Bookends Idea

This is art from an idea I had called Bookends. It's got a somewhat Steven Universe-like premise where instead of the characters having forms and personalities based on different kinds of gemstones, these personalities have manifested from different types of books.

It's set in a future where books are no longer used. Without the ideas contained in books being diluted to the populace, the books have manifested as sentient creatures and have been discovered by a single little girl who's trying to preserve them. I was originally never going to share this, but then I came up with an idea I'm really excited about. And now I can put this one out here safely. It was really fun designing the books, and you can see the different sheets of paper that make up their forms. Even the book covers have some function on them. It'd be so cool to put the page texture on them in a digital format, but I thought trying to replicate that texture here would take away from the art. Anyway, I thought I'd give you the personalities of each of the characters so you could have some idea what was going on. They are basically parodies of stereotypical genre's so some of their features should be recognizable at a glance. They'd meet other kinds of books and people along the way of course, but this is the "core group."

(Bottom)Laura: The single-named human girl who first discovered the library where these books were hiding out in. She's exactly the kind of person who needs to be able to curl up with a good book from time to time, but she never knew it until now. She'd probably need the most developing before this idea was ever taken off the shelf. She's a necessary presence, but she's not quite as interesting as the sentient books.

(Top)The Great Journey: An epic fantasy tale of sprawling lands, wizards, and dragons. “Jour” has perhaps unexpectedly manifested as a girl and is an incredibly valiant knight-like big-sister. Often speaks in nearly incomprehensible poetry, but is loving and good and is perhaps the only book of the three who can really laugh at herself. Her book cover forms the chest-plate of her armor. I didn't draw her big enough.

(Left)1983: A classic dystopian novel who looks and acts like a mopey teenager. 83’s extreme paranoia and ability to find the most pessimistic, tragic, overly-complex interpretations of the most innocent happenings can be humorous in that he says them in total seriousness and nearly without emotion. His book cover forms the pocket in his jacket. He was the only book who's design I just drew today.

(Right)Classic Children’s Fairytales: “I’ve always thought of myself as more of a Classica than a Classic.” Stereotype princess with a belief in happily ever after. Bubbly, remarkably philosophical at times, slightly lazy, and overly-emotional. You can't see it from here because her capelet is covering it, but her book cover forms her fairy wings. Her design is probably the least original, but I think it's the funnest.

I Pledge

This is a draft for a comic I came up with about a year ago. Turns out I like the draft images better than the comic itself. I learned an important lesson about not adhering to the traditional comic format and leaving yourself enough space. Anyway, I'll just tell you what happens along with these images:
It's in school and the pledge of allegiance just finishes playing. The boy in the top-left snorts. The girl notices and leans over to her friend: "What's his problem?" "Oh, he's home schooled. He's just here to take whatever standardized test they're making us do now. He doesn't normally have to say the pledge of allegiance." "So? What's so funny about saying the pledge of allegiance in school?" "At a guess, I'd say the 'liberty and justice part.'"

This comic is based on the true story of me doing exactly what the tall boy describes. For the record, I did not actually laugh during the pledge of allegiance. I take pledging my allegiance to a country under God very seriously, and I take my standardized tests also very seriously (to an unhealthy extent, though I've gotten better since a year ago!). However, I was mildly amused when I was led into this big high-walled concrete facility- through a series of electronic doors we had to get permission to go through- and finally into a room with only one door and no windows- where I would spend the next 2-3 hours sitting in one spot being as silent as possible with intermittent periods of exercise. It was a startling contrast from public school online, where I could get up in the middle of any lesson and go outside when I felt the need to, then return right back to my lesson. Add that to having to say the pledge of allegiance for the first time in about 6 years and I probably smiled.

It's one of my biggest hopes that this joke won't age well. I hope in a few years it will seem completely and totally reasonable to say "with liberty and justice for all" in a public American high school and that my kids will not get the joke. It should be completely and totally reasonable, it just isn't quite yet for a lot of people (who have it much worse than me). Hands folded. God's will be done for our educational system. I finished some of my biggest classes for this semester and year today. It was an even bigger day than I thought. Praise the Lord! For he is good to his servants in everything.

Hippocrisy

The title says it all. We were talking about hypocrisy in my Youth Group today. Someone asked what that was and wondered if it had anything to do with democracy. So I explained that- yes- it is like a democracy- but with hippos. Then I said what it really was, but my next remark was "I should draw that." This is the result. Who knew hippos could get any more dangerous? Note this is not a political cartoon. It's a semantical cartoon.

This is my first time drawing cartoon hippos, but luckily I got lots of practice in with just this picture. They're exactly how I pictured them, which is harder than a person might think. Thank you, God (even for the small stuff). I got my signature a little shmushed on the side there. Anyway, these are the words of the cartoon to make them clear:
Hippocrisy: Like a Democracy, but with Hippos. 
Chief Hippo: Motion carried.
Poster: Hippo Freedom
This is what I imagine when I hear it.