All posts tagged Artwork

June Toons 2026 #11: Taco!

Martin · 11 days
A cartoon illustration of a taco floating in the air. The taco has a face on it, and it is winking at the viewer with an open, smiling mouth. The taco is drawn in a style reminiscent of retro cartoons and shaded with a halftone pattern. The taco is yellow and has brown meat, green lettuce, and gold cheese inside. It is tiled at an angle, and a large shadow is on the ground below it. The background is a faded red color.

Today's June Toons cartoon is a drawing of a taco, with a winking face, done in sort of a retro style.

This was created in Procreate with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate Pencil brush for sketching, the Rusty Nib 1 brush for linework, the Syrup brush for fills, and the Rough Dot Shader - 45° Light brush for the halftone shading.

The Rusty Nib brush is from the Rusty Nib pack, and the Rough Dot Shader brush is from the Beat Tones pack, which are both by True Grit Texture Supply.

If you'd like to see how I drew this one, you can watch the time-lapse below:

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A cartoon illustration of a robot trying desperately to pull away from a giant magnet. The robot is waving its arms wildly and looks panicked. It has an orange body, head, and hands. It's hands and next are telescoping metallic tubes. It has two triangular treads for legs and feet. The magnet is red with silver tips. It is a thick U-shape and is pointing at the robot. There are wavy lines between the magnet and robot indicating the pull. The background is a light blue with a lighter triangular behind the robot and magnet.

Today's June Toons cartoon is of a robot desperately trying to escape the pull of a giant magnet.

I've always been into robots, but it's been especially fun for me lately because we've been working our way through the Wild Robot series at our house. It's been a good read, and something awesome for us to share as a family.

This was created in Procreate with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate Pencil brush for sketching, the Syrup brush for linework, and the Soft air brush for shading.

If you'd like to see how I drew this one, you can watch the time-lapse below:

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A cartoon illustration of a green, gooey-looking sewer monster sticking up out of a man-hole, smiling and waving at the viewer. The man-hole cover is sitting on top of the monster's head, and one of his eyeballs is resting on a tentacle that has gone through it. The other eye is just below the lid. The monster has a large open-mouthed grin on its face, and one tentacle is raised up as if to wave. There are drops of green goo around the edge of the hole. The man-hole lid is a light brown/copper color, the inside of the hole is purple, and the background is a faded teal. The drawing is shaded with halftone dots, hatched lines, and solid black. It is distressed and the colors are mis-aligned, giving it the look of a faded print.

Today's June Toons illustration is a friendly sewer monster, just popping up to say "hello".

This was created in Procreate with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate Pencil brush for sketching, the Rusty Nib 1 brush for linework, the Soft air brush for line shading, the Rough Dot Shader - 45 Light and the 145 Line Shader - Light brushes for halftone and line shading, and the Worn 1 - Bold and Worn 2 - Subtle brushes for texture. I also used the Syrup brush for fills and other utility.

The Rust Nib brush is from the Rusty Nib pack, the Rough Dot and Line Shader brushes are from the Beat Tones pack, and the Worn Bold/Subtle brushes are from the Fast Grit pack. Those are all by True Grit Texture Supply.

If you'd like to see how I drew this one, you can watch the time-lapse below:

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June Toons 2026 #7: Angry Bird

Martin · 15 days
A cartoon illustration of a bird sticking his head out of a birdhouse and staring angrily at a squirrel who is standing on top of it. The bird is scowling and he has a long narrow beak and two small feathers on top of his head. His feathers are red and his eyes are purple. The squirrel looks nervous and has sweat coming down the side of his head. He is holding an acorn in his paws and his tail is sticking up behind him. The squirrel is gray and the acorn is brown. The background is an orange sky with white sun behind the bird and green bushes below. It has a gritty look to it, with a lot of noise in the color.

Today's June Toons drawing is of an angry bird, staring down an annoying, nervous squirrel who was making too much noise on top of his house.

This was created in Procreate with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate Pencil brush for sketching, the Syrup brush for linework, the Soft air brush and Gouache brush for shading, the Inka brush for detailing, the Fat Nozzle spray paint brush for paint splatter, and the Grain Builder Medium brush for background texture.

This was my first time using the Grain Builder brush, and I'm pretty happy with what it can do. I will definitely be experimenting with it more! That brush is from the Fast Grit pack, by True Grit Texture Supply.

If you'd like to see how I drew this one, you can watch the time-lapse below:

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A cartoon illustration of Pac-Man chasing a scared ghost. The drawing is done in a loose style, with thick lines, dark hatched shadows, and extra details. Pac-Man has a large gaping mouth with protruding teeth and tongue sticking out. His mouth is slightly smiling, and he is leaning toward the ghost as if he is chasing it. Pac-Man is yellow, his tongue is pink, and the inside of his mouth is red. Two drops of spit are flying out of his mouth. The ghost has a worried look on its face and a drop of sweat on its head. It is hovering in the air and leaning away from Pac-Man, as if it is fleeing. The ghost has a round head, and its sheet has a jagged edge at the bottom. It is purple with blue eyeholes. The background is a steel gray with a splatter of lighter blue spray paint behind Pac-Man and the ghost.

Today's June Toons illustration is of Pac-Man chasing a scared ghost. I recently picked up Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 and I've been having more fun than I expected playing it, so it's sort of on my brain.

This was created in Procreate with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate Pencil brush for sketching, the Syrup brush for linework, and the Fat Nozzle spray paint brush for background texture.

If you'd like to see how I drew this one, you can watch the time-lapse below:

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June Toons 2026 #4: Enchanted

Martin · 18 days
An illustration of a volcano exploding. The volcano has a cartoon face on it that looks like the smiling emoji with stars in its eyes. It is light brown with pale green trees going partly up both sides. The top of the volcano is covered in lava that is dripping down the sides, and a shaft of fire is shooting out of the top and into the it, creating a large gray cloud at the top. The sky is a pale yellow that fades to white near the horizon and gray at the top, under the cloud. The line work and shading are meant to make the image look like it's from a vintage comic book.

Today's June Toons illustration is of a volcano who is feeling enchanted. That's why they explode sometimes. It's science!

This was created in Procreate with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate Pencil brush for sketching, the Rusty Nib 1 brush for linework, the Syrup brush for fills, the Rough Dot Shader 45° - Light and the 145° Line Shader - Light brushes for shading, and the Worn 1 - Subtle brush for texture.

The Rusty Nib brush is from the Rusty Nib pack, the Rough Dot Shader and Line Shader brushes are from the Beat Tones pack, and the Worn brush is from the Fast Grit pack. Those are all by True Grit Texture Supply.

If you'd like to see how I drew this one, you can watch the time-lapse below:

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A cartoon illustration of a large, chunky brown bear sitting in a large floating innertube and looking dejected. The bear is slouched into the center of the tube, which is a teal color. One of his paws is hanging into the water and the other is holding a mixed drink with a straw and tiny umbrella sticking out. The bear's feet are hanging over the end of the tube, but his legs are too short to let them go into the water. The bear is frowning. There is a glowing gold sun behind the bear, and a wavy reflection of everything below. The background is a pale purple color.

Today's June Toons illustration is of a bear floating in the water and having a drink, though I can't say he's enjoying it much.

I started out feeling a bit uninspired for this one, but the shapes and colors pulled me back in. I think the reflection added a lot to it as well.

This was created in Procreate with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate Pencil brush for sketching, the Syrup brush for linework, and the Soft air brush for shading.

If you'd like to see how I drew this one, you can watch the time-lapse below:

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