A Coloring Book

Hello sweet friends!

It's no secret I've been away from this blog for awhile, and with good reason:


I'm designing a coloring + activity book!


As you know, these characters started out as part of my #Kawaii365 project. And then I started putting them on tee shirts and other items on my RedBubble shop, KawaiiNMore.

As I was designing these sweet characters (perhaps each one is a facet of my personality?), they started to feel 'real'. And I already knew it would be a lot of fun to give them a web comic, a facebook group for fans of the 'strange' and cute, and of course, their own coloring + activity book.

The above is the cover for the printable book, soon to be available on my Etsy shop, DarylArt Digital. While we're all waiting for it to be finished, please enjoy the [downloadable] drawing of Slowan below; he needs your imagination to give him a wonderful dream, as he sleeps in the warm sunshine.

*Intellectual property rights belong to Daryl Januszewski. 

At The Zoo

On August 11, Rob & I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. And we got married when we used to live in Calgary, so he got very romantic and booked us at the Fairmont Palliser hotel in Calgary ❤

Well, we haven't been to the zoo together since 2009, when the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit travelled there. So I suggested we go there together, and we did!

We got to see the penguins in their chilly exhibit, and saw some other neat animals in excellent facsimiles of their habitats. We saw that there will be pandas in 2018, and lemurs were recently brought in. And of course, we went to my personal favorite place: The Dorothy Harvie Gardens to enjoy the free-flying butterflies 🦋

Here are some of our favorite pictures, including funny statues.

Can you see all the butterflies?

Now have an awesome day!

Secrets

Would you like to know some more about 12 of the fastest-growing kawaii animals, and their unusual home?

Then stay tuned 😄



What is 'planet Zurbpod'?

Great question! The name is unusual, but it is actually an anagram. After all 12 characters were complete, I looked at the first letter of each name and came to the name above (after some tweaking).

Z - Zebat
U - Unicat
R - Rabbird
B - Beever
P - Parrofly
O - Octomouse
D - Dogosaur

This was actually the one that made the most sense phonetically.


Why is planet Zurbpod purple, and smiling?

She actually wasn't specifically designed for this project. Back in 2016, shortly after I began the Kawaii365 art project, I created some space-themed 'cute art' and she happened to be one of my most popular and beloved ones. So I continued with her...

How come there's no mainstream animals like monkeys, lions, giraffes, horses, etc.?

I had a feeling this one may upset some fans, especially the younger ones who have books and toys about circus animals, etc.

So initially, I had only made the 3 for June 19's #Kawaii365 project: Unicat, Rabbird, and Dogosaur. But when they proved popular and intrigued people, I got inspired to make more 2x animal hybrids.

I wrote out every type of animal I could think of; then I researched various species. The list was very long, and then I compared features to see if I could put together animals that are as different as possible. It was for shock value, haha.

After several days (the better part of a week), I finally had 12 character ideas to work with, and I began sketching in 'the binder'.



Why are they so weird? Why not use normal animals?

Haha, I love being called 'weird'. In today's fast-paced world, it feels like a compliment. Walt Disney was also made fun of and questioned in his earlier days... like why would a mouse have a pet dog? And he insisted on following his dream as a cartoonist. My personal mantra is: The weirder, the better. You should live by that too, and just do you. 😎



If you have any more questions or comments about this new line of characters, please join the inclusive facebook group. It is a fun, friendly, polite, hate-free and spam-free zone! You can play games, enjoy cute videos, and get free stuff ^_^

Xoxo,
Daryl J.

Meet Dogosaur

Hybrid between a golden retriever and stegosaurus.

Dogosaur is an enigma. On the one hand, he seems like a giant bully, but on the other hand, he hides a gentle soul behind a stubborn exterior. He
really just wants to play fetch - his roar is worse than his bite! However, he has a bad habit of trying to lick his friends sometimes, as well as things that
belong to them, like food.

Although he is fairly big & fierce-looking, his friends aren't overly intimidated by him. They know behind his stubborn body language is a big, sweet
puppy who wants a belly rub. His BFF is Elefox. They really 'get' each other.

Biggest Fear: Going extinct.

Favorite Food: Candied almonds.

Favorite Color: Lime green. The brighter, the better.

Birthday: April 2.

