WHAT’S MY NAME?
Alexander Hamilton Commission, by Monica Marier, 2017
This gorgeous Jamaican is part of a customer commission that I’m working on. The fact that I absolutely love this show and was stoked to get to draw Lin Manual Miranda (who I remember from his Electric Company days!) is just a lovely added bonus.
So I tried a little experiment yesterday. I had bought a Wink Pen on Kickstarter ages ago and I’d never had opportunity to try it out. So I figured this was the perfect time to crack it open.
The running idea behind Wink Pens is that you can suck up any dark liquid into the barrel and draw/write with it. It was designed fro red wine, but I decided to try coffee. The uneven result was as follows.
Coffee Tendrils by Monica Marier
The “ink” did not move around the page, refusing to adhere to the nib. I’m not sure this was a success, but there are 2 factors in that. This might be the wrong kind of paper and possibly my coffee wasn’t dark enough. I think it will be worth trying again at a later date. So, although this one test didn’t go well, I think this pen deserves another chance.
Today is Day 3. I thought I should finally finish up the lines for this upcoming Print for Tangent Artists. Here’s Jodie Whitaker as The Doctor in “The Tardis Full of Bras”
TARDIS Full of Bras by Monica Marier, medium: brush pen.
Once again, I’m challenging myself as an artist with Jake Parker’s Inktober challenge! the point of which is make an inked piece of artwork every day for 31 days. “Wait, Monica, aren’t you also doing Carpe Scream?” Yes. Yes. I am. I’m crazy.
INKTOBER DAY 1, 2017. SKELETON CREW EXCERPT BY MONICA MARIER copyright (c) 2017 Tangent Artists LLC
Sunday is (if I’ve had a bad week) the day I do Skeleton Crew Inks so I tried to really turn it up to eleven on this panel. I love Zomboy’s tacky hawaiin shirt and flip-up glasses, and that Weston is noe wearing a “Death Kompas” shirt. This was fun to really take my time on.
Kiyana by Monica Marier, copyright (c) 2017 Tangent Artists LLC
Today I decided to challenge myself in a different way. Usually, when I’m trying to ink I get big fat lines because my hand shakes. This is due to various factors like my daily meds and my coffee addiction, but it’s plagued me a bit. This was a simple drawing, but making it really tiny made me stop and really try to get control of the brush pen to get those teeny-weeny lines. My hand is killing me, but I’m pleased as punch!
See you all tomorrow for Day 3.
Today, we meet another alien, a holographic computer interface: G.eotech L.abs I.ntelligent T.echnology C.ommunications H.ologram Model 3.1. Or as Henrik calls them, “Glitch” (G.L.I.T.C.H.). Glitch is not an interface created by humans; The G.L.I.T.C.H. interface was made by Flin Reli, an alien race with no genders. Glitch is a little ditzy, a little kooky, and when provoked, very sassy. It should be fun.
Glitch’s appearance was partly inspired by Jynx Monsoon a TV drag queen from Rupaul’s Drag Race, and partly by by Elroy from The Jetsons. This is my first non-binary character and I hope to do it some justice and make it fun.
G.L.I.T.C.H. copyright(c)Monica Marier, 2016
Yep, I fell behind, but I’m just going to keep right on going. So, anyways, I was looking at some Buzzfeed videos when I came across a video about how Asians are very rarely cast as major characters in movies. It made me look at my cast and think about Henrik Cates. Henrik was going to be yet-another white straight male lead in my books, and I suddenly wondered if it wasn’t getting a little same-y. The character design especially looked a lot like Evelyn Kelly from Madame Bluestocking.
I decided it was time for a change. I talked to my kids (since this is a joint project) and said, “what would you think about Henrik being Asian?” My daughter asked why the change and I said, “I think it’s nice to switch things up, so kids from other backgrounds can have a turn seeing people like themselves in books.” Girl then piped up. “Can he look like Eugene from the Try Guys?”
So, here we go: Henrik Cates, Captain of the Fishing Vessel, Mallard.
Henrik Cates Redesign, 2016
Goodness, this is hard to keep up on weekends! Well, all I can do is my best. Sadly inspiration and energy seems to find me at 10:45pm, so it’s a scramble to finish before I collapse from exhaustion. I can’t keep doing it this way. I’m going to try to find a time in the day where my energy is at a better place.
Here’s Day 17, It’s Mama Maxie, the Carnival Tycoon from an upcoming game. Some severe proportion problems, but I will fix them. I like her dress in any case.
Mama Maxie by Monica Marier, copyright(c)2016 Tangent Artists
And here’s today’s ink. This is a concept design for Elanai, the Mechanic from my upcoming SciFi book. He’s a Luo-Drigue—basically a lilac-colored space elf, since my daughter loves my elf characters so much and she said we needed one. Who am I to argue. Elanai is a cantankerous Rimmer who hates the kids and everyone else on the ship, but they’re pretty much the only people in the galaxy who tolerate him.
Elanai by Monica Marier copyright(c)monica marier 2016
So much for doing my pre-novel research. Assignments are starting to call, so those are going to be featured more this month. Case in point: today’s Ink is from a Carnival-themed game that Tangent Artists is working on. Here’s UNCLE LUCKY.
Uncle Lucky, by Monica Marier copyright (c) 2016, Monica Marier
A bit uncanny, yeah? I get the feeling that he’s one of those clowns who doesn’t understand that people don’t like clowns. I think he’s blissfully unaware of how creepy he is.
Skipped another day, but that’s okay, I’m going strong. Here’s today’s ink, which is from a commission I’m working on (posted with permission). It’s Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas at the battle of Pelenor.
Battle of Pelenor (excerpt)
If you really are curious, this is all I managed yesterday. It’s a sammich.
Sammich Art, by Monica Marier
Today’s Ink is for my Mythgard crew. It’s my elf, Vilori, and Corey Olsen’s guardian, Wigend. There’s sort of a running gag that Vilori is always very pessimistic about missions, perhaps because Wigend is grossly optimistic about them.
Vilori and Wigend, by Monica Marier 2016
Monica Marier Author 