The art of Manga or cartoons have under a long time been very popular. I think it’s increasing in popularity every day. There are many different styles and ways of drawing cartoons. Today I have made a little dragon-lizard, inspired by the famous manga characters from Pokémon.

Pokémon started in 1995 and was created by Satoshi Tajiri and has developed into a world-wide industry. There are very many different characters and features. I have made the little dragon-lizard green to enhance the lizard feeling. The little guy got some horns to make him a bit more dragonish and the small protective spikes give him his characteristics. Here he feels like a pleasant little fellow. The big eyes and large feet give him a cute approach. He could maybe use his dragon-force and change into something more terrifying…..- that I might show you later!

When drawing cartoons you also want to get a nice flow to the individual – if he is going to have a “pouch–stomach” then he might need to lean back and have his arm resting on the hip - as he is doing in the picture. I think I’ll name him - ”Draz” – as in part of the word lizard backwards.

Don’t miss out the next time you have the chance to look at some manga cartoons. It’s thrilling to see how the animator’s, or cartoonist’s, imagination and expressions come out in their art!

Today I have made a friend for Draz - the character I made the last time. He was a green little dragon-lizard kind of guy. This time I made a purple dragon-lizard friend. I named him Nog. Dragon backwards – taking the three end letters - just to give “the something” that connected them as friends. He is staring down into a hole in the ground that has filled up with some blue kind of substance. To make it easy I would say water… but if your imagination feels like filling it with something more amusing, please do. I have drawn him in a kind of Pokémon, Digimon, inspired way. I chose the colour purple to make him match his friend better if they ever become a cartoon or film. So if they would be in the same shot or picture they will match each-other pretty nicely. He also has big hands and feet to give him a cute look. These two characters could be fun to see in a 3D movie or frame too. Pixar might need two new dudes that could be acting in a new movie about their life and friendship. I’ll have to suggest this anyway.

I may make some more characters for these two friends in the future or even a little more environment!

There are several strong symbols and figures used through time to give us feelings of belonging and creatures to identify with. Many of these symbols have been drawn on walls – caveman painting and carving in stories and pictures from years ago - up until today when graffiti is a well-known art form. These different or similar, if you wish, ways of expressing feelings and symbols of strength have also been used in tattoos. The eagle is a very common bird used as a symbol of strength… So is the dragon, which I have used this time, with its twirling up and stretching out of its tongue and huffing and puffing flames and smoke. I have been inspired by Asian art to make this tattoo. I started out drawing it in black and white to get the shapes and feeling right. I might show you a coloured version later. So back to the dragon - it has many scales and a flame-like tail as many Asian dragons have. I think that this tattoo is meant to give you a resemblance from the past and still feel like an up-to-date modern tattoo theme.

So if you get the possibility or chance to get one made by one of the great tattoo-artists in the world you might want to use this as inspiration - or even ask me to design a tattoo for you. (Maybe even tattoo you.)

Check out the wallpaper to see the hole dragon.

I think I have ended up in a dragon-craze this week. Felt like sticking to this subject once again, but with a bit of a different approach. In tattooing there have been different trends and designs going on for ages. Something very graphic is the tribal tattoo or tribal patterns weaving in text or just making nice shapes over skin and body. The previous dragon was more of a detailed design. This one takes almost as much preparation but feels more like a symbol or pictogram. The swaying body of the dragon and its claw-like legs and feet resemble and are inspired by “tribals”. I made the claws almost like fire and clouds to get that into the design without making them separately.

If you are on your way to a local tattoo-artist to get the tattoo you have been thinking about for a long time - get one that symbolises you and the stage and place you are in today. Maybe get one symbolising a good thing in life that you have right now. Like a celebration of the day or person you want to honour. A lot of tattoos symbolise someone you miss or have lost. Today – get one that makes you feel good – a symbol of strength – the dragon!