XIXI ZHI YU... TRY SAYING THAT ONE FIVE TIMES FAST!!!

Well, today is a somber day for me.  Tonight, I would've been enjoying Preview Night at Comic Con.  We all know the state of things and I only hope by next summer we can all see some semblance of normalcy.  For now, I offer whatever relief or escape my art can give, so I hope y'all will still scroll down and see what's swimming up.  Enjoy...

Today folks, we explore the Xixi Zhi Yu, a creature originally of Chinese mythology.  Usually depicted as a fish with ten wing-like fins and spines, it was said that they could cure jaundice.  Given that fish with that many spines and fins on them are typically very highly toxic, I would imagine the Xixi Zhi Yu could cure quite a few things in an unintended way!  This fish would definitely fall under the Look-Don't-Touch department when coming across one.  Another Animal Alphabets entry, this one was another rather simple effort.  Some entires are more elaborate than others as more astute readers have likely noticed.  A large part of that depends heavily on how much time I have to work on things.  If I'm super busy with the day job or comics, I tend to just jot something down very quickly.  It's not particularly fair to the theme, but time for the most part is often at a premium.  Not so much now, but those days will return again I'm sure.

And that's it for this week.  We'll be back next time to wrap up the month of July with a quadruple dose of CRAZY antics!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

TRUNK TALK WITH THE TREEFOLK!!!

We are back!  Midway through the month of July now!  Normally I would've been gearing up Comic Con next week, but we all know how that went.  It still stings.  Aside from going, it's a huge part of my income that ain't happening now.  I don't know what the future holds, but I know I got some art to share, so let's get this show on the road, eh?  Enjoy...

Treefolk.  Some of you may know them as Tree Herders or, for those that are big followers of Middle Earth mythology, you may even call them Ents.  Regardless of the name, they are the shepherds and guardians of the forests.  It is their job to nurture and protect the plants and animals that call the woodlands home.  And as Saruman the White learned, they do not take kindly at all to those that do harm to their charges.  Of course, being a living tree does have its drawbacks, namely creatures nesting on the branches of slower moving ents.  Considering some of the other critters that nest from tree branches, a family of possums is the lesser of all evils!  This was another Animal Alphabets entry and I really enjoyed drawing this one.  Besides the possibilities that a living tree brings, I've always had a soft spot for possums.  They got an ugly cute quality to them.  Baby possums are also the most adorable things ever!  Don't let the grime and scuzzy nature fool you, possums are great!

That's all for this week.  We'll be back next time with a mythical critter that really puts the alphabet to good use!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

SOCK IT TO THE SUIKO!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  Another post is upon us.  Hopefully y'all are staying safe and healthy and finding ways to enjoy your time.  Lord knows I've been having to get creative in fighting boredom recently.  We got another funny piece of art to share with you, so why not dive right in, shall we?  Enjoy...

The Suiko, a scaly, child-like creature of Japanese mythology that's often depicted to be bluish in color with fangs, webbed hands and spikes growing out of their knees.  They are also often depicted as preferring swim around in the buff, so a little bit of artistic license had to be taken to keep this PG!  Another entry from Animal Alphabets, this was one of my simpler pieces, but it was fun to color and got a lot of praise on Twitter.  Though I do question how practical those spiked knees would rally be.  Seems like they'd hurt more than help!

Well, that's a wrap for now.  We'll be back next time with a creature that really walks tall!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

RAINBOW ROAD TO THE RAINBOW SERPENT!!!

Welcome to July CRAZIES!!!  Hopefully, you all are staying safe and healthy and seeing some kind of improvement in your towns.  Obviously, things are gonna be quite different this weekend, compared to past 4th of July celebrations, but I'm confident we'll all find a way to have some kind of fun.  We may not have fireworks right now (well, legal ones at least), but I still got some loud, explosive colors for you, so scroll down and take a gander at some analog color by way of digital distribution!  Enjoy...

TheRainbow Serpent!  More than just a brightly colored snake, this colorful reptile is a deity in Australian Aboriginal cultures.  Believed to be a bringer of life, it's been said that when rainbows appear, it's the serpent himself leaving one watering hole for the next.  Being a lover of all things reptilian, it didn't take much coaxing to get me to draw this one when Animal Alphabets picked this subject.  Not much of a gag, but I was okay with it.  It got a great response on Twitter and now, dear CRAZIES, the polished version is here for all to enjoy!

