Terrifel sketches, quite a lot really.

[terrifel]

It is true. Sketching is how I relax, and now it is also how I pad my post count. If pictures are worth a thousand words, then I reckon that a napkin doodle ought to be worth at least fifty. Granted, I hardly ever finish a picture, but I have literally thousands upon thousands of random, vague sketches and doodles lying around.

In any case, I figure I will keep this thread going until I get bored with it, or until sketching is no longer relaxing, or until I run out of space on my free image-hosting account, or until death take me, or the world end.

Anyway. I will endeavor to select what I consider to be the most successful and work-safe sketches as I unearth them.

In order that expectations not be unreasonably raised, I begin with a paper towel from the morning meeting at work, which depicts a large person in midleap, two weird faces, and a space chicken:

[terrifel]

This is the sort of thing you will likely see the most of in this thread.

[OneCentStamp]

They're excellent. You have control, which is was separates doodlers from artists (to me, at least). More!

[terrifel]

A rare more-or-less-finished drawing; this one of a pygmy marmoset.

[terrifel]

Black rhino. They have some at the zoo, but this drawing was done from photo reference.

[terrifel]

One of the things that lives in my head. The pills keep them from breeding.

[terrifel]

One of a short series of loosely travel-themed mouse cartoons I was asked to draw for work.

[terrifel]

I have no idea what this was supposed to be about.

[OneCentStamp]

Caption: "Aquaman had what is now widely regarded as the most useless super power of all time. His stepbrother, Commander O, discovered that he did not even have that, as the sea life blatantly ignored his telepathic commands."

[terrifel]

Caption: "Aquaman had what is now widely regarded as the most useless super power of all time. His stepbrother, Commander O, discovered that he did not even have that, as the sea life blatantly ignored his telepathic commands."

Actually I think you may be on to something. Now that I think about it, that picture probably represented somebody's character from a roleplaying game, way back in the days when I was still trying to interact with others. The Oceaneer? Who the hell knows. Sometimes people asked me to draw their characters.

Here's another from the same pile, probably along the same lines; some game that must have featured android characters. Maybe Space Hero or Rifts?

[Trojan Man]

You're very talented, terrifel. You have the creativity, and also the fine motor control and sense of proportion. Not much more I can say.

[Inner Stickler]

I was gonna make a thread to share some of the sketches I've done for my design class. I think now, I'm just gonna slink off in shame.

[Zuul]

Yes, whatever pathetic pride I had in my art has now shriveled up and died. Well done, terr.

[terrifel]

This cartoon is sort of a companion to the one in post 7.



Where the first cartoon suggested humorously that a mouse has the ability to navigate via compass, this cartoon expands upon the conceit in depicting another mouse who apparently not only understands the general principle of magnetism by which a compass operates, but has also procured a novelty magnet specifically to mess with the first mouse's direction; thereby illustrating the larger implication that mice will screw each other over for no good reason, solely to indulge their own personal amusement. This conceptual device is known as anthropomorphism.

Where would they even get the magnet? Presumably from the same place they got the compass, one supposes. The audience is encouraged to infer some type of junior science kit from which these mice have scavenged their respective apparatus.

[What Exit?]

terrifel, these are actually great. You have a lot of talent. The rhino and pygmy marmoset are really impressive but your cartoon mice are just perfect toons.

Please keep sharing.

Between your humorous writing and drawing skills it seems like you should be able to supplement your living with these talents. I am however clueless as to these things but as Zuul and Pep are both at least able to sell their works I wonder if they could push you in the right directions to get going?

[Orual]

I love your mice, terrifel.

My drawing is non-representational, which means it's supposed to look like crap.

[terrifel]

Seeing these little guys is a sure sign that you've had way too much Romulan ale.

[terrifel]

I had to share an aisle with these guys on my way to Dragon Con. God, I hate air travel.

[terrifel]

Ever panic and just blurt out the first thing that pops into your mind?



It's hard to bounce back from a conversational gaffe of that magnitude.

On top of that, it turned out that the stars weren't right after all-- just some neighbor kids shooting off Roman candles.

[Zuul]

Ever panic and just blurt out the first thing that pops into your mind?



It's hard to bounce back from a conversational gaffe of that magnitude.

On top of that, it turned out that the stars weren't right after all-- just some neighbor kids shooting off Roman candles.

Is this a self-portrait then? I love that face. It's the right mix of realism and cartoonish exaggeration.

[terrifel]

Your basic tactical multiterrain assault squirrel, with slightly atypical weapon configuration; choice of the linear accelerator cannon requires a harness to control recoil, sacrificing some battlefield agility in favor of greatly increased range and armor penetration. This drawing brought to you courtesy of the late 1990s.

[terrifel]

Is this a self-portrait then? I love that face. It's the right mix of realism and cartoonish exaggeration.

Nah, although it is intended to be cartoonish; it's from an idea for a story I had about a psychic rock that possesses people, turning them into polydactyl Neolithic priest-kings. Unfortunately, this has been done so many times before that it's near-impossible to find a fresh angle.

I may have a self-caricature kicking around somewhere though. If not, just envision a giant mass of lard with hair on it.

