CrashOctopus Blog

I wonder which was the mother and which was the father?

Commission; SOLD

5×7″ gouache* on paper

*with some interesting results because of the honey filler in M Graham gouache. Will post more later.

It’s Thermodynamics!

Gouache and ink on ACEO

SOLD

Creating my art plan for 2010… stay tuned!

Happy Holidays! See you again in 2010!

Love, Meg

Keel-Billed Squid by Meg Lyman

11×14″ gouache on Canson board

SOLD

My commission requests are getting really interesting! This is one of my recent ones, and a favorite. I am having a lot of fun putting various animal patterns on cephalopods (see below: poison dart), and this commissioner wanted me to put the Keel-Billed Toucan pattern on a squid. Birds are so colorful and this one is particularly pretty. The hardest part was figuring out what parts of the squid should correspond to the various bird parts!

Poison Dart Squid by Meg Lyman

8×10″ gouache on matboard

SOLD

Hey everyone, I’m back! I’m all moved into my new house (well, mostly, except for the boxes full of books), and life is fantastic. I haven’t done much art in the last month, and thankfully, I haven’t had any conventions to prepare for. Back into the saddle!

So it’s been a while because 1. I’m on a business trip in Colorado, 2. I just turned in my control sheet for the Dragon*Con art show and ambitiously filled it with paintings I haven’t even started, and 3. I have commissions to finish. Excuses, excuses, I know. So here’s a ridiculously detailed step-by-step view of how I do my “turn your character into a cephalopod” commissions.

Whether your character is a cat-lady, an elf warrior, or a sparkly vampire, I can transform it into a cute octopus with a hobby. The first step is to get a character reference and ask what “accessories” to include – like ears, wings, or game controllers.

Step 1: Sketchy

(more…)

Steampunk Octopus by Meg Lyman

Notecard-sized gouache and ink on paper

SOLD

And actually made some cash and had fun! A rousing success!

This was the most fun I’ve had at a convention since Con on the Cob ‘06. I’m glad I covered my expenses, but what really matters is being with all those awesome people. Highlights:

• Giggling girl art homework party
• Watching the AMAZING Pittsburgh fireworks from our room on the 22nd floor
• Seeing Tekfox do his DJ thing. He rocks the Drum and Bass genre.
• Receiving art from so many different cool people, via trades, gifts, and purchases
• Doing a commission of a squid-colored-like-a-puffin! I need to look into doing cephalopod in striking animal patterns. :D

And 8 of my 12 pieces sold in the art show (one to one of my favorite artists). I am overwhelmed with happy. Thank you, everyone!

Stylized Cuttlefish II by Meg Lyman

5×7″ gouache on paper

$45 – e-mail to buy

Been painting little doodles and working on the website. I need to post a WIP of one of these little gouache doodles, but they’re so fast that I usually forget to stop and take photos.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I had cute little cuddlefish stamps made. Official, valid, USPS stamps! They’re 42-cent (although the photo says otherwise, I know), which will shortly become obsolete. Because of that, I’m selling them at a 10% discount: $9 for a sheet of 10 stamps. Send me an e-mail if interested!

Also, the 44-cent stamps should be available shortly on Zazzle. I’ll post a link when that happens and give you a run-down on the process.

I know it’s a little late in the season to break these out, but for those of you in chilly climates or the southern hemisphere, get your scarves here! Long and fleecy and warm, they’re the perfect way to compliment your wardrobe with weirdness. I’ll bring these up again when the weather starts to get cold. In the meantime, they’re on sale for $18 plus shipping. E-mail me if interested!

p.s. my website is still under construction. It’ll have a store and everything. I need lessons on how to balance painting and coding. :/