"Zephyr"

"Zephyr" / 11 x 17" / acrylic & ink on bristol board

At long last, we have reached the conclusion of Series 4. I'm ending this run with a westerly wind & an eerie seaside confrontation.

I'm not sure if those floating, black goo-headed swordsmen mean to do harm to our one-handed man. But from the looks of things, this isn't exactly the prelude to a friendly stroll on the beach. It only felt appropriate to close out with a snippet from an untold story that's been floating around in my head. This entire series has been made up of imaginary snapshots.

I've had an absolute blast creating all 26 illustrations in this series. To everyone who's followed the blog these past 5-and-a-half weeks, thanks so much for joining me on my little black & white tour de force. Please stay tuned for news, regarding my future plans for Alphabet Attack!, including the next series, a book collecting the art, and more.

Again, thanks for tuning in & giving me an extra incentive to go hog wild with a handful of pens, half a dozen brushes, and several gallons of ink!

- Dave C.

"Yonder"

"Yonder" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

Happy Monday, all! I recently watched a documentary, examining strategies for & against the bombing of civilian populations during wartime. It was very intriguing, but I couldn't keep my imagination from wandering. Over and over, I thought about how terrifying it must be to be bombed from the air. To hear the roar of those big airplane engines getting closer... to feel the thud of military grade explosives detonating nearby... knowing you'll probably have less neighbors when all that noise subsides... that is, if you don't become a casualty, yourself.

It's just so eerie to think that this is a pretty regular aspect of life, in some countries. We worry about our lattes and car payments, while other folks are worried about getting vaporized in their own homes.

- Dave C.

"Xylon"

"Xylon" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

I'm closing out this week's illustrations with a hanging gone terribly wrong. At least, it's gone wrong for the executioners. Apparently, the evil our five heroes have captured and hanged is far from dead.

Have an excellent weekend, and tune in next week for the final two drawings of Alphabet Attack! Series 4. I can hardly believe how close we are to the end!

- Dave C.

"Whip"

"Whip" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

Well, four series into Alphabet Attack! and it seems like I've finally embraced my erotic art urges. This image popped into my head, before I even knew which word I was going to illustrate. Lucky me, this particular fantasy happened to involve a nice little whip (particularly, a crop) for me to draw the title from.

I should also mention that I couldn't get the song "Let It Whip" by The Dazz Band out of my head, the whole time I was working on this. "Let's whip it, baby! Let's whip it right! Let's whip it, baby! Whip it all night!"

- Dave C.

"Velocity"

"Velocity" / 8.5 x 11" / acrylic & ink on paper

I recently saw a photo of someone skydiving and thought to myself, "Hmm... I wonder if I'll ever try that, someday."

I'm not afraid of heights. In fact, I find heights to be quite exhilarating. Whenever I travel to a city, I'll always do my best to find a rooftop or penthouse view, to check things out from. And I love going on flights, from jumbo jets to propeller-driven puddle jumpers. So it chances to follow that I'd enjoy skydiving.

Of course, standing on the roof of a tall building or sitting comfortably in coach are both VERY different from free-falling at 117 to 125 mph!

- Dave C.

"Unseen"

"Unseen" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

Strange creatures and a forbidden alleyway kick off this week's run of drawings. I'm particularly stoked for this leg of the trip, as it's my last full week of Monday through Friday illustrations. If all goes according to schedule, Series 4 will be completed a week from today.

Here's to hoping for a strong finish!

- Dave C.

"Tracker"

"Tracker" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

I'm closing out this week's drawings with a Dangerous Woman & Creepy Monster combo piece! As I've said before, I'm an absolute sucker for drawing a well-armed woman, stalking through the woods after some ungodly creature. Of course, who's to say that the beast is stalking her, and not the other way around?

Have a great weekend, everyone. And join me on Monday for the start of the last full week of Alphabet Attack! Series 4.

- Dave C.

"Sensei"

"Sensei" / 8.5 x 11" / acrylic & ink on paper

Who doesn't appreciate a mild-mannered, buff, old guy who can disarm & subdue an enemy using only his pinkie?! Maybe there was too much Karate Kid in my childhood diet. But the mysteriously dangerous teacher character gets me EVERY time!

Today's drawing literally grew outward, from the central figure. I drew out the martial arts master in mid-kata, without any of the surrounding elements... no background or anything! Of course, I couldn't skimp on creating a scene/telling a story. Hence, the bewildered students in the background and magical butterflies were born!

- Dave c.

"Rampage"

"Rampage" / 5.5 x 8.5" / acrylic & ink on paper

And, just like that, I'm back to drawing monsters! This one was a lot of fun to create. It's actually a rough sketch, seen through to completion (hence the smaller size of the drawing).

