum aboard the Garuda V. She, alongside a young Terran girl named Alexis, were rescued from imprisonment aboard a Gulthorian raider. However, Danica’s status as an Ensign from the Terran military landed her right back in a holding cell, in the Garuda’s own brig. From the onset, no one apart from Alexis (A life-long Terran Military brat) trusted her presence not to be a threat to ship and operations security. Equally perturbing was the fact that the crew seemed rather stuck with the woman for the time being, as traveling into Terran occupied territory to be rid of her was too great a threat to their own safety, and leaving her on a Kaden Sector hub, or any less reputable transport ship could land her dead, or hostage at great risk to her well-being. With time and out of pure necessity, Tiago begins to make it his business to acclimate the young woman to his crewmates. She is brought to join them for meals, and allowed to wander, supervised, during down-time. It is much to everyone’s surprise when she seems to grow fond of some of them - particularly the children and their cool-natured captain - and even begins, albeit hesitantly, enlisting suggestions as to how to deal with the constant threat posed by Sol Union ships. Her ultimate motives and trustworthiness, however, remains to be seen.

Thanks for viewing, as always!
-Mel

Sons of Anarchy Fan Art

Last piece of 2013, just in time for New Years Eve. A couple of favorites from Sons of Anarchy - Chibs, Gemma, Bobby Elvis, and Tig. These folks are both challenging and a fun to illustrate - may have to do it again some time.

Artwork by Javadoodle. Find more on Facebook, and DeviantART.

Happy New Years, everyone!
-Mel

Sons Sketches

A couple of quick studies are evolving their way into a full-on Sons of Anarchy fan piece. Rather curious to see how this one pans out. Included - Chibs, Gemma, Bobby, Tig, and Tig’s pup because Bully-smiles are fun to sketch.

-M

Adventures in Fishbowl Space

Adventures in Fishbowl Space. With an army of laser bees. Because why not.

Bee and Puppycat is the husband and I’s new favorite thing. If you haven’t checked it out yet you probably should. It’s pretty great.

-Mel

Totoro BrOTP

Had a sketch of these little guys on my hard drive for a few weeks - Feels great to finally have a chance to so something with them. My Neighbor Totoro is an all-time favorite of mine. Thought I’d do a little tribute.

-Mel

Doctor Who Charity Art Show

Hey all. Some rather cool news for you! I was recently invited by one of the wonderful folks behind Tiki Machine to take part in a Doctor Who themed charity art show that will be taking place on December 13th and 14th in Anaheim, CA. Above is my contribution to the show - the Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble, and a kerfuffle of Adipose. 

All proceeds of the art sales will be going to Friends and Helpers, providing assistance to women, children and teens who find themselves involved in domestic violence. So if you happen to be the SoCal area mid-December, feel free to drop by the show, see some Whovian love at work, and buy some art to help donate to a fantastic cause. All info on the event can be found on the flyer below.

Allons-y!

-Mel

Youmacon 2013

 

Had an absolute blast at Youmacon 2013 with my buds from Alpha Omega Animation and Ninja Dust Publishing. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by our booth!

-Mel

Dwarrow Doodles

Had a few minutes to do some scanning last night, so I jumped on it. Here's sketchbook doodles from the weekend before last, as well as some process on Balin. My "Hobbit" kick continues with Bofur, Bombur, and a random little dwarven lass for the sheer sake of cute. 

-Mel

Balin

The Hobbit's Balin makes me happy, so I thought I’d return the favor.

-Mel

Lotus Emblem Promo 001

Completed my promo poster for my husband’s online comic, Lotus Emblem. For more on LE, check out the comic on Facebook and Tumblr.

August Sketch Dump

Took advantage of an unexpectedly early morning this morning to scan some sketchbook doodles - including Totoro and Grumpy Cat.

Cheers,
-Mel

Macko

Birthday present for my buddy Brian. Thanks for being awesome, fella!

Lotus Emblem Promo Progress

I'm currently working on the first of a series of promo pieces for my husband Art of the Niles' fantasy adventure comic, Lotus Emblem, to be made available as prints at upcoming conventions. Here's the line work and flat color stages of the image. Final colors coming soon.

Thanks for viewing!
-Mel