How Big Are They?

Hi everyone! 😍

A valid question has recently been brought to my attention; "how big would they be compared to you (or, to a person in general)?" 


Hmmmm….. all this time, I'd been drawing them to be in relation to one another, and to various things and places on their home, planet Zurbpod. After all, they won't technically be interacting with people at all in their web comic series.

Still, I like this question, enough to do a little 'photo shoot' around our condo, to show the approximate size each animal would be if I were hanging out with them in real time (as their 'mother', I wish!).

Dogosaur is the biggest - although he's a big playful puppy at heart, there's no denying his dinosaur side is nothing short of intimidating!

Pandaroo is quiet and thoughtful, and a fun buddy to just hang out with - maybe watch some TV?

Parrofly is playful and silly - so I showed us goofing around here!

Ahh, Slowan - one of my favorite hippie guys (or, do they prefer to be called "slackers"?) Anyway, here he is chilling in our bath tub :) 

Elefox is very friendly, and that can only be a good thing! If he were not friendly, I'd be in danger from his size! Still, he'd be fun to hang out with. 

Beever may look intimidating at first, but he'd never sting you - literally, since he has a beaver tail where a bee's stinger would be! He's very friendly and sweet.

Rabbird is a bit on the shy side, so we don't exchange words here :)

Awww, my fluffy froggy, Froogle! After all, she is part poodle. 

Here, I hang out with Unicat in the bedroom, where I also keep my Hello Kitty collection (which she loves, BTW). 

I imagine Penguana being about the size of a large penguin, but of course with his iguana features. I really enjoy how he is so polar opposite within himself. 

Zebat is one of my favorites, both to create and to voice! She's ultra-feminine and has a French accent, and a playful spirit. 

Octomouse was another one who is just as fun to voice as she is to draw, though it does strain my vocal cords a bit to talk that high! 

So there you have it, friends 😍  This was a really fun project to do, since it was fun to hone my acting skills by posing with them as if though they're in reality with me (like I said, I wish!)

And, being a digital artist as well, I really enjoyed making this overlay, and adding speech bubbles. I am thinking of making these into stickers just for the heck of it....

Oh - and did you notice the Tee shirts in each picture?  The Kawaii365 one, I drew myself with fabric markers a couple of years ago when I began my year-long art project.  The other 3 are all available on my RedBubble shop, in addition to each Zoo'd character - enjoy!




Thank you so much for your support and helping us grow - consider becoming a Patron (link along the side of this blog) and help us grow even more. 
xoxo,
Daryl J. and the animals!

My Bag Went to Cancun

Hi everyone! 

In mid-January, Rob & I went on a big family trip with his mother & her gentleman partner, and mixed family members totaling 21 people! It was a busy but very fun week, at a fantastic resort in Cancun (Mexico) called The Grand at Moon Palace. There is no resort in the world quite like this one: It not only had several pools - one of which had world-renowned waterslides and an indoor playground on site - the beach was clean, the rooms were truly incredible (complete with jetted tubs and patio daybeds), and the resort itself had so much entertainment, I'm describing it in the next paragraph!

Combining the 3 parts of the resort, there were seemingly endless buffets (top notch food), a la carte restaurants, 2 arcades, 2 night clubs, incredible evening shows in a comfortable enclosed theatre, a bowling alley (yes), a 24-hour snack shoppe with delicious ice cream, an incredible AWE*SPA (the best couples' massage Rob & I have ever had!) and the resort lobbies themselves were so grand they're all something you'd typically see in Las Vegas. The only sad part was having to leave that royal palace and come back to Canada - boo! I wanna go baaacccckkk!!! 

Anyway, my self-pity aside, when we were sitting in the Cancun airport waiting for the flight back to YYC, I glanced at the tote bag I'd been using for carrying my coat (as well as a beach bag during the amazing week), and it dawned on me: This is the furthest this specific bag has travelled thus far (aside from ones ordered online by people in Europe and the UK)!  So I snapped a quick picture of it in the airport ^_^ 

Just look at how happy they are! Parrofly and Elefox had a great time in Cancun for sure! I think their favorite part may have been the calming spa pool (complete with blue lights) in the AWE*SPA. 

