03-05-2024 |10 Minute Drawing

Watch MJ draw Grand Beast of Earth version 7 in this 10 minute drawing session.

#artist #mjmunoz #fantasy #monster #storyovereverything

What do you think of the results?

Look out for a 10 Minute Writing video next!

Watch the process below!

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Refining My Earth Guardian Kaiju Design with Multiple Pose Sketches

Rewritten from transcript by Claude (https://www.anthropic.com)

As something of a concept artist, I know that nailing down a character design often requires exploring it from multiple angles. In this 10-minute drawing session from February 5th, 2024, I challenged myself to sketch my Earth Guardian Kaiju from a few different poses to better understand his anatomy and movement.

While I’m generally happy with the chimeric fusion of creature features I’ve landed on for this beast, I still have some lingering questions about the finer details of his appearance. How does the turtle shell interact with the bull-like body? Do the lion paws impede or enhance his gait? What’s the full range of motion for that croc tail?

To investigate, I set out to draw a top-down view and a profile view of my guardian. But in the heat of the moment, I got a little carried away with the profile sketches. I had already done one a few days prior, but I ended up doing a second here almost subconsciously. Whoops! That’s the danger of rotating your paper mid-session – you can lose track of your original plan.

I also took a stab at a 3/4 view pose, which was an interesting challenge. Trying to convey the heft and bulk of this beast while still suggesting some agility and poise is a tricky balance. I’m not entirely satisfied with the result, but that’s okay. The beauty of these timed sketches is embracing the imperfections and learning from them.

Honestly, I ran out of a bit of creative juice near the end of the 10 minutes. It’s not easy staring down a blank page day after day, even when you’re passionate about your subject matter. But that’s why I keep showing up and putting in the work, no matter how rough the results may be. Consistency is key to growth.

My hope is that all of these practice sketches will pay off in the long run as I continue to develop the world and story around these guardian spirits. The more intimately I understand their forms and feelings, the more authentically I can depict them on the page and the screen. It’s all about building that foundation brick by brick.

What do you think of my earth guardian’s evolving design? Do you have any tips for pushing through those moments of artistic fatigue or uncertainty? I’m always eager to swap stories and strategies with fellow creators, so don’t be shy about dropping your thoughts in the comments!

And if you’re hungry for more behind-the-scenes peeks at my creative process as an illustrator and author, be sure to subscribe to my channel. I’ll be sharing new art demos, worldbuilding deep dives, and writerly musings every week.

Of course, if you want to take an even deeper dive into my imagination, swing by my website. I’ve got a treasure trove of artwork, stories, and geeky goodies waiting to be discovered. So come on over and let’s keep the conversation going!