That's a wrap for today.  Be sure to come back next week for more silly shenanigans from the House of CRAZY!  Also, DO be careful this weekend.  Even without a pandemic, the 4th of July has a bad habit of leading to serious injury due to some people having a little too much fun.  Fireworks are illegal in many states for good reason, so please use caution, especially when alcohol is involved! Until then, take care, stay safe and happy 4th of July!  Catch y'all later!

THE QUEST FOR THE QUESTING BEAST...

Well, we've come to the end of June.  Not sure what the state of the world is at the moment, but hopefully, it's on the upswing.  What I can tell you though is that I got some wild art today that'll hopefully bring y'all a smile or two.  So sit back, relax and take a look at some CRAZY art for these CRAZY times!  Enjoy...

The Questing Beast.  A creature with the head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the legs of a deer and tail of a lion, it's a VERY old creature of English folklore.  It's been said during King Arthur's early years, before he was king even, he encountered the Questing Beast as another king hunted it.  Arthur came across this beast and king several more times throughout his life and at no time did his royal counterpart ever come close to catching the creature, nor did anybody else, hence its title of a Questing Beast: Just going after it was a quest in its own right!  I'm sure there's more to this legend than that, but even Professor Wikipedia doesn't always fill in all the details!  Another Animal Alphabets entry, this one was fun to draw, despite not having much more to it than its pose.  His quip certainly got a rise out of the folks on Twitter, so I'll call it a win still!

Well, that's a wrap on June 2020.  Since there's no Comic Con next month, or County Fair to gorge myself on, I'm just gonna keep on posting mythical animals if that's alright with you fine folks?  It is?  Good!  I'll just keep at it!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

DON'T MAKE HIM ANGRY... YOU WOULDN'T LIKE THIS BIRD WHEN HE'S ANGRY!!!

And we're back!  Halfway through June and hopefully things are improving around the world.  If there's been any silver lining to all this time off, it's that it has given me a chance to really spread my wings artistically.  As of this writing, I'm working on a small clay figure, a mask and a kitbashed spaceship, in addition to the regular comics and art.  Depending on how some of these art projects go, I might be doing blog posts on them down the road!  But that's in the future, right now, we are in the present, though I'm typing this in the past!  Time paradoxes aside, let's jump into today's art, shall we?  Enjoy...

The Phoenix, the legendary fire bird.  Beautiful, powerful and immortal, this colorful creature of myth never dies.  When its time comes, this bird bursts into flames and is then born again from its own ashes, stronger than ever and ready for another lifetime.  Think of it as Groundhog Day, only an entire life keeps repeating itself even after a lesson is learned!  Another entry from Animal Alphabets, this one wasn't my most spectacular piece, as there isn't really a gag and the dialogue only hints at what might come.  Still, I loved coloring this one as it has a really cool rainbow look to it and sometimes, simple is best.

Well, that's all for now.  We'll be back next week to send June off into the sunset with a beast that is even more elusive than the fabled barking spider!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

MERMAID GENTICS... THEY AIN'T PRETTY!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  Hopefully y'all are staying safe and strong as we continue to recover.  Time marches on here as it does elsewhere.  If you happen to be in need of a laugh or two, just scroll down the page a bit and take a peek!  Hopefully the laughs will expand more than the subject's posterior did!  Enjoy...

Watch out Dad!  She's gonna blow!  More!  If you're gonna be half human, half fish, then you're bound to have some variety at some point!  I mean, look at how mermaids are typically portrayed:  Human top with a generic fish tail.  Surely they are more complex than that?  Well, today's art shows that yes they are!  'Course, now I'm curious as to what the rest of her family tree might look like!  This was another Animal Alphabets theme and boy was this one fun to do.  This could stand alone as a single panel comic strip in a newspaper.  When I started out, I was scared to do single-panel gags because I didn't think I could nail a story in such a short frame.  I'm not on Gary Larson's level, but I think I've gotten pretty good with the single-panel medium.  The reaction this one got was very satisfying.  Everybody got a kick out of this spoiled, swollen mermaid!

Well, that's all for now.  We'll be back next week with some colorful new art that you may find a little hot around the collar.  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!