Mechakrampus (2024)

“Much to the dismay of poorly behaved robot children everywhere, it was said that Mecha Krampus would reemerge every Sol Day’s Eve to whisk away the most tyrannical of the new models. A shadowy figure, it was hard to prove whether first hand accounts were just works of fiction designed by empire elders to inspire good citizenry, manufactured, planted memories that the storytellers themselves actually believed to be true, or actual accounts of an actual beastly creature. But what was not up to debate was the fact that around that time each galactic year, some young robots would go missing and the speculation around that unsolved mystery was a powerful behavioral deterrent.”

This design was created specifically to mark the occasion of my first participation in an Art Market. I had a booth at the 2024 Handmade Arcade Holiday Market and wanted to make sure I had something holiday-adjacent to sell. Originally I just drew the creature but later decided to expand the canvas to include a greebled, holiday border (referencing themes from traditional Victorian holiday cards) and the inspirational message for all to “Behave.” I created prints in a variety of sizes as well as greeting cards so that shoppers could send the succinct message to someone who needed to hear it.

Ink fineliners (Sakura Micron 005)
Sakura Graphic 1 ink markers
Crappy 5.5″x8.5″ sketchbook paper
Digital cleanup for print in Photoshop
Printed w/ pigment ink on Red River’s brilliantly white 88lb. Polar Matte paper

About “Tales from the Robot Empire”:

A spin-off from my Lonely Universe worldbuilding series, Tales from the Robot Empire acts as a precursor set thousands of years prior. While the world of Lonely Universe shows all robots frozen in place following the broadcast of a cataclysmic kill signal, this series explores various facets of the empire during the height of its power. Key figures, mythology, and mundane slices of robot life pervade these works.