The Gingerbread Lair

My Entry for the Laika Creative Challenge:

Ever since Martinez the gingerbread man was betrayed by the Baker, who created him only to try and eat him, he has made it his life's mission to track down the Baker and return the favor. He won't try to eat him of course, but torture him, the same way he was tortured by the Baker when he took a bite out of Martinez's head and dunked in a glass of milk before he was able to flee the Bakery.
This is Martinez's Laboratory/Torture Chamber in the basement of his gingerbread house. This is where Martinez tracks the Baker's whereabouts, plotting the perfect moment to kidnap the Baker and have his way with him in the torture chamber.

In this room most everything is edible. The theme Martinez was going for was "Sickly Sweet." He has installed a restraining table made out of a whole chocolate bar, perfect for holding down victims in case they get any ideas of escaping. Above the table is an electric shock helmet. The number of volts can be changed from a light shock to a deathly charge. Bottles of poison, and hallucinogenic potions litter the shelves. Martinez keeps his torture tools along with his notes and information on the Baker's whereabouts tacked up on graham cracker tack boards. And on the floor you will see a trap door marked "Danger." This leads to a pit full of blazing hot fudge, for when Martinez gets tired of torturing the Baker and finally decides to do away with him.

Based on the picture Laika/House gave us of Martinez, he looked like a very sinister guy who had an evil plan in mind. I felt like a Laboratory/Torture chamber would be a perfect edition to his gingerbread house.

Village Huts

Some ideas of what the huts in Kara's village could look like

A Jungle Story

This story takes place in a jungle surrounded with mystery and guarded by a god sent beast

Kara is a quirky little girl who lives in a village within the jungle. In her village it is tradition that every boy grows up to become a brave warrior so that they may bring food home to their families and protect the village. And it is tradition that every little girl is given by their mother a patron goddess to guide them along their path through life and that they should aspire to take on the qualities of that goddess. Usually girls are given goddesses of fertility and motherhood so that they may become the best wives for their husbands and mothers for their children. However, Kara's mother wanted Kara to become a strong and independent person so she was given the goddess Karadica, the goddess of justice and order, as her patron goddess (this was also how she got her name, but shortened). Having this goddess was out of the norm of the village so Kara has become a bit of an outcast amongst the kids in the village. Kara often plays by herself in the jungle, making up stories, and going on her own daring adventures with her Karadica doll.




The guardian beast of the jungle was sent by the gods to guard the jungle and help it to grow and flourish when the world was first being formed. Kara's village used to be aware of the beast but over generations he has been forgotten. The village now tells the story of an ancient monster that stalks the jungle and it is every warriors dream to strike him down and prove himself as the greatest warrior of them all. The beast lives in a temple deep within the jungle where no human dares to go. His defining characteristic is that the foliage on his back changes with his emotions. When he is calm his back bares lush green leaves, when he is sad his back sprouts a shallow pool that trickles down his body along with his tears, and when he is enraged his back shoots out thick thorn bushes that can be used as weapons.




Kara finds the beast one day in the jungle. The beast, not having human contact in centuries, is about to attack her but upon seeing her Karadica doll, noticing her as one of the goddesses that brought him here, he drops to his knees and becomes friendly towards Kara. They become friends and play everyday. Kara tries to tell her parents about the beast, but they don't believe her (she often tells crazy stories).




Kaz is Kara's older brother. He is a sarcastic boy and likes to annoy Kara to make her mad. He is of the age where boys are meant to go into the jungle and strike down their first animal and take its tooth and wear it around their neck as a sign of manhood and of becoming a warrior. Unfortunately Kaz isn't a very good warrior and often comes back from hunting trips with his father empty handed and disappointed. Kaz actually witnesses Kara and the beast playing in the jungle and hopes to strike down the beast one day and take his tooth and prove that he is a great warrior like his father.




Kara and Kaz's parents. Kara's mother is very loving towards her children and encourages Kara in her wild adventures. Because of her choice to give Kara an non-traditional goddess, she has also become a bit of an outcast amongst the other women of the village. Kara's father is a very strong man, but easily irritated, he puts great pressure on Kaz to become a warrior. Kara's father is revered as one of the greatest warriors in their village and he hopes that Kaz will become one as well.




Some of the kids in the village. The two girls could be called the "Mean Girls" of the village. They often tease Kara about being so weird and how she will never find a husband.

The village elder. He once saw the beast when he was younger, but believed him to be evil. He is one of the people who enforces that the beast is dangerous and to never go into the deeper parts of the jungle.

Kara's secret hideout in the jungle. Its a little spot surrounded by trees that she plays in by herself.

The temple that beast lives in. Inside is a rock inscribed with the ancient writing of the gods that says that he is the guardian of this jungle and a servant of the gods. At night the writing on the rock glows and comforts the beast while he sleeps.


Some sketches!

Some ideas of what Karadica could look like

I've had this story in my head for a while so it was fun to flesh it out a bit and create my own tribe, gods, characters, and some environments to go along with it!

Circus Folk

The Greatest Show Under One Tent!

The Ringmaster has loved the circus since he was a little boy and it had always been his dream to be the ring master of his own circus. He is a boisterous man with a huge booming voice as all Ring Masters should have. He is always very loving and is considered a father figure to all of his circus family.

The Magician and his Lovely Assistant were scouted by The Ring Master while he was on vacation in Spain. Although The Magician isn't the best at his craft The Ring Master saw instead his devotion to his craft and his love for his Lovely Assistant. The Magician and his Lovely Assistant have been happily married and working in magic for many years. The Magician often spends most of his act praising his wife with how brilliant she is with her part in the tricks then seeking appreciation from the audience.

The Knife Thrower is from Russia and has been playing with knifes since he was a little boy and has since become very skilled with the craft of knife throwing, his aim is always precise. His skills with the knife and his handsome looks is what attracted his assistant The Human Target. She went to the circus when it stopped in her home town one afternoon and fell instantly in love with The Knife Thrower. To be near him always she ran away from home to join the circus as his assistant, but unfortunately the love between them is one sided.



The Acrobat is a woman of mystery. She says little and shares little about her life history, but what she does in her acrobatic act is pure beauty and always leaves the audience in awe.



The Ringmaster had heard of a woman from the Amazon who had the amazing ability to speak to animals. He was in need of an animal trainer so he journeyed to the Amazon and sought her out in her village within the Amazonian jungle. The Animal Trainer loved her village, but had always wondered what the outside world was like. She went with The Ringmaster and is now part of one of the audience's favorite acts where she speaks to the animals and performs some of the most daring and amazing tricks alongside them.

The Bearded Lady was one of the first people to join The Ring Master's circus. She dances, she sings, she reads poetry, all the while leaving the audience mystified as to what gender she truly is. Not even her circus family know her true gender and all of them are too embarrassed to ask, because after all, you never ask such questions of a lady.

The Cowgirl was one of the last to join The Ringmaster's circus. She came from Texas and was revered as one of the greatest female rodeo performers in the whole state. It was hard to convince her, but The Ringmaster managed to get through to her that his circus needed someone of her skills in their act, and she couldn't agree more. She agreed to be a part of the circus as long as she could be the opening act.

I was trying out a different style using line and shape. It was fun creating these characters and figuring out what sort of background stories they would have and how they contributed to The Greatest Show Under One Tent.

I Wonder If Yeti's Get Cold...

A redesign of what the Yeti could look like