Anyway, wish I'd thought to photograph this bag at other points in the trip as well, but it wasn't on my mind until last-minute. Guess I was just having too much fun...

My husband snapped this pic of me after I pulled pectoral muscles from lifting myself high up onto this ledge. Anyway, if you look at the bag on my right, that's the beloved Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends - closest I could get to photographing them around the resort ^_^ 



🐶🐼🦋🐘🦊🐇🐦🐸🐩🐈🦄🐧🦎🦇🐙🐭



Get your own copy of the bag here

Jungian Archetypes in The Animals

If you'd like to see these kawaii creatures from a new perspective, then you may be pleased to know that there's more to them than meets the eye.

You may be familiar with the Swiss psychologist (and founder of psychoanalysis) Carl Jung.

In this case, you probably already recognize the concept of "archetypes" - various personas that come together and create the psyche of a whole person. This is something that is discussed in many dream dictionaries or books on the psychology of dreaming.

Even when I started creating these cartoon cuties in the Summer of 2017, I was already realizing that they're all archetypes of me in a way. Read on for an explanation.

Dogosaur is "The Child". He's not overly self-aware (of how he comes across to others), but thrives more on his current wants & needs. Despite his size and aggressive appearance, Dogosaur's got a vulnerable streak and can be prone to random tantrums. Overall, he's innocently playful.

Pandaroo is "The Wise Old Man". Often quiet and thought to be pessimistic, he is just quite realistic because he's learned from experience that life is far from perfect. He's also quite knowledgeable and the other animals come to him for advice like he's a Google speaker!

Parrofly is "The Trickster", but not in the typical way of trying to deceive. Rather, he rarely takes a situation seriously, often trying to divert his role by using humor. Even his Mr. Bean-like voice screams "I'm a comedian!"

Slowan is "The Self". That is, he's incredibly aware of both his conscious and subconscious minds, and perhaps this has to do with his love of sleeping and dreaming. After all, dreams are mind-expanding! This is also why he 'clicks' so well with everyone else, as he sees the 'wholeness' of friends coming together and is the connector of all the other archetypes.

Elefox is "The Animus", the masculine personality. Although he's nice and by no means "macho" (ick), he is large & loud, has a phallic facial feature and LOVES to eat tons of food! Plus, he is outwardly energetic, much like Dogosaur. 

Beever is "The Hero". Despite his tiny size, he's the hardest-worker of them all. He also grows, nourishes and nurtures flowers. He proves that even the very small can also be very strong & helpful.

Rabbird is "The Maiden". She is soft (literally and figuratively), feminine and innocent. Often sweetly quiet and shy, she's got a pure heart full of poetry.

Froogle is "The Shadow". Though she's not malicious or 'dark' per se, she is painfully aware (much like Pandaroo) of an underlying darkness in life. She is aware that we all have moral choices to make, and not everyone makes selfless ones. Because of this, she's not over-the-top friendly because she has trouble trusting others' true motives.

Unicat is "The Mother". She is strong, proud, kind, confident and always there when her friends need some support. Although she does act like a diva sometimes, she is always quick to apologize.

Penguana is "The Father". Though he's smaller than most of them, he is still quietly supportive of everyone. He's also honest enough to be a great help to friends in need. He is mostly mature, but with a "dad joke" sense of humor. (I could've drawn him with a pipe, newspaper, thick glasses and a sweater-vest).

Zebat is "The Anima". She carries the ultimate feminine energy, with a flirty and 'womanly' vibe about her. She blows kisses, giggles, winks, has a sweet voice and a heart-shaped mark on her chest. She is also very friendly and supportive.

Octomouse is "The Persona". She basically represents the 'better version of self' that we all desire to show to others in social situations. Quite frankly, she is terrified of the others because they seem so big and threatening! So to appease them - and protect herself - she puts on her very best behavior.

