Cyclops

February 28, 2023March 2, 2023Leave a comment

Last one. He almost looks charming, doesn’t he?

Three cyclops brothers were said to have forged Zeus’s lightning bolt, and cyclopes were said to have built the walls of several ancient cities. So, perhaps this guy is reviewing some plans for building something.

A cute cartoon cyclops stands holding an open scroll in his hands. He has a lopsided grin. He is dressed in ancient Greek fashion, a toga and sandals laced up his calves. As a cyclops, he has only one eye centered in the middle of his face, no nose, and purple skin and hair. As a cartoon, he has a small body, huge head, and disproportionately large eye.

Siren

February 26, 2023February 22, 2023Leave a comment

Fresh from the ocean.

A cute cartoon siren lays on the ground with her cheek cupped in one hand and tail raised to curl behind her. She is smiling slightly. She is wet. Her black hair is plastered to her head and body, the ends pooling on the ground at her side. There is a puddle around her. As a siren, the lower half of her body is a fish tail, and her skin and scales are blue. As a cartoon, she has a small body and huge head with disproportionately large eyes. She is isolated on a pink background.

Gorgon

February 24, 2023February 24, 2023Leave a comment

Using a mirror is a safe way to look at a gorgon, so she’s in no danger of being turned to stone.

A cute cartoon gorgon stands with one hand arranging her hair-snakes and the other holding a mirror she is looking into. She is smiling, pleased with her reflection. She's dressed in an ancient Greek style, including a simple white shift and sandals laced up her calves. As a gorgon, she has snakes for hair, green skin, a flat nose with slits for nostrils, fangs, and yellow eyes with vertical slits for pupils. As a cartoon, she has a small body and huge head with disproportionately large eyes. She is isolated on a yellow background.

Satyr

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023Leave a comment

Let’s take a break from the mundane cartoon people I’ve been posting. I’ll come back to them, don’t worry. (I have 150 of them, after all.)

But for today, I bring you Greek mythical creatures. Cute ones. I have four to share. Here’s the first one, a satyr.

A cute cartoon satyr stands with one hand on his hip and the other gesturing as if encouraging the viewer to come take his hand. He is smiling and winking. As a satyr, he has goat legs and a tail, horns, goat ears, a small goatee, a brown tip on his nose, and his golden eyes have a goat-like horizontal pupil. As a cartoon, he has a small body and huge head with disproportionately large eyes. He is isolated on a green background.

Second One…

November 25, 2022November 23, 2022Leave a comment

Yes, this is going to be a series. I’m planning to share all 150 of these, one every other day.

This little guy seems happy.

A little black boy stands with his hands holding his belly as he laughs. He's wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

First One…

November 23, 2022November 23, 2022Leave a comment

I just recently completed a project for Learning A-Z. I drew 150 characters, full color, isolated on white. Here’s the first one.

Isn’t she cute?

A cartoon drawing of a preschool-aged, little black girl. She has an afro pulled back with a scarf. She's wearing a pink dress, striped leggings, and sneakers. She is standing with one hand raised as if waving.

MonstersGo! Dragon Kitty

May 20, 2022May 20, 2022Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago, while waiting for a response from a client on a project, I created this MonstersGo piece. It was based on a child’s drawing by a kid named Violet. Then, when I was almost finished, I got my client response and had to get back to real work. I popped it up on Instagram real quick, I but didn’t bother with my other social media at the time. Well, now that project’s finished, so I can get back to sharing this little dragon kitty all the places I normally share stuff. Here you go!

A redrawing of a child's drawing. A monster that looks to be a hybrid of a cat, bird, dragon, and something with cloven hooves. It hovers in front of a cheery blue sky.

A child's drawing. A monster that looks to be a hybrid of a cat, bird, dragon, and something with cloven hooves. It hovers, isolated on white.

Monsters Go – Lily N.

December 17, 2021Leave a comment

Today I participated in the Monsters Go illustration prompt. That’s where professional illustrators recreate monsters drawn by children.

This week’s art was by a kid named Lily N. Here was her drawing:

A child's crayon drawing of a monster by kid artist Lily N. It's a purple monster with a lot of eyes, blue feet, and turquoise shaggy things in it's hands. — Art by Lily N.

And here’s my version of it:

My version of the many-eyed monster from the previous drawing in a professional style. I interpreted the shaggy things to be some furry things it's juggling. They also have eyes. — Art by Karen B. Jones

And here’s a link to Monsters Go on Instagram.

Orc Dad

April 7, 2021April 2, 2021Leave a comment

Here’s a personal piece I just finished. I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons with my family and I think it’s sad how orcs are depicted as just a bunch of mindlessly aggressive monsters. They have families, right? They must. So, here’s a candid portrait of an orc dad and his offspring.

A candid portrait of an orc father and his toddler offspring. The child is on the father's shoulders, holding onto his thumb. The background is a monochromatic forest scent.

Dancer

December 21, 2020December 20, 20204 Comments

Over the last couple years, I’ve read several human interest stories about dancers or yoga instructors or whatnot that you might not think could excel at those skills because of their weight, or in one case because she had downs syndrome. But they do it anyway, and they do it well. So, I wanted to draw this lovely dancer who is clearly doing what she loves despite the challenge of her body size.