Author Archive: gonzalexx

#7 Bob Waits For The Spores

Don’t worry, it may all make sense soon enough.

#6 The Joker

#3 My Sister is Half Alien

#2 Eye Guys

Yes.. Eye Guys. What can I say.

30 Characters in 35 Days!

Finished all 30 characters, though not in as many days, but still, it feels as big as it ever was. The experience getting there is well worth the challenge. That is my trophy! Thanks to everyone for participating, and thank you Tyler, for putting out the “spread”. Have a great holiday season, and we’ll see you next year!

For your perusal and amusement, I present, all of my 30 characters!

(If I get a slideshow/video of it, I’ll plant it right here too. For now, click whatever you like).

#30 – Sahil

You may meet Sahil at the airport, offering his services. He’s what you call, a “jack-of-all-trades”. You name it, he can do get it for you, for a moderate fee, of course. He’s a good-natured man trying to make a living as a guide. What? Were you expecting some low-down and juicy story, or a bit of hi-jinx in his past? Well, maybe… but not anymore. He’s a good guy.

And so ends the 30 character run for me. I didn’t make it on time, but I made it, and I got what I wanted from this. A great experience creating characters, and a sad feeling that I didn’t get to savor it one day at a time. Its so much fun to create a character, and in my case, mostly visually. I didn’t go that far into a background for any of these guys, like last year, but I think its because my time to work on these was segmented to the point that I was always in a hurry, trying to catch up. Oh well. I look at what I did, and its impressive to me. Plus I got a lot of practice, and discovered some things I could do in a rush that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Lots of lessons, and great experiences. Thanks to everyone for participating. It has been an honor to create along all of you. You are all winners in your own path. Keep at it… hopefully with the same momentum.

#29 – Joey Fuhggedaboutit

Joey is a swell guy from the Bronx. You can get a sense that he’s ok with most anything, as all his friends will no doubt vouch.

#28 – Bardo

This is Bardo. He’s a perennial drama club groupie at the University. This is his student ID photo. The makeup, and clothes are part of his normal attire. You can frequently find him hanging around the local park with with a cape, and a skull at hand, badgering folks about the meaning of life, and how he knew Horatio so well.

#27 – Vinny

Vinny – shady guy eh?

#26 – Doctor Muffles

Doctor Muffles got his name because no one can make out a word he says due to his huge “cookie brush”. We’re not sure he has a mouth to speak through, for all we know.

#25 – Marisol

Marisol is a very good friend. Humble and true, she will bring light and happiness to all that befriend her. I started this sketch very quickly, without any aim, and just as I finished coloring, I realized, this is a cartoon version of my wife’s very best friend! I am positive that they’ll love it.

#24 – Rouser

Just give her a cause, she’ll move the people!

(getting close to deadline here… 6 left to do with 4 hours to go, and other things to do in between – go go go!)

#23 – Hedley

Just plain Hedley, all gussied, hopeful, and ready for his date at the “social”. Wish him luck.

#22 – Professor Nosenberg

The Professor is a mild mannered teacher at the University, but at night, he sneaks into the lab to work on his dubious experiments. He hopes one day he’ll give everyone a honker the size of his.

#21 – Derpy Drak

Peculiar among his kind, Derpy is often taken lightly. Hanging around blood bank dumpsters, and slaughter houses, he’s not much of a threat. He’s kind of clumsy when it comes to the hunt, earning the “Derpy” moniker from his peers. He’s also known as “Bumble Bat” to some.

#20 – Phineas Phatom

Phineas lives under the sea, in the Mariana’s trench, to be exact. Staying with his father for the Summer, he enjoys taking one of the deep dive suits for a little “joy ride” to “play outside”.

#19 – Budd Lager

Friendly Budd Lager knows his beer. First in attendance to all his lager club meetings, he’s the nicest guy you can meet, and will talk your ear off when it comes to brewing, and hops, and the like. When he was 7, he was found in the basement, messing with his dad’s home-made beer-making machinery. At 13, he was kicked out of school for simply smelling like beer. He’s been known to plan all his vacations around Octoberfest. Last winter, we saw him wearing “Clydesdale” boots. I think Sam Adams has him on retainer.

(This was just another fun iPod/Sketchbook Pro fun little quick piece).

#18 – Ecstatic Ernie

Ernie is a bit too excited about his gun. Kind of a dark topic here. No one should be that excited about a weapon.