Once I realized how much movement & gesture I'd already captured in the loose sketch stage, I didn't want to waste time trying to redraw it on a whole new sheet of paper. Some days, you could draw for hours, and still never recapture the raw energy that you stumbled upon in a 30 second sketch.

- Dave C.

"Quickie"

"Quickie" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

I decided to take a turn away from the beastly, today -- in exchange for the carnal! As many of you may have noticed, summer is already in full swing. And with it, comes an undeniable, sweat-tinged flow of pheromones and animal attraction. How appropriate that it's the hot season that gets our blood boiling.

- Dave C.

"Prostration"

"Prostration" / 8.5 x 11" / acrylic & ink on paper

Nothing says, "Monday," quite like a drawing of a lone warrior being attacked by a portal-hopping demon!

As bad as I feel for our frightfully exhausted (and now shield-less) hero, they may still make it out of this. Who knows what the scent of death-from-another-dimension will inspire them to do?

- Dave C.

"Outnumbered"

"Outnumbered" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

I'm closing out this week with a man fending off a couple foul beasts (instead of my usual Warrior Women). Our protagonist looks worse for the wear, but he's obviously drawn blood. Perhaps from one of the creatures who has fallen, and isn't viewed here.

But even if he defeats these two before him, what other dangers remain unseen? What else could be lurking in the woods, or in that tall grass?

- Dave C.

"Nimble"

"Nimble" / 14 x 17" / acrylic & ink on paper

No time for a proper write-up, today. I'm on the go! But I do hope you enjoy the piece.

- Dave C.

"Mortal"

"Mortal" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

I think today's illustration was inspired by all the news I've been reading, lately. There's so much war & devastation in the world. Not just now, but all throughout human history. It never ceases to fascinate me, how bent we are on the path of violence. Especially considering how precious & fragile our lives really are.

- Dave C.

"Liftoff"

"Liftoff" / 8.5 x 11" / acrylic & ink on paper

Today's drawing is another stream of consciousness piece. Something sprung to mind and brought with it images of children taking flight and transforming into strange birds.

But who is this horn-headed stranger, stepping out of the water. Is he dangerous? Or a benevolent creature, encouraging -- or even causing -- the children's metamorphosis. I suppose that remains to be seen....

- Dave C.

"Kindred"

"Kindred" / 11 x 17 / acrylic & ink on paper

Hope everyone had a swell weekend, and a peaceful start to this week. I'm kicking off this Monday through Friday run with some of my patented creepiness. It all spawned from a handful of questions that popped into my head -- don't monsters have relatives? If so, how do they keep in touch? What's a demon family reunion like?

And the image of this strange ritual came together from there.

- Dave C.

"Jetty"

"Jetty" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

Today's illustration is dedicated to all the lovers out there, both young and old. If you've ever fallen prey to Cupid's unerring aim, then you'll surely agree -- there is nothing quite like kissing someone you care deeply for, next to a surging body of water.

I was well into adulthood before I ever visited an ocean or experienced true love. But there's something beautifully hypnotic about both. If you haven't tried either sensation, I highly recommend them. In unison, if possible.

- Dave C.

"Incantation"

"Incantation" / 9 x 12" / ink on paper

How appropriate that on the 13th day of June, I throw some witchcraft into the mix! What surrealistic spell is this young woman casting? What's that maw-faced, knife-wielding creature lurking behind her? And is that silhouetted man in the foreground approaching for good or for ill??

This piece was created purely by stream of consciousness. It's fun to do that, sometimes... letting go so the image can draw itself... so it can tell its own story.

Dave C.

"Headless"

"Headless" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

Today's illustration features yet another Dangerous Woman. And much like the heroine of "Cestus," this deadly dame is dealing buckets full of pain to a much larger opponent. What can I say? I'm a sucker for an underdog. Even when said underdog is armed with razor-sharp blades capable of removing a man's noggin in one powerful slash!

- Dave C.

"Gridiron"

"Gridiron" / 11 x 17" / acrylic & ink on paper

Believe it or not, I've been a football fan since childhood. I was raised in a football household, in a football neighborhood, in a football town. I even played for a season in high school. That is, if you consider sitting on the bench for all but one play at the end of a blow-out game "playing."

So it's no surprise that my love of American "Gridiron" Football has found further expression in my illustrations. I've had a lot of fun with this subject matter. Especially during the 2011-2012 NFL season, which found me doing color drawings & rough sketches in friends' homes & sports bars around the Greater Los Angeles area. With today's piece, I wanted to delve back into that world... to sink the viewers into the mud & torn up turf, the noise & spectacle... the relative calm before the storm of 22 men in pads stomping the living snot out of each other, all in an attempt to get 15oz of inflated leather across their opponent's goal line.

- Dave C.