I have Ben doodling from a couple days and I am on a giant robot kick plus I might have come down with COVID I got all the shots and masked up and still might have caught it please stay safe
It’s taken me until the ripe old age of 33 to do a Jungle Book tribute, in spite of it being my all-time favourite film along with The Mask and Baloo the Bear (along with Donald Duck) my favourite Disney character but alas… better late to the party than not show up at all, am I right?
A far-too-common archetype that i have observed frequently in people as they converse with another is one in which an individual uses two layers of defense to protect an otherwise unexamined confusion or emptiness. This relates to a defense of the ego and does not apply to all situations involving anything discussed.
First posturing:
-A mask (or wall) of mockery is sustained in which the defensive individual behaves flippantly as if in jest. This positioning is a way to be aloof from the situation, using incredulity and belittlement to keep a person or their ideas away from the defensive individual.
Second posturing:
-A mask (or wall) of rage is revealed after a certain level of perceived threat is achieved internally. This positioning is usually the one the defensive individual maintains when they have given up the argument or the introspection. Not risking an ontological or existential crisis, the defensive individual lashes out with anger, often accusatorily in manner, potentially belittling others further or just plain rushing away in a huff. This is usually the end of the engagement.
Third posturing:
-The masks (or walls) both come off, leaving the defensive individual to examine the thoughts or behaviors involved in the situation more critically. The defensive individual may find themselves feeling deeply uncomfortable, sad, uneasy, lost, or confused. This position leads to introspection and to a genuine openness, which is not something that the defensive individual had been prepared for. They may find that they were incorrect, only partially correct, or that the perceived rightness of their idea/behavior now has an expanded context, all of which may seem frightening. Individuals may become mentally paralyzed at this point. It takes a strength and an honesty to reflect in this position, which is not something that everyone expressing this archetype will be capable of doing.
(Based on my professional insights as: a cashier, as a member of various technical support staffs, as an occasional minister, and as a peer counselor. Also based on my casual and repeated interactions with both strangers and with more intimately known persons over the course of my lifetime. Observations are my own.)
Yesterday I saw my good friend and I went to the park(I see her all the time but this time our mom and little siblings came) and it was just like old times we played laser tag with the littles, and talked, and swung on swings and climbed trees and it was so fun so I drew us afterwards. I also drew our masks halfway on so we could see our faces. I HATE COVID! I also really dislike wearing masks and distancing and stuff so this is a way of getting around that. Idk if that makes sense.
Part of Paintable's intro to digital painting course; quick exercise on layering, masking, color choice, and texture. Was provided line art of a cactus and brushes. Source: https://paintable.cc/
Been some time since I touched the pencil. It wasn't easy to get back to drawing, since I was also distracted by the internet for some time. Lots of things went through my head, while I was out on a trip. Just drew whatever I felt like drawing, and this came alongside some reflections:
I have been stuck on fixing this character concept for a very long time, trying to box it within a classification. Bird, wyvern, dragon, shadow, whatever- I came to a point today, where I felt that it really doesn't matter anymore. This is that sort of character who can be everything.
I spent the entire afternoon trying to arrange all the little ideas and features, following true to creative intuition. Smashing together many of my previous character designs, this appeared. A masked and unnamed figure (???) with traits from many of my previous works.
An avian / draconic / spiritual shapeshifter has always been something with me all this time, even when I tried to create a sona years back (finding it meaningless). True to its nature, it has few lively features except its eyes and requires a mask to display additional signs of life.
Its clear that this character is basically a symbolic self-expression. It wasn't easy to seperate myself from my introjective tendencies, which easily distorts my concept of this figure (took weeks to untangle). Once the confusions loosen, it reappears with noticeably familiar features.
The scribble above still has some room for rearrangement, just limited by the irreversible nature of pencil drawing. The grey markings were too dark, and the feet might look better staying white. The pale golden underbody markings, were actually a surprise.
Went off a different prompt list today because I really wanted to draw something chill. Also I wanted to do some reference pose practice. PIntrest is a god send for trying to figure out how body's move. XD. This one is much more simple since I wasn't too focused on finishing the full color. Instead I played around with a few of my drawing programs tools. Tried to use its coloring mask, patterns, and texture brushes to get a simple yet readable mood.