[terrifel]

Indeed, a giant mass of lard that inexplicably double-posts on occasion...

[terrifel]

Here we see a spaceman of some variety; apparently a space soldier, armed with a highly futuristic space gun, guarding or patrolling a barren stretch of desert landscape, somewhere in space.



You can tell it's in space because of that double planet back there. Otherwise, it could just as easily be a spaceman patrolling a desert landscape somewhere in Arizona, which... is a lot more plausible, actually.

[terrifel]

This was supposed to be a design for a motivational T-shirt, if I recall aright.



(Note: further allusion to the "Gung Ho!" motivational program can be found in the OP of this earlier thread, inspired by the same supervisor who had me do the above T-shirt design.

[What Exit?]

Love the mice. Maybe you could do some sort of little cartoon series with them. Actually a lot of your drawings lead to absurdness humor with your more colorful descriptions like the Assault Squirrel above.

[terrifel]

A small frog.

[terrifel]

Love the mice. Maybe you could do some sort of little cartoon series with them. Actually a lot of your drawings lead to absurdness humor with your more colorful descriptions like the Assault Squirrel above.

I'm a bit surprised at how many mouse drawings I have done for work, for one reason or other. I just found a folder with pictures from an earlier project, so I have even more to post here.

Here is one intended as a logo design for a local conference brochure. Ostensibly the theme that time was "exploration" rather than "travel" as in the other pictures above; but in fact they were commissioned by the same people and I was basically instructed to do the exact same thing, so here we see the little mouse with the telescope again. (I guess in terms of scale he would actually be closer to a rat here.)



The caricatured professorial-type fellow was supposed to be sort of a visual mascot for the event; I named him "Doctor Pith" but it didn't catch on.

[terrifel]

Hi there!

[terrifel]

What the...? A living eucalyptus drop?

[terrifel]

Only intelligent design can possibly account for these perfect naturally occurring jet ski ramps.

[terrifel]

Check it out, I finally ran across a self-portrait!

[terrifel]

In reality, of course, this would result in a weird, rat-shaped tan line.

[terrifel]

Squeekah! Bundolo! Check it out, it's Liptauerzan!




...see, it's funny because Liptauer is a kind of cheese, and mice like... nevermind.

[vison]

You are very clever. I like the mice.

I used to draw girls in voluminous skirts cuz I couldn't draw legs very well. Also, their hands would be tucked into their pockets, etc. I always drew horses standing in long grass cuz I couldn't do their lower legs and hooves.

Your drawing REALLY impresses me, in other words.

[Heffalump]

I love the mice too! Your words around the picture in post #14 has me laughing.

Your talent is amazing! So many different styles done so well.

[Peeta Mellark]

A small frog.

This frog, right here. I want to adopt him.

[terrifel]

African serval.

[Feirefiz]

Those are great. You mentioned the mouse cartoons for work, but other than that, what do you do with your drawings?

[Hatshepsut]

Wow, wow, wow. I had no idea when I opened this thread what a treat was in store. These are fantastic - some of them in both senses of the word!

The one in post #17 looks like one of the artist's conceptions of the creatures from the Burgess Shale (use Google Images on the key words "Burgess Shale" and you'll see what I mean).

[terrifel]

Those are great. You mentioned the mouse cartoons for work, but other than that, what do you do with your drawings?

Mostly I pile them up on the shelf and wait for something to spill on them. They represent the final bulwark of absorbency between potential roof leaks and my book collection.

So far I've been cherry-picking the pile for the most finished drawings to post. As a result, this thread has been a highly distorted representation of the quality level to which I generally aspire. As I mentioned above, when left to my own devices I almost never finish a drawing. Soon enough, however, I will run out of the relatively completed stuff and get down to post-padding in earnest; which means that you can expect to see a lot more of this sort of thing:



"Hey, subconscious; I realize that you are bored and tired, but is there any chance that you could perhaps co-operate long enough for me to pass Population Ecology, so that I can finally earn a college degree?"

"Hmmm... I could do that, I suppose... or I could use the margins of this notebook as a convenient space to jot down something REALLY important: a woman preparing to cast a magic fireball."


And that is how I got my B.A. in Fireball Arts.

[terrifel]

In their final years, the Three Stooges were just depressing.

[terrifel]

The joke here is that rhinos have relatively poor vision.

[What Exit?]

I love the Eye Chart. Terrifel this stuff is genius.

[terrifel]

Paging Dr. Freud...



What can I say, put a pencil in my hand and sometimes it takes me to strange places.

[Hatshepsut]

The joke here is that rhinos have relatively poor vision.

The perched birds peering over the rhino's head add an absolutely fabulous touch.

If there were any justice whatsoever in the world, you'd be making a very comfortable living from this kind of drawing.

[CatInASuit]

Wow, those are brilliant.

The animal sketches are excellent

[Sarahfeena]

These are amazingly good, terrifel. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Peeta Mellark]

The joke here is that rhinos have relatively poor vision.

Aaaaand I just saw what the eye chart spells out. Good show.

[RabbitMage]

I want to write a children's book solely to have you illustrate it.