Sign: Aries.

Talent: Roaring, stomping.

Gender: Male.

Element: Fire.

Get Dogosaur merchandise from RedBubble here

Meet Pandaroo

Hybrid between a kangaroo and a panda bear.

Pandaroo is quiet and somewhat of a pessimist. He doesn't want to be a downer, but sometimes he feels 'blue'. His best friend Penguana loves to cheer him up, and together they like to solve the mysteries of the universe. Neither of them are overly chatty, and sometimes all it takes to feel better is to lay in the grass and look at the sky together.

Because he is so smart, all the others on Zurbpod come to him with their math & science inquiries.

Biggest Fear: Heights.

Favorite Food: Caramels.

Favorite Color: Royal blue.

Birthday: May 15.

Sign: Taurus.

Talent: Math, solving arithmetic.

Gender: Male.

Element: Earth.

Get Pandaroo merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Parrofly

Hybrid between an African parrot and a butterfly.

Parrofly is sly! He's got a good heart, but can't help cracking silly jokes and pranking his friends. A lot of his 'sense of humor' is a shield to hide his fearful heart. He got lost once when he was young, and it scared him so much. Thankfully, Beever came across him and helped him get back home, and they've been best friends ever since.

Biggest Fear: Ending up lost while flying.

Favorite Food: Jelly beans.

Favorite Color: Yellow, red, blue. Preferably together.

Birthday: June 1.

Sign: Gemini.

Talent: Telling jokes.

Gender: Male.

Element: Air.

Get Parrofly merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Slowan

Hybrid between a 3-toed sloth and a majestic swan.

Slowan lives up to his name, which sounds like 'slow one'. It's not so much that he's lazy, but more that he's really 'chillaxed'. It takes a lot to upset him, and he enjoys savoring the good things in life, such as a good nap in the warm sunshine.

His grooming habits are impeccable, and he's a healthy vegetarian with a love for avocados. So rich and creamy and... green! His BFF is Zebat; they like to fly together and chat.

Biggest Fear: No longer being able to fly.

Favorite Food: Avocado, guacamole.

Favorite Color: Pure crystal blue, like water.

Birthday: July 9.

Sign: Cancer.

Talent: Sleeping zzzzz.

Gender: Male.

Element: Water.

Get Slowan merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Elefox

Hybrid between an African elephant and a red fox.

Despite his enormous size, Elefox is kind of fearful. He is especially freaked out by the smaller animals he's friends with. Sometimes one of them will decide to 'hang out' on him. And it tickles!

His BFF is Dogosaur, and though they're both stubborn and opinionated, at the end of the day they're like brothers!

Biggest Fear: Not finding enough food.

Favorite Food: Chocolate ice cream.

Favorite Color: Orange, red; 'warm' colors.

Birthday: August 11.

Sign: Leo.

Talent: Trumpeting.

Gender: Male.

Element: Fire.

Get Elefox merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Beever

Hybrid between a bumblebee and a beaver.

Beever is always keeping himself busy with projects, including arranging flowers (at his small size, that's no small feat). Of all 12 animals on planet Zurbpod, he considers himself to be the hardest-working. He doesn't like to brag though.

When he's not busy 'working', he is often buzzing around and chatting up his pals. His BFF is Parrofly, and they like to have races in the air.

Biggest Fear: Spiders - they're unpredictable.

Favorite Food: Cinnamon hearts.

Favorite Color: Anything that looks like flowers.

Birthday: September 5.

Sign: Virgo.

Talent: Building stuff.

Gender: Male.

Element: Earth.

Get Beever merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Rabbird

Hybrid between a bunny, and a dove. 

Rabbird is particularly shy and quiet, and when she does speak, it's very important information. Otherwise, she writes down her thoughts & feelings in a velvet journal.

She is the opposite personality type of her BFF Unicat. Together, they're essentially Yin & Yang. They really balance each other.

Biggest Fear: Confrontations with others.

Favorite Food: Lollipops.

Favorite Color: Deep colors, like violet.

Birthday: October 5.

Sign: Libra.

Talent: Writing poetry.

Gender: Female.

Element: Air.

Get Rabbird merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Froogle

Hybrid between a toy poodle and a pond frog. 

