Well, it's been a while. When I started this project I made a quick list of names from A-Z spanning fictional characters, mostly the first thing that sprung to mind. My friend @OldMonkMGM on twitter wondered if I was taking requests, and then asked if I could draw Emma Frost next. I said yes, of course -- my earlier stand-in for E was pretty crappy anyway :)

That means this list is by no means permanent, so if you have a specific request, feel free to drop me an email or a tweet @allvishal. So far, the letters H & M are spoken for, but there's plenty more alphabets to choose from. :)

Emma Frost, formerly of the villanous Hellfire Club, is now the leader of the X-Men. You may remember her from the excellent film X-Men First Class, where she was played -- badly -- by January Jones. Ms. Frost is known for her telepathic powers, her ability to turn into a diamond-like substance, and for her skimpy outfits.

Seriously, many of her costumes are just lingerie, fur coats and boots. I went with what I am told is her latest incarnation, which at least has pants instead of a thong. I quite like the costume, especially the way the cape sits, and I'm a sucker for anything with opera gloves.

(Now if only I could actually draw hands and feet)

Much as I try, these take a lot longer to do right now, at my current skill level, than traditional drawing. So consequently, I'm never really happy with the results, and the same is true in this case.

There's several elements I like about this one, but much of it is the result of my hands getting tired. I wrestle with the tablet in ways I do not (and can not) with a real pen. Chalk it up to the combination of a hard plastic interacting with another hard plastic, and the disconnect between looking at a screen and moving your hand somewhere else.

I may possibly need better hardware -- my tablet is a simple, cheap one by Genius -- but I know where this rabbit hole leads, and I'm not prepared to plonk down thousands of dollars for a Cintiq.

I may have to get looser with these, more sketchy, more painterly, but the latter of those two is completely uncharted territory, and every time I try I end up with a mess. Oh well, this is nothing if not an excuse to fail, and then fail better the next time.

And, overall, I think I am failing a little better with each one.

V

I've done a fair bit of artwork from the always-enjoyable Post Atomic Horror podcast over the years, including its logo. (I've even been a guest on one episode). It scratches a particular itch of mine; that of drawing things associated with Star Trek, but in an irreverent and humorous way.

While the covers have to be square for compatibility, I always approach them with some kind of concept that works as an illustration on its own. This time I decided to go with a gossip rag, and since the podcast is currently recapping The Next Generation's second season, it features the character who was only in that season as a prominent member of the team, Dr. Pulaski.

I had fun doing this; wish I had the time and energy to do an illustration from scratch, but as quick jobs go (it took a couple of hours) it hasn't turned out too bad.

To listen to the Post Atomic Horror Podcast Supplemental No. 6, click here.

V

It's fairly uncharacteristic of me to go a whole three entries in any project without drawing a woman. Well, here we are at #26characters 4th entry, D for Dejah Thoris, and you will not be surprised to note that I spent a lot of time getting this one right.

Ms. Thoris is the princess of the empire of Helium on Barsoom, sometimes known as Mars. Despite this she does not, as far as I know, speak in a squeaky voice. Mars has very strange weather too, because everyone wears skimpy clothing, yet all of this clothing is made of gold (anyone who has actually worn a gold chain in hot weather knows that it's the most horrible feeling ever).

I've never actually read Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Martian novels. I did consider reading the first when the recent John Carter movie came out, but I neither saw the movie nor read any of the associated literature. I know, I'm a rebel.

I have, however, ogl--um, appreciated so much art based on the characters over the years, from pretty-much every major pulp and fantasy illustrator of the last century. So I approached Dejah with a lot of osmotic knowledge of what she and the world is supposed to look like. I wish I'd been more intricate with the jewelry, but I think three hours -- yes, three hours -- is enough time to have spent on this.

I'm happy that I've started to approach these in a more considered way, hewing rough gestural sketch without committing to a finished pose, and then working off that. I even made a half-hearted attempt at being more painterly with the colouring. It's not great, but it's a start. The column is a complete botch job, though.

Oh, here's a little animated GIF of the basic process.

V

I love pasta. I love baked things. So it stands to reason that I love baked pasta!

This dish was the easiest thing to do; I'm not sure which blog I saw it on (will link to it if I find it), because I just committed the recipe to memory weeks ago. Just sautee some onions, garlic, mushrooms and spinach (in that order), season, add in a can of tomatoes, turn the heat off and a 200g tub of Philadelphia cream cheese and mix until smooth. Meanwhile cook 300ish grams of dry pasta (macaroni or whatever), add it into the sauce.

Top with breadcrumbs (or cheese, if you like), then bake covered for 30 minutes at 180C, then uncovered for another 15 or until the breadcrumbs brown.

It's delicious. I promise you.

I also made a second attempt at No-Knead Bread. It's still cooling, but it sure looks right this time!

V