Art Therapy - Avarice. Don't let anger warp your mind (things like this help me vent without hurting anyone). Obviously not an anatomical possibility. RSVP pen, Uniball gelpen, Photoshop 7. BTW: I am so behind in things it's depressing... things are so crazy lately. I'm working through emails, art I owe, etc. Thanks for your patience!

Crimson Demon: 1998, pen. Giger-inspired alien/demon thing. Oooo, fangy.

1997.

A Demon-dog from 1997; he has a puppy belly. :) I like the way that, in real life, animals aren't always standing around perfectly posed - maybe a paw is tipped over, or something - so I drew him kinda like that. Mechanical pencil.

Skull-Demon (Enraged): June 1999, pen. My temper flared.

Art Therapy, again. Q: Why do you draw these vile creatures? That can't be healthy. A: Actually it feels great to draw them; the more I scribble, the less tension I feel, and no one is the worse for wear (except maybe my pen). RSVP pen, Photoshop 7

Nightmare II, 1993, 2002. Originally done in pencil, then messed with in Photoshop. At one point I decided each new sketchbook of mine should have a Nightmare in it; this is an old one, but a favorite.

Nightmare IV, 1997, 2002. Originally done in black ballpoint RSVP pen, then given a fresh coat in Photoshop. I used to draw in this dense, twisted style a lot; but it's not "pretty", so I don't post many of them. The left leg is at an odd angle, though I admit at that point I just didn't care. It was fun just pushing the pen around (and fun coloring it, too).

Nightmare VII: 2003, drawn after a particularly horrendous day at work. NOTE: this is just MY version of a Nightmare; there's lots of ways to draw them. The eye is supposed to be an empty, shadow-less white - which may not make sense, but then, Nightmares usually don't. RSVP pen on cardstock, Photoshop 7 coloring.

Nightmare VII, 2002. Originally done in blue and white gel pens on black paper, then twisted and played with in Photoshop. My latest Nightmare, borne of 7 days of throbbing pain, nausea and heavy antibiotics (thanks to an infected tooth). Not High Art by any means - but isn't art also supposed to be a means of self-expression?

No rhyme or reason to this one; it's a sort of stress-relief for all the things happening lately. The lines are satisfying to draw, and thus I'm scribbling, not worrying. I felt kind of like I was carving it out of the paper. It's supposed to look sort of... ugly. At this point I will never catch up with all my art trades and emails! Thanks you all for all your kind words! RSVP pen and Photoshop.

Tocatta: 1993, pen. This is my humble tribute.

Skull-Demon (Red Variant): February 1995, red pen. Valentine's day sucks when you're alone. At least that's changed since then.

"it's not that i need to be rich; i just want to pay my bills without worrying..." Hey, who HASN'T felt like that, some time or another? Still, I am very grateful for what I -do- have, and for my wonderful friends and family. Forgive my angsty-ness; I believe in the benefits of art therapy :::sighs and feels better:::

When I'm feeling down, it helps to draw - but I usually draw my "skull-demons" in such angsty pics rather than Synnabar herself (who, as a symbolic creature, doesn't feel bad or worry). However, I included 7 tail-rings, horns, mane, etc. to represent that the creature depicted belongs to me - it isn't any specific creature, it merely represents how I was feeling at the time.

When I'm feeling under the weather, drawing one of my skull-demons usually cheers me up (or gives me something else to think about, at least). I've been drawing these skull-"demon"-y things for more than 20 years now! Gosh. No real meaning to them, other than being a good bit of venting, or fun. I like to leave the extra scribbly-bits in; my neat little pencil drawings just don't convey frustration as well.

RSVP pen on cream cardstock, tinted with a bit of shading in Photoshop