The Green Demon

The Green Demon, wildfire!

Its been a long time since I poster here! That's something I really should fix for the new year. I haven't been doing nothing since I did last post though, lots of drawings and doodles and all sorts of other art related stuff. But more about that later.

Game of Thrones has been one of my big obsessions last year. A great show full of intrigue, drama, violence, partial nudity and dragons. It doesn't get a lot better than that. Unless of course you fill it with British actors. One of the best bits for me was the Battle of Blackwater Bay where Tyrion proved himself a formidable general by using wildfire to fight off Stannis Baratheon's forces. In the books wildfire is described as 'the green demon'. That reminded me of Absinthe, or as it is sometimes known, the green fairy. So I had a quick look around at Absinthe labels and found one that I thought would serve as a good starting place. After that I only needed a few of my own tweaks to make it look right as a label for wildfire.

As usual this one is available at Redbubble and Society6 and you can find all the details on the new look Doodle Dojo Store.

Speaking of the new look Doodle Dojo Store (and taking the opportunity to add a gratuitous link again) I've made some changes over there to bring the place up to date for the new year. I also thought it might be fun to start up an email newsletter. I'm going to be telling you all about my latest designs and upcoming prints at shirt-a-day sites. I might even throw in a few exclusive giveaways to subscribers and special offers when they are available. Don't worry, I won't be spamming you every day! There will probably be one email a month and maybe the odd special for when there is something that just can't wait.

Sign-up here for the Doodle Dojo email newsletter.

COWER BRIEF MORTALS

Death comes to us all in the end

Terry Pratchett's Discworld is one of those things that everyone really should know about. If you haven't read any of it I highly recommend getting hold of a book or several and getting stuck in. One of the characters that makes a lot of appearances (as well as starring in several books himself) is Death. As usual for a grim reaper, he uses and scythe and rides a horse. Not a skeletal horse, they are too uncomfortable apparently, but a white horse called Binky. He is also a big fan of cats and talks in small caps.

This is my idea of what he looks like. I'm enjoying do these overly ornate borders, I think I might have to do some more! Its good for getting in other references and just some extra stuff to keep the eyes busy.

This design (along with a whole bunch of others) is available at Redbubble and Society6. You can find all the details you need over at the Doodle Dojo Store.

Birthday Cards

Birthday Cards at Doodle Dojo

You can now get hold of some birthday cards at the Doodle Dojo store. They all have a customisable message inside so that you can say exactly what you want to the lucky person who is going to receive them. And of course they have a range of cool characters on the front.

You can get Killer Space Slug, Epic Mummy, Voodoo Doll, Bonkers Bat, Scary Samurai, Funky Skull, Groovy Ghost, Awesome Zombie and Frankenstein's Monster cards. (phew!)

Take a look at these cards and loads more stuff on the store.

Maori Mummified Head

Mummified Maori Head - Image from Reuters

This incredible mummified Maori head is being returned to New Zealand after a 136 year French holiday. The head was apparently given to a museum in Rouen in 1875 by a mysterious man called Drouet.

Not only does it look amazing but its got a mysterious story as well, how could it get any better! The tattoos on the face are incredible. It doesn't exactly look brand new but it certainly doesn't look over a century old.

Apparently these were kept as battle trophies. I don't think I would keep one for long though, those empty eye sockets would start to bore into you after a while. Can you imagine a zombie with that on top of his neck? Now that would be properly scary! Not one of those slow, shambling zombies either, this guy would be a full-on sprinter.

But it might make a pretty good picture, I can feel inspiration hitting me already! :D

Mexican Skulls

Not one of mine this time but I do love these pics...

From The Urban Hippie

These mexican skeleton figures are used to celebrate the Day of the Dead. This particular figure is La Calavera de la Catrina, or skull of the female dandy. Somehow they manage to make a symbol of the dead seem cheerful and happy. A celebration of life instead of the fear of death that skulls are more normally associated with (at least where I'm from!)

I think it sounds like a far better way to celebrate people who are no longer with us than the depressing and sad occasions we usually see. Its got to better to remember the happy times you had with someone and this, to me looks like, a colourful, bright way of doing just that.

There are a whole bunch more pics of all sorts of beautiful crafted items on The Urban Hippie blog, so go along and have a look you definitely won't be disappointed!

From The Urban Hippie

Funky Skull

Funky Skull Button by DoodleDojo

The skull is a marvellous piece of biological engineering. Its lightweight. Provides holes for all the seeing, breathing, eating, speaking and listening we like to do. Gives you a way to keep your hair off the ground. And is strong enough to protect your brain from lots of painful things. But not a determined zombie of course.

Its also a symbol of death, horror and dark forces. And if you draw it just right, it looks awesome on t-shirts, hats, iphone cases and lots of other things!

Get one! You know you want to ;-)