#LETSDRAWMONSTERS14 Prompt (Patreon)

PROMPT:

Supposedly now extinct, flortoises were rare land reptiles that were known for their long lives, enormous size, and incredibly slow metabolism. Thanks in part to this curious combination of traits, they were often described as having entire ecosystems growing on their shells. Moss, ferns, flowers, and even trees could grow on their backs supporting a wealth of butterflies, birds, and toads. Hatching at only the size of an apple, these mythical reptiles could grow to the size of house and reportedly lived for thousands of years. As they age, their metabolism slows dramatically, and they sleep for longer and longer periods of time. Because of this, encountering a flortoise was considered quite rare as they were often mistaken for mossy boulders, or even forested hills as they slept. Some accounts suggest that flortoises may sleep for hundreds, possibly thousands of years at a time. 

While they have not been officially seen in over a hundred and fifty years, who knows how many misidentified boulders, hills, or even mountains, may hide something wondrous beneath their mossy cloaks? Might they one day wake up from their slumber, shake the moss from the limbs, and once again roam the earth? 

The SHOW starts today at 5PM EST on Twitch at https://twitch.tv/justingerardillustration! I will be designing my version live until 7:30PM EST, after which we will be checking out the community entries and hanging out!

AWARDS this month will be given out for:

• Most Hidden
• Mightiest Natural Wonder
• Fanciest Cloak

The on-stream awards are going to be just for fun this month. The Golden Sluglord Community Choice award will receive a print and some fancy pencils from Gallery Gerard! 

*Remember you can upload yours to the community discord or you can hashtag this one as #LETSDRAWMONSTERS14 on Instagram. The challenge is 2.5 hours to do a drawing of the above prompt. I will be checking both at the end of the stream and sharing all the entries with everyone live!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!