Froogle is adorable to behold, but hard to hold onto. When she feels overwhelmed, she tends to jump away from the scenario. And she
can jump about 4 feet at a time, despite her smaller size.

She looks a little like a sheep, which sometimes causes her friends to teasingly 'baaa' at her. And her BFF is Octomouse.

Biggest Fear: Getting her wool all wet and flat.

Favorite Food: Cotton candy.

Favorite Color: Emerald green, with some shimmer.

Birthday: November 5.

Sign: Scorpio.

Talent: Winning jumping contests!

Gender: Female.

Element: Water.

Get Froogle merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Unicat

Hybrid between a kitty and a unicorn.

Unicat is always up for an adventure with her friends. She is quick to forgive, but sometimes she gets carried away with teasing others! Thankfully she is lovable and easy to be forgiven.

And no matter how hard she tries, she cannot keep a secret! Her BFF Rabbird is the opposite, and doesn't really like to talk too much.

Biggest Fear: Losing her gold horn.

Favorite Food: Rainbow cupcakes - with sprinkles!

Favorite Color: Rainbows - they embody everything she loves.

Birthday: November 30.

Sign: Sagittarius.

Talent: Singing.

Gender: Female.

Element: Fire.

Get Unicat merchandise from RedBubble here

Meet Penguana

Hybrid between an iguana and a Gentoo penguin.

Penguana is determined and hard-working, but always makes time for his good friends. He feels torn between preferences sometimes, because his back-end likes to bask in the sun, but the rest of him likes chilly water - it's so refreshing!

His BFF is Pandaroo. Neither of them is overly talkative, but on some level, they just 'get' each other and communicate by chilling.

Biggest Fear: Fires - prefers the cold anyway.

Favorite Food: Banana splits.

Favorite Color: Turquoise, Aqua.

Birthday: December 24.

Sign: Capricorn.

Talent: Swimming.

Gender: Male.

Element: Earth.

Get Penguana merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Zebat

Hybrid between a vampire bat, and a zebra.

Zebat is flirty and a lot of fun. She has a French accent, after all! Ooh la la! Aside from the stripes all over her body, she has a heart-shaped patch on her chest, and piercing green eyes.

She makes everyone feel welcome around her, and is great at boosting the confidence of others. Her BFF is Slowan.

Biggest Fear: The dark - which is ironic for a bat - she can't do echo-location.

Favorite Food: Strawberries.

Favorite Color: Varying shades of pink - tres romantique!

Birthday: February 14
 
Sign: Aquarius.

Talent: Flying - quite well!

Gender: Female.

Element: Air.

Get Zebat merchandise at RedBubble here

Meet Octomouse

Hybrid between a field mouse and a small octopus.

Octomouse is shy and sweet, and so tiny it's unbearably adorable! She is okay at swimming, but prefers to be on land. Her BFF is Froogle, and they often chill out together at the water's edge and enjoy the day.

She has a fine golden fur, which is waterproof (seriously - it just beads up and falls off).

Biggest Fear: Accidentally being squished!

Favorite Food: Cream cheese... so smooth.

Favorite Color: Gold - like herself!

Birthday: February 25.

Sign: Pisces.

Talent: Being painfully cute ^_^

Gender: Female.

Element: Water.

Get Octomouse merchandise at RedBubble here

Thank You For Your Patience

*Whew* it's been a hectic several days. it may appear like this blog was started and forgotten about, but that simply isn't true. My husband Rob has been actively setting up the new computer around his busy work schedule. And today, for the first time since I drew them on paper, I was able to finish drawing the 12 kawaii animal hybrid characters.

In due time, their character profiles will be up and running, but for now, here is a free treat to say 'thank you' for bearing with me. It's a desktop wallpaper/device background for you - just right-click and save to your computer or tablet.

*It can be resized as per the aspect ratio of your device (most common is 4:3).


The characters seen are:

Zebat and Parrofly having a race in the sky. Pandaroo watching from the distance. Slowan enjoying a dip in the pond, while Froogle and Penguana chat nearby. And Elefox enjoying a tickle from Octomouse as Beever talks to her.

To look at the original 3 character designs, see them on RedBubble here


Thank you, please enjoy your downloaded wallpaper. xoxo, Daryl J.