Do you know, I don't think Hippos have tongues!

It seems like a popular recipe of making a terrifying and above all foreign enemy in fantasy books is to

1) take one unconventional / not-previously-encountered steed

2) armor your warrior to resemble an unrelated,  unconventional / not-previously-encountered beastie.

Inspired by the *spoilers!* cat-riding ant warriors and the camel-riding elephant warriors from the wheel of time and game of thrones respectively, I present to you a hippo-riding dung beetle warrior. With Morning Star. 

Happy 2012!

It’s 2012! Live this new year like it’s your last 


Apologies for the lack of updates, after expo I got rushed back into to full-time employment for 4 weeks to help out some folks, and then a wonderful 4 week vacation to Sydney via Singapore and Japan!


However now I am back, and happy to say that work will resume on the second Chapter of my 3-part mini comic, Marci.


In the mean time, please have a little painting! This was an attempt at a speed painting, but at about 7 hours total scumbag brain clearly did not understand the concept!
I’m delighted to have finally worked out how to extract cleaner hand-drawn lineart, thanks entirely to my lightbox (which is thanks entirely to my Dad who MADE me one), and this lovely tutorial here: http://www.studioqube.com/tutorials/painting/index.html
Other references and influences: PoseManiacs, the fantastic artwork of Rune Factory 3, and wonderful Hyung Tae Kim costumes!