I used an expression from a study, and the “pumping” arm gave me a little trouble, but I used the old “take your own picture in that pose” trick.

#17 – Happy Harry

A little dark humor here. Happy Harry doesn’t mind being in his current situation. In fact, I’m not so sure he’s aware of what trouble he’s in at the moment. He must have his reasons to be smiling, but with that look on his face, its kind of doubtful that he truly understands. Maybe that’s why he’s in trouble at the moment.

I actually got the expression from an expression study I did some time ago. Thought it was so innocent, and care free, that it needed a twist.

#16 – Red Runner

Red Runner. Getting a little abstract and “designy”.

The Red Runner will hopefully inspire you to forge ahead, full force. She never gives up. Always forward.

#15 – The Clockmaker

What time is it? Here’s the clock maker, stressing the importance of time, and urging you not miss a second.

Another quick one with Sketchbook Mobile Pro on an iPod (yes, tiny screen) and using a Pogo Sketch stylus. This is becoming a quick way to produce in trying to catch up with the 30 Characters… I believe I’ll make it. This is the halfway point, and I’ve got 4 days, counting today, to come up with the rest. I have some roughs waiting, but its time to step up.

#14 – Walter Wide

Walter will brighten your day.
He’s generous, happy, and gay.
But its generally expected,
when food is detected,
you don’t want to be in his way.

#13 – The Zinger

The Zinger, or as he is less known, Heriberto Vocce, happens to be one of the most sought after crooners of the 22nd century. At the start of the last ice age, earth’s population, reduced by natural forces, was keeping indoors, and hungry for entertainment. The reigning world leaders, in a bid for world population control, sanctioned experiments in mind control, from which our featured artists sprung. The last of the corporate generated child stars was created to this effect. Heriberto, thanks to the latest genetic alteration technologies, can influence the masses with his voice. A starving public will listen to anything. It is said that our current decline in childbirths is due to his latest 3-D cast. Of course, nothing can be proven. Not even his role in the suspicious end to the last Third World Union revolts.

#12 – Phil Armstrong

Phil is a quite, no trouble, type of person. 9 to 5 job, average family, even church-going fellow, but once the arm wrestling championship tournaments start up, he’s quite a different Phil. He’s been practicing ever since uncle Jed beat him at the family picnic, in front of everyone years ago, and he doesn’t know how to let go. Its even worse than that. Uncle Jed is no longer with us, and he Phil has no hope for a “come-back”. Everyone skirts around the topic, when they see Phil in his gym clothes, wearing his headband, ever since that incident at the old folks home.

#11 – Gretchen

Gretchen wants to be a singer. A little shy, she poses for publicity photos, previous to her first level competitive event at the local tryouts for the season’s popular reality TV talent show. She really hopes that English judge likes her. Wish her luck.

#10 – Pleading Pia

Pleading Pia is a good soul. (Not much story here, just a nice lady from my imagination. I was mostly trying out a pose I never tried before, and wanted to try a drawing an unusual hand position).

#9 – Rubber Chicken Druid

A recent excavation in Europe unearthed an unexpected find: the very well preserved mummified remains of what seems to be a druid priest. Scientists are still baffled by the fact that there appears to be a rubber chicken buried with this corpse. Unofficially, a strange sect has come forward from years of silence, claiming this to be one of their own high priests, according to their lore. Members of the “Church of the Rubber Chicken” explain that this, and their other “sacred” artifacts, such as the false arrow through the head, and the commonly known “Groucho Marx” glasses w/ bushy eyebrows, big nose and mustache are symbols that should be revered without question. Boggled by chants of “Excuuuuuuuse me!” from the “believers”, investigators are scratching their heads, and are frantically seeking the one person that may have some explanation to offer: Steve Martin, a famous comedian believed to be the only link to this almost forgotten past.

#8 – Traveling Travis

Traveling Travis gets his name from the fact that you rarely find him staying put in one place. Stuck like a sardine in a can, he is at his happiest when sleeping his life away in transit. Frequent flyer and member of numerous travel clubs, he subsists on bad airline food, and free continental breakfasts. We find him here sleeping like a baby in yet another flight. I dedicate this one to all those folks that have to travel for a living, walking in the limbo of an airport, plugging their cell phone to the nearest outlet for a recharge, standing in line to board, and making small talk with airport and airline staff. It makes you really value your time at home.

This was done on an iPod Touch, using Sketchbook Mobile, with a Pogo Sketch stylus, standing in line for the lavatory during a long flight.