I've been drawing my cartoons since Christmas 2006 after skirting my way around circles of shoujo manga, and I found myself wanting to do something the other kids were doing: drawing manga characters on their own terms. There was just one caveat: I couldn't draw those big glossy eyes very well, so I decided to improvise with the mechanical pencil and some notebook paper at the end of a class final. I made eyes that I described as "Jordan almonds" for their shape to those little candies, and I turned the head to an angle for a bit of drama. I found myself walking alone more often than not, so I used myself as a model.
Now take the fact I grew up with Cartoon Network and Hanna-Barbera cartoons, as well as a love of sci-fi, psychedelic art, art nouveau, and the Goth subculture, my having synesthesia (a neurological condition that allows me to "see music", or associate certain tones in music with color,) and you get these. I had to stop making them in 2009 because I was an honor student and an aspiring scientist, but I found my way back to them in 2012, once again with a mechanical pencil, but a stack of heavier paper and a ballpoint pen. Shortly thereafter, I decided they were the best for me. I switched to digital in late summer 2019, and the possibilities with Autodesk Sketchbook on my laptop have expanded far beyond what my pre-teen self could've imagined.
I often turn to what I'm a fan of, which is so much, but I also turn to my own reflection. Thus, there came a time wherein I realized I was drawing myself in other people's faces as well as them, given at the end of the day, I'm my own model.
I never really have called them anything, other than maybe “dolls” for their almost doll-like appearance, and also simply my cartoons. Whatever onlookers wish to call them is up to them.
And finally, to demonstrate my fannishness (is that a word?,) nirvhannah is my go-to pen name, while badmotorartist is specifically my art name.
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#1 Day Twenty-Five Of Mermay 2020 (Shark)
Drawn to Billie Eilish's ocean eyes, no less.
2points
#2 Christina Moon
A character I created back around Christmas 2019: a young musician, co-founder of duo Black Moon with her best friend, and writer, both of song lyrics and prose.
1point
#3 Sweet Amber
One entry into my very own drawing challenge back in June: the prompt was Metallica's song, Sweet Amber!
1point
#4 Petals
Another one from my drawing challenge, this time with Hole's song Petals, and featuring another OC, an artist named Holly, who's trying to find her place in the world following the pandemic.
1point
#5 Day Four Of Mermay 2020 (Star Wars)
"May the Fourth be with you" of course I had to do a rendition of Rey for that day!
1point
#6 A Girl And Her Cat
I drew this past Sunday, mere hours after my cat died, a beautiful Siamese named Joey. I miss him so much.
1point
#7 The Devil's Orchard
Another entry into the drawing challenge, this time using Opeth's song The Devil's Orchard!
0points
#8 Day Twenty-One Of Mermay 2020 (Futuristic)
the whole time I drew this one, I thought of "The Homer" (Herb Simpson's failed experiment courtesy of Homer); it's the mermaid of tomorrow.
0points
#9 Frank Bello And Charlie Benante From Anthrax
ah, yes, my current obsession! Anthrax is such characters and absolutely incredible musicians, it actually stuns me that they don't get more love. Bassist Frankie (left) and drummer Charlie (right) often fight like brothers, so here I emulated that!
0points
#10 Joey Belladonna And Charlie Benante Of Anthrax
Easily one of my favorites I've done, based on both memory as well as the era surrounding their album State of Euphoria. When I was little, my grandparents took my cousin and me to a waterpark called Oasis down in Palm Springs, and I remember my grandpa referring to me as "the lazy river kid" because I kept getting on this floaty ride that wound its way through the park. To add to it, this was as much of a study in water as anything. I have kind of a crush on Joey, who has his head over the edge so as to wet his hair, in particular, so of course, I put my heart into this one!
0points
#11 James Hetfield From Metallica
A little play on the almighty King Lion and a study in negative space.
0points
#12 The Red Queen
One of ten drawings I did to go in sync with Anthrax's album Persistence of Time, which turns 30 in 2020, and the only red one (the other ones have black backgrounds.) This one's my favorite because most of my protagonists are brunettes, and she has a bit of a pin-up vibe to her, and I like pin-up style.
0points
#13 Paul Mccartney And A Friend
I drew this on Blackout Tuesday; on the morning of, I awoke to the sound of ravens cawing outside my window and I almost immediately thought of Blackbird. I saw it as a sign if you will.
0points
#14 Rihanna
Another Blackout Tuesday drawing, this time of my queen Rihanna!
0points
#15 Chris Cornell From Soundgarden
I discovered Soundgarden in 2005, and Audioslave in 2007, the former of which has been my favorite band since then. Chris was like a friend to me: if it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be writing this right now. I sent him an ink cartoon of him via tweet for his 50th birthday just on a whim and he shared it with everyone a week later. It was because of him I didn't give up. I've had the original pencil sketch saved for almost two years now: you all are lucky, too, I haven't shared this anywhere else yet!
0points
#16 Grant Imahara
I pretty much grew up with Mythbusters: I watched them all the time when I was in school and he was probably my favorite of the three interns Adam and Jamie had with them. See you back at the shop, Grant xo.
0points
#17 Hairspray Queen
Another entry in a drawing challenge! this time for Pretty Girls Do Ugly Things back in March, hosted by the amazing Carla Harvey of Butcher Babies; the prompt was Hairspray Queen from Nirvana, and since it was the eve of April 5th, I gave her some chains in honor of Layne Staley, too.
0points
#18 Lapis Lazuli From Steven Universe
As of my writing this, I've been taking my time with one of those "draw this in your style" challenges, where I scrounged up 19 cartoon characters and decided to, you guessed it, draw them in my style; here's just a taste with probably my favorite character from Steven Universe no less.
0points