When is a drawing done?

When I finished the preliminary sketch of my holiday card (see previous post) I thought it looked pretty good. But that drawing came quickly. I didn't trust it. It was too easy! I must suffer for my art.

Was the first sketch good? Or just good enough?

These characters are stylized but are based on real animals. The more inspiration I draw from the actual critters the better. I Googled shrimp. After studying several photos I realized my "shrimp" looked more like a lobster. I narrowed the body and legs. I gave him a pointy head. I rearranged the antanae. I also used this opportunty to exaggerate the gesture and expression.

I moved on to the angler fish. I looked at a dozen angler photos. One photo in particualr caught my eye. It was a freaky looking fish. I would be a fool not to let that image inspire me.

Is the drawing done? I think so. I could spend the rest of my life perfecting these characters but I have other fish to fry.

Holiday Card Sketch

I was channel surfing and stumbled across "Blue Planet" on the Discovery Channel. This particular episode was all about the scary fish that live way down deep. I've always been intrigued by angler fish and this program featured several rarely seen specimens.

The next day I was strolling down the street (cup of coffee in hand), brainstorming for my holiday card. A chameleon on a red Christmas tree bulb?

Done that.

I thought about a glowing Christmas tree bulb. I remembered the phosphorescent lure of the deep sea angler fish. Where do ideas come from? Channel surfing and coffee.

Posted is a sketch colorized in Photoshop.