Illustration XXXI: Monsters, Crushes & Late Night Thoughts

⬅  Check the illustration post before this, Illustration - XXX

Gluttony

"A monster eating a person"

This one happened around 3 AM after binge-watching too many horror movies. Something about the idea of being consumed felt weirdly relatable – maybe it was all that social media scrolling.

The blue monster with that trippy eye turned out better than expected. Was playing with color contrasts – cool blues against those hot pinks – and found myself thinking about how we're all devouring content constantly. Sometimes we're the monster, sometimes we're the meal.

Made this with my usual insomnia-driven workflow: rough sketch, flat colors, then those obsessive little details until my eyes hurt. Worth it though.

I Know You Are Watching Me Watch You

"The process of the video below"

Ah, the digital staring contest. Created this after noticing how my phone tracks everything from my sleep to my pizza orders. That red robot guy represents all our tech, while the little green fluff is us – surprisingly aware but still standing there taking it.

The yellow square in the middle? Just my way of showing all the data flowing between us and our devices. Kind of like a visual glitch in the matrix.

This one's technically part of a short animation I've been tinkering with. Might drop the full video next week if I ever finish the render. Stay tuned.

A Crush I Had

We've all been there – that person you see every day but never really talk to. This one captures that fuzzy, half-real feeling of crushes.

Went monochrome because that's how memory works, right? All contrast, no nuance. The mask wasn't planned – just started drawing and realized I was hiding their identity even from myself.

This one's up on OpenSea now if anyone wants to own my emotional baggage. Link in bio.

For The Crush I Didn't Have

"Before you leave, teach me how to dream again"

Ever meet someone interesting when you're emotionally checked out? This is about those missed connections – the ones where timing just sucks.

That mesh oval represents all the possibilities never explored. Kept the composition minimal and clean to match that empty feeling. The mint green wall just felt right – like a hospital waiting room for the heart.

Made this right after turning down a coffee invite that probably could've been something. Creative decisions, regrettable life choices – same brain, different day.

Not Thinking Is As Much Effort As Thinking

Tried a digital detox last month. Failed miserably. This piece came from realizing that NOT checking my phone first thing in the morning was harder than actual work.

The blue hand reaching for that hot pink screen is basically my every morning. Wanted to capture that exact moment of choice – that millisecond before the dopamine hits.

Limited the palette deliberately. Sometimes constraints produce better work than freedom. At least that's what I tell myself when I can't decide on colors at 2 AM.

That's a Wrap

So there's my latest digital dump – monsters, crushes, and the weird space between thinking and not thinking. Been experimenting with simpler compositions lately, letting the colors and concepts do the heavy lifting.

Drop a comment if any of these hit home or if you want process videos. Working on some animation experiments next, plus a collaboration with a coder friend that might get interesting.

Catch you on the flip side.

— Your friendly neighborhood digital doodler

Check out the next illustration Blogpost,  Illustration: XXXII  ➡