Do you recognize anything there about yourself? Which one is your personal strongest archetype?

It's also hard to believe that we're already in our 3rd day of the new year! I spent December 31 drawing this for you to enjoy. Learn more about the project at https://www.patreon.com/helpakawaiiartist

The Twelve Days of Christmas as sung by The Animals

Bet you didn't think the lyrics to this song could get any more confusing. And now, the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends have put their own twist on it ^_^

What you hear, is what they want. Whaaat?

The short version: 

Rabbird is a bunny in a tree, because she's part dove and enjoys nesting in soft, fluffy stuff.

Penguana just loves banana splits!

Froogle is of course, a jumper (that's a pun in English-speak, because in the UK she could be considered to look like she's wearing one). So she loves leaping across lily pads.

Pandaroo loves math and other "nerdy" stuff.

Unicat is a fancy girl, who enjoys her showcase of fancy horn accessories.

Zebat loves strawberries - zey are tres sweet! Ooh la la!

If you know Slowan, then you know his perfect "gift" would be sleeping all day.

Elefox enjoys 8 large scoops of his favorite treat, chocolate ice cream.

Octomouse lives in a sandcastle on Brown Sugar Beach, so now she has lots!

Parrofly just loooooves him some jelly beans!

Beever is a gentle florist, so this was fitting for him.

And last but not least, Dogosaur loves snacking on candy almonds. Given his size, 1,200 of them seemed fitting.

The Long Version (Lyrics):

"On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A bunny in a tree 

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two banana splits, and
A bunny in a tree 

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three lily pads
Two banana splits, and 

A bunny in a tree 

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four math equations
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five golden horns!
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six juicy berries
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads

Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven sleeps a-snoring
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree 

 

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight scoops of ice cream
Seven sleeps a-snoring
Six juicy berries
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine sandy castles
Eight scoops of ice cream 
Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

 

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten beans of jelly
Nine sandy castles
Eight scoops of ice cream 

Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven flowers growing

Ten beans of jelly 
Nine sandy castles
Eight scoops of ice cream 
Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree 

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve hundred candy almonds
Eleven flowers growing 
Ten beans of jelly 
Nine sandy castles 

Eight scoops of ice cream 
Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree."

Lyrics and illustrations by Daryl Januszewski. Voices by Rob Januszewski & Daryl Januszewski.

More About Planet Zurbpod

In August 2017, I introduced to you, a little purple planet, which inhabits 12 zany hybrid animals. They range from a red-haired elephant to an industrious insect with an accent. And though this original description was well-received, I learned there are still some questions - which is awesome! Keep them coming 😊


Things to know about Zurbpod

1. The name is basically an anagram, made from the first letters of some of the characters' names. They are Z from Zebat, U from Unicat, R from Rabbird, B from Beever, P from Parrofly, O from Octomouse, and D from Dogosaur. It's pronounced exactly as it looks; "zurb-pod".

2. It's climate is similar to Earth's, only with basically no winter. No blizzards, no slippery ice, no frost bite or hypothermia... just warm days! Yay!



3. It's not as big as Earth, though. There are also no humans - just the 12 hybrid animals. Because of her small population, she is approximately the size of Pluto (which is of course, no longer a planet as of 2006; though it was then declared a "dwarf planet").

4. Zurbpod has interesting locales, such as Brown Sugar Beach - home to Unicat, Penguana, Octomouse, and Elefox. She also has a healthy place called Veggie Forest, where the trees are made of broccoli and other natural food. This forest is home to Rabbird, Pandaroo, Zebat and Parrofly. And this friendly planet has a refreshingly cool lake, where some of the aquatic hybrid friends live, such as Beever, Slowan, Froogle, and the biggest of them all - Dogosaur!

*To get more information on their homes, get the 'Where We Live' coloring book from Etsy - it shows each of their homes in better detail! 

