I an art teacher in Georgia with a wife and four kids. I dabbled in comic book art as a teen, ran away from art in my twenties, painted murals in my thirties, and now teach drawing to other up and coming artists. I am a jack of all trades and master of none. I tend to do graphite and color pencil drawings more than anything else. Above all else, I am a Christian and hope to glorify Christ as an artist, husband, father, and teacher.
Once again I am first. I wanted to combine my inking practice for Inktober with the September prompt. This was a trial run for how I plan on creating art for Inktober: a combination of ink (brush pen and micron) with grey alcohol markers and white gel pens. I know everyone else is going over the top with great ideas but it would still be a shock if you accidentally brought mice for lunch!
The photo is abysmal but I don't have time or the inclination to clean it up in PS. Enjoy! 
I just thought I would share. I had left a comment on a big name artist's IG. They saw my comment and checked out my page. They liked my recent stuff and asked for a small commission. This would be the first complete stranger requested commission I have ever gotten from social media.. I know to most of you that is small potatoes but I am thrilled. You may let the small scale rejoicing commence.
I know this is supposed to last all month long but due to family and school constraints, I am having to go ahead and submit. I did spend time researching the elements and working through thumbnails and getting a little critique help from the forums. To be fair I did quite a bit of character development for these characters that I have dubbed the Ink Mice during Inktober. I also did quite a bit of inking and coloring practice to develop this particular style. So without further ado here is a Christmas card cover: The Three Wise Mice!
I deleted my first one and am entering this one. Special thanks to @Aleksey for the inspiration and the fun. I hope you enjoy this one.
Where do Merpeople go when they retire? Why Sunny Florida of course!
So here is my submission. Sometimes we don't understand the love between a girl and her dog. Penny knew a thing or two about biochemistry and wasn't going to let little things like death or decay tear her apart from Fluffy.
Done with ballpoint ink and edited a little.
Here is my day one:
"Look! A crown!" said Tobie as she put on Mrs. Frou-Frou's giant ring.
"You look beautiful!" said her brother, Inky. He poked his nose out of the jewelry box, admiring his sister.
"Maybe this one can be my crown!" Reb held up Mr. Frou-Frou's wedding band."
Here is my interpretation. Chris Van Allsburg is a hero of mine so I thought I would try and emulate his style. !
Here is my resubmission. I think it is a better concept.
William Shakespeare wrote about a walking wood in Macbeth. Maybe he got the idea from a real encounter with a walking tree that left funny tracks in the snow.
Here is my idea. Nothing says vacation gone wrong than finding out your travel brochure was a little misleading...
@Braden-Hallett The moon is clearly a reference to the USSR and then there is all the red in the sky, a nod the socialist regime. And its disappearing because of the efforts of young people! The lone star on the roof is about the loss of innocence and the diempowerment of the people!!! I think that this is a secret ploy to convert us all to Marxism!!! I've got my eye on you Braden.
(Everyone is is being so nice, it seemed like I needed to shake things up a little with some artsy snarksy.)
@jdubz this is looking great. Her face is gonna hurt in a few minutes.
@Aleksey I think you are missing the opportunity to let the night sky be more bird shaped in keeping your theme. Think of wings of the night kind of thing. I would think about adding some highlights on your figure to show the glint of the sun on its features and to emphasize its importance.
@nadyart sorry to provide feedback so late in the game. I was out of town. I think you don't need to start over. I think once you add values it will come together. A little vignette light on the main character will probably solve most of your issues.
@Aleksey I like the linework. What story are you trying to tell? Is he creating the night? Why?
@Kali I love this. I reads really well. I agree with @xin-li about the value. I would make her lighter in value.
@Aleksey I was right the first time. Riddell was the illustrator. I should trust myself.
What if you had a back story for each character before you drew them. "This is Penny. Penny is a scientific genius who loves her dog. She has endured bullying by her neighbor, Billy." Then little details become parts of her character.
@carlianne this is so fun and creative! I think the girl's pose is good. I have done a lot of painting and I believe I may have had that exact pose when I was trying not to move the ladder.
You could also consider a paint sprayer at the other end. I mean those girls are pretty smart!
