An odd looking and fairly large animal, the ocean sunfish is the world's heaviest bony fish. They swim both upright as seen here however it also drifts on the ocean's surface soaking in the sun's ray, hence the name. They can grow up to 13ft in length and weigh as much as 5000 lbs. 
Welllllllll, I just watched Jailhouse Rock tonight. Laughed my ass off actually at things that weren't meant to be funny, but were. That Elvis...at least he didn't quit his day job.
In conjunction with the new season of LOST premiering, I figured it be appropriate to have a polar bear for animal of the day (you have to see the show to get it). Now, as many folks know darker colors absorb in more sunlight and lighter colors reflect sunlight. It's why they say don't wear dark colors on a warm day because those clothes you wear combined with all that sunlight hitting them just act like a greenhouse heating your body. An interesting note about polar bears is obviously they live in some of the coldest areas on Earth, and though their fur is white, their skin is black, which absorbs more sunlight keeping them warmer.
I got a marker set for Christmas that I thought I'd break in (thanks Jess). I rarely if ever do marker images, but they are a fun challenge because what you put down is stayin' there. I have my friend Mike D. and Doug Chiang to look up to for improvement in this area.
Eh, not sure if I'm happy how this turned out....anywaaaaaaaaay. I thought I'd do a play on the Indian art version of Killer Whale and the real ones. Killer Whales in fact are not whales at all but the largest members of the dolphin family. They've been known to attack and kill great white sharks, eating their fatty livers. MMmmmmmm, fatty liver.
Man Tuna's been a pain in the ass lately. Sometimes I think we actually adopted Stitch.
Here's a quick warm up painting I did today in about a half hour. I'm trying to speed up my work process and trying not to sacrifice quality at the same time....I think I need some more work on that. 
No this is not a Kung Fu panda, he's lazier. Pandas were previously thought to be part of the raccoon family, but of course they belong to the bears. Also they're technically part of the carnivore group, but they actually just eat bamboo 99% of time. They've also been know to eat bananas....mmmmmm, bananas.....a bear after my own heart.
I think I have O.C.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Cat Disorder) She's my animal of the day and no stranger to my blog, my little cat Tuna. She's about 3 1/2 years old now, and can truly be a nightmare, but for the most has brought me more joy than any pet has.
Here's some quick studies I did of the Harpy Eagle. These birds are beautiful and HUGE. They're considered the largest predatory bird in the world, with a wing span up to 7 feet and talons equal to that of bear claws. Their range is from Southern Mexico to the rain forests of Argentina, AND they're the national bird of Panama. The name comes from Harpyja, the predatory half-woman, half-bird monster of Greek mythology. They expand out their facial and head feather to form a disc shape in order to focus in sounds waves to improve hearing, which is similar to what owls do. It's diet includes tree animals such as sloths, monkeys, and other birds.
With DNA 98-99%, gorillas are amongst the primates most closely related to us. Pretty impressive. I get a kick out of their name which is derived from the greek word Gorillai, which translates as a "tribe of hairy women". Good times!
More specifically this is a black swallowtail caterpillar. I figured since it was the time of year when people are forming resolutions and looking to change into the beautful butterflies they see in their minds it be only appropriate to make this. What will you turn into? Happy New Year!
