Illustration by Alan B.

Alan B. is an illustrator based in West Cork. This is his blog about that.

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Burn Doubt

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Follow the Reader! 🤖

I've just wrapped up the design of this year's Summer Reading Challenge for kids at @corkcitylibraries and this is the teaser video I made to promote it.

By participating in this annual challenge, young library members are encouraged to keep reading over the summer holidays, and can earn some terrific rewards as they progress. This year, Children's Library mascot Red and his (somewhat) trusty sidekick Daert'nod the goblin find themselves in a pickle when the goblin's latest invention [a robot named READ-R] runs amok in the library and out onto the streets of Cork City!

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George Lassoes The Moon

An illustration created many moons ago (inspired by this Elbow song of the same name) but which I neglected to post here at the time.

Created in Photoshop using custom brushes.

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JETHRO

Species: Jersey Devil Age: 667

Quote: "Oh, how those broken boys drag you down" #

🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️

🔗 okcryptid.tumblr.com

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ART vs. ARTIST 2025

A really fun and productive year of fan art and personal projects: 

1️⃣ Got to grips with Clip Studio Paint and have made it my primary digital illustration software (though plenty of sketchbooks and pencils still in the mix).

2️⃣ Created another successful Summer Reading Challenge for kids at Cork City Libraries.

3️⃣ Overhauled OK Cryptid to celebrate its 10-year anniversary.

4️⃣ Treated myself to a new @wacom drawing tablet (Movink Pad Pro 14).

5️⃣ Finally completed a short comic (Operation Transformation) begun way back in 2016!

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Skreeeonk! 💥

First illo on new drawing tablet (Wacom Movink Pad Pro 14).

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OPERATION TRANSFORMATION! 🥣

A comic about self-improvement.

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AIR SLASHER! 🎶

Fan art of Dee Jay from the Street Fighter series.

Illustration created in Clip Studio Paint.

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Under Wraps! 🤕

The mummy returns ... almost fully intact. 🪲

Illustration created in Clip Studio Paint

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MEGA DELPHOX! 🔥

Blazing through the twilight skies, the Fox Pokémon boasts a bewitching new Mega Evolution in the upcoming Legends: Z-A video game. 🧬

I've always loved the concept of a starter trio based on RPG character classes (Mage, Paladin, and Rogue) to which Delphox belongs, along with its Kalos starter counterparts Chesnaught and Greninja. 🦊

Delphox's new Mega Evolution leans more into traditional witch iconography, and I think Game Freak absolutely cooked with this design. 🧹

Check out the rest of my Pokémon fan art here: Mega Dragonite | Mega Victreebel | Mega Chesnaught | Mega Malamar

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INDRID C. 🦷

• Age: 59   • Species: Smiling Man

• Quote: "I wear your heart on my sleeve."

💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜

👉 okcrypt.id

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MEGA MALAMAR! 🙃

Another all-time favourite Pokémon design, my friend Malamar sports an entrancing new Mega Evolution in the upcoming @pokemon Legends: Z-A game. 🧬

For this fan art illustration, I wanted to emphasize the darkly menacing nature of the topsy-turvy Overturning Pokémon -- and contrary to the official artwork, I thought it would be cool if the colourful lights it emits from the end of its tentacles were actually clouds of neon-coloured ink. 🫟

Created in Clip Studio Paint 🎨

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ZANKU HADOKEN! 👿

Fan art of Akuma from the Street Fighter series.

Illustration created in Clip Studio Paint.

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When you have no idea what the legs are going to be doing, but couldn't wait to start the fun rendering stuff... 👿

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MEGA CHESNAUGHT!⚜️

Chesnaught is one of my favourite starter final evos (along with Serperior & Decidueye; grass starters 4 life!) so I was thrilled to see it receive a Mega Evolution in the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A game.

For this piece I leaned into the design's paladin inspiration, emphasizing the massive bulk, thick protective shell, and prickly countenance of the imposing Spiny Armor Pokémon!

[Sidenote: In my original playthrough of Pokémon X I named my Chesnaught Conkeror.]

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MEGA VICTREEBEL! 🧬

The second mega evolution revealed for the upcoming @pokemon Legends: Z-A game is the Flycatcher Pokémon Victreebel.

But wait, what's that strange bulge protruding from its belly? ⚡

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Lycan Tropes 🐺

"I'm actually more of a dog person..."