Day 4 of #Zingtober 2024: "Exotic Holochimera!"

I’ve finally completed another #zingtober entry! Today's prompt is "exotic," which feels a bit vague to me since it’s not a word I use often. But I see it as an opportunity to push the boundaries of my imagination and explore something new.

I'm always amazed by those who can visualize creatures that are so unique and exotic, yet somehow make you believe they could be real. This is especially true in anime, where creators can craft stories with characters that seem inspired by something real. Some of my favorite anime, like Fullmetal Alchemist and Hunter x Hunter, feature characters known as Chimeras. They present these creatures in a way that makes you think they might actually be possible.

That’s where I got my inspiration for today’s #zingtober entry: the Holochimera!

How did I come up with this character? I combined a raccoon, owl, pineapple, rafflesia, turtle, and alien to create a humanoid form!

Although the process of creating this artwork was similar to my previous ones, I did change the style a bit. In my earlier entries, the shading was mostly black, but for this piece, I used a variety of grey tones to create a more subtle contrast, giving it more of a greyscale effect.

Here's how my artwork progress.

WIP 1	WIP 2	WIP 3

After finishing the rough sketch, I moved on to the final line work. And then added the grey tones on specific areas of the artwork.

WIP 4	WIP 5	WIP 6

From there, I added shading and shadows to give the artwork more depth.

Overall, I'm really pleased with how this piece turned out, especially with the subtle shift in style. Exploring new shading techniques has helped me add more dimension to my work. I’m excited to keep experimenting and see where my creativity takes me next!