Parent

As far as personal art goes, this hasn't been a very productive week for me. Here's a little sketch I played with in Photoshop, anyways.

Though you may not realize is by looking at her, this alien is about to give birth. The Gkaz are a strange species in that their lungs double as wombs, for they reproduce by inhaling spores. If fertilization successfully occurs, the zygote will implant itself inside one of its parent's external gas bladders, which will then harden and fill with nourishing amniotic fluids. The individual pictures is unlucky in that her offspring chose to gestate in one of her lateral bladders, rather than the central one; the resulting weight imbalance is a leading cause of lower back pain among the Gkaz. After a comparatively short gestation period of only six weeks, the bladder with rupture, and the infant Gkaz, usually twins, will enter the world. Subsequently, one of the twins must be given away to be raised outside of the family. This is one of the most sacred traditions of the Gkaz, and is in fact wired into their very genes. Many Gkaz are born infertile, and this sharing of offspring proved to be a useful way to share parenting duties and reinforce social connections.
Besides of their strange reproductive habits, there are many more interesting facts about the Gkaz. Their eyes are arranged vertically, rather than horizontally, but still are able to achieve binocular vision. Their efficient respiratory systems, consisting of numerous internal lungs and external gas bladders, allow Gkaz to breath in virtually any atmosphere, as well as hold their breath a lot longer that you can. They communicate via whistling through the many nostrils on their heads. Their hands are actually modified mouths, the "fingers" highly-evolved teeth. They can spit digestive juices out of their hands in self defense, or to show extreme disgust, or even to insult. The mouths on their other limbs have atrophied, and now serve no purpose other than being feet.

I may update this image with some accessories and/or clothing, since this is an intelligent species. I may not, though.