5. She (yes, Zurbpod chooses to identify as female) is purple, because that's just the way she is. Her clouds are made of cotton candy - so the sky is a light bluish-purple with a sweet scent. Though Rabbird, Zebat, Beever, Slowan and Parrofly would have to go pretty high to taste the sweet clouds!

🦎🐧🦄🐭🐙🐘🦊🦇🐰🐱🐼🐦🦋🐶🐸

Thank you for your interest in this planet and it's kawaii-cute residents!

Stan Lee Inspired Many Cartoonists

On November 12 of this year, the world lost a cartoon & comic character legend. Stan Lee was 95 when he went. Unlike other comic book artists of his day, he gave the characters (such as Spider-Man) a long & complex history, complete with fears, personality quirks, bad days, and all things relatable. He made the once more-than-human super heroes, human.

And since then, the cartooning industry has never been the same. Fans tend to gravitate toward characters with whom they can identify... 

Though he was known for detailed, powerful and aggressive comic book art, he has inspired many different types of cartoonists. Not unlike Walt Disney, he was an artist who followed his own path and did what felt right at the time. And this created a universe of beloved characters! 

I grew up in the 90s, and was lucky to have witnessed such an array of super heroes and enjoy some good comic book/pop art style illustrations, which helped inspire my love of drawing. 

Though I don't draw in the same style (I gravitate toward both digital drawing, and cute characters, mainly with animalistic traits) I do appreciate the inspiration.  The picture below was sketched as a tribute to a fine cartoonist & designer of relatable characters. 

Why Do They Have Elements?

It has recently been pondered about why each character's description page shows an 'element'. 

As you've noticed, each of the 12 characters has a zodiac sign (none of them are duplicated). This is because - as an astrology fan - in a way each character embodies traits from their sign. 

For instance: like me, Octomouse is a gentle and timid Pisces. That means she is a 'water sign' (which is why she is part sea creature and can swim). 

The zodiac signs we know in the Western world, each have one of 4 elements. Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.  I'd like to try a little experiment here. First I'll list the general traits affiliated with each element (in Western and Eastern practices). Then I'll list each Zoo'd friend and their element, and then you can tell us where you see similarities 😊

Fire:

🔥Passionate about life

🔥Very confident, high self-esteem

🔥Never afraid to have a good time (the first ones out on the dance floor)

🔥Impulsive temper, large tantrums

🔥Genuinely care about others and will do grand gestures to express that

🔥Love their freedom and won't be tied down

Earth:

🌍Crave security at all times

🌍Are often quiet and thoughtful, intellectual

🌍Incredibly hard workers and very dutiful

🌍Highly critical and a bit picky, high standards

🌍Very sensual and love to indulge in pleasures

🌍Grounded in reality and unlikely to dream big

Air:

⛅Very intellectual and quick-thinking

⛅Highly talkative and 'chatty'

⛅Highly intelligent and difficult to fool

⛅Great at 'reading people' (body language, etc.)

⛅Also great at reading, and loves learning

⛅Not comfortable with emotions and prefer thought processes

Water:

🌊Deeply emotional and very sensitive

🌊Which leads to empathy and compassion

🌊Though sweet-natured, water personalities can have wild tantrums

🌊Usually quiet and dreamy in demeanor, mysterious

🌊Often lost in deep thoughts, has vivid dreams

🌊Very creative and romantic, a true 'dream weaver'

And now, let's look at our sweet Zoo'd friends...

1. Dogosaur - Fire (Aries)
2. Pandaroo - Earth (Taurus)
3. Parrofly - Air (Gemini)
4. Slowan - Water (Cancer)
5. Elefox - Fire (Leo)
6. Beever - Earth (Virgo)
7. Rabbird - Air (Libra)
8. Froogle - Water (Scorpio)
9. Unicat - Fire (Sagittarius)
10. Penguana - Earth (Capricorn)
11. Zebat - Air (Aquarius)
12. Octomouse - Water (Pisces)

So go ahead, check out your favorite characters and compare their personality traits to the ones described in their elements!  Now have a great day 😊