#SouthSummerSketches

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Of all entities that I know of in Aboriginal Australian mythology, the bunyip has to be one of, if not the most enigmatic entities of them all. Most accounts have described it as an aquatic creature, although the description wildly varies: some say it appears to have a head similar to a bulldog's, with seal-like whiskers and prominent ears, but no tail; others refer to it having an elongated, maned neck with a large ears, small tusks and a head that resembles something akin to a horse or emu; there've even been rumours to suggest it's like a giant starfish. And then there's the version I first heard of back in middle school, when I happened to switch on the TV to a program dedicated to telling a number of stories from various indigenous tribes. (collectively called "The Dreaming") While I can't recall which tribe specifically said tale was referenced from, the way it described the Bunyip seemed akin a singular, shadow-like being who would snatch away small children who were careless enough to wander too far alone from their family – not unlike the boogeyman.

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It's been a while since I last did some fan-art of an Aussie mascot/icon.

Making his debut back in 2002, the "Ty the Tasmanian Tiger" series took the 3D Collectathon-Platformer genre and added a charming dose of Aussie slang and humour, before sadly fading into obscurity a couple years later. (While I never got my hands on the original, nor the somewhat divisive threequel, I do remember spending several hours playing through Ty 2: Bush Rescue as a kid.)

And I just found out that there was even a Kickstarter a couple months ago to remaster the original for the Nintendo Switch & PS4, so go check it out if you're interested.

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Though not a cryptid per se, the Yellow-Bellied Black Snake is a term mistakenly used to describe Green Tree Snakes (bottom), Eastern Tiger Snakes (top) & Red-Bellied Black Snakes (right).

That said, it is important to discern the differences between the 3. Despite greenies being relatively small and harmless, the other 2 are highly venomous, although neither will strike unless they feel threatened.

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To think it's been almost a year since Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse hit cinemas... Well, I might not be too into Marvel [+ DC], but after doing some quick research, I've yet to find to an Australian version of everyone's favourite web-slinging superhero. And yes, I AM head-cannoning that the steel-capped boots and thick socks do inhibit this incarnation of Miles from climbing on walls; not much of an issue since he's more of a "Wildlife Warrior" kinda guy, hence why his attire's based off of the legendary Steve Irwin.

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Here we have an echidna and what I can only assume to be some kind of... schnoodle (a.k.a. schnauzer + poodle) I guess?

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Said to be a small frog-like creature, the "Yara-ma-yha-who" lives in fig trees waiting for unsuspecting travellers to rest below.

It then leaps down and drains the victim's blood through the suckers on the ends of its hands and feet, after which it swallows them whole... ('cuz big head has no teeth)

After some water and rest it regurgitates the poor soul, whose skin has gained a reddish tint complexion and is now shorter than before, only to repeat the process until the poor soul is fully transformed into a Yara-ma-yha-who themselves.

(Interestingly, these vampiric-like creatures only hunt during the day.)

[sai-maxd]

This one’s a bit more personal for me since the first dog my family ever got [after I was born] was a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and lemme tell you that everything people say about these smart, strong-willed and loyal guardians are spot on.

Granted, the ones I’ve helped raise seem to keep developing their own interesting quirks, with one sharing a few meals with cats & possums whilst another often schemed how to one-up my dad in a rather hilarious prank war...

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Meet Lt. General Dromaius E. Mu, rumored to be one of many a fowl who fought bravely during The Great Emu War of 1932.  (uniform & pose based on a Lieutenant General Edmund Herring of the Kokoda Trail campaign)

If you wanna read more about this peculiar endeavour, here's a link to get you started: <https://nomadsworld.com/great-emu-war/>

[sai-maxd]

Meet the Frill-necked Lizard and the Frill-necked Monarch.

Perhaps it is due to living in similar, tropical environments that they both share the peculiar trait of having a body part that can be unfurled (or in the monarch's case, by puffing out its neck feathers) to scare off potential predators. The former even uses them for courtship and territorial displays.

[sai-maxd]

SSS 35 (Fruit Batty)

Flying Foxes, also known as Fruit Bats – and by extension, Megabats – are unique from other bat species for their herbivorous diet, keen sight and smell, and incapability of echolocation, possibly due to their relatively large builds (with some minuscule exceptions).

[sai-maxd]

SSS 1  (Sunset Shore)

So after a couple years of mucking about, I finally decided to get back into drawing, and I thought I'd start off simple with my first entry in this 90-day challenge (give-or-take 12hrs). True, I went a little overboard with the shapes & shadows, even after redoing my draft an hour in when I noticed that everything was off-kilter.

Anyway, feel free to give me any useful feedback, and I hope you enjoy this piece – because this is just the beginning of one wild ride.

[sai-maxd]

Live in Australia long enough and you're bound to hear of at least one of the mythical trio (a.k.a. Drop Bears, Hoop Snakes & Yowies) often used to troll with unsuspecting tourists who believe that Crocodile Dundee is a factually accurate representation of Aussie life, etc.

Of course, being the special the little snowflake that I am, when I first of Drop Bears my mind immediately went to picturing these fictional assassins as some kind of elite ninja koala...

I regret nothing.

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To explain this terrible wordplay, I've known about this channel here called Piper's Daily Paintings for a while now, but find myself surprised that they haven't had a go at the Lyre Bird in any of their current submissions yet. Either that, or I've got much lower standards... (seriously though, give the artist some much-earned support) For more info about the Lyrebird, check out this excerpt from one of David Attenborough's classic documentaries.

[sai-maxd]

a.k.a. a small, Australian type of cockatoo laughing hysterically