Knee: That's a grand gesture, Itchy! Are you going to have yourself frozen? Or preserved in formalin?
Itchy: [Standing underneath the T. Rex skeleton] Actually, I was hoping to be fossilised.
Gosh, it’s been a long time. I’ve forgotten how to do all these little steps, so I hope it all comes out in the end.
Google tells me that the email subscription service is (or has already?) come to an end, so if that’s the way you subscribed so far it won’t work in the future. RSS should still work, and for example I use feedly.com for reading content like that.
Poor Itchy. Locked down; and days until the shopping arrives.
After meeting Hoover, the big male hippo at Whipsnade Zoo, personally last year, I decided I needed to branch out from drawing and painting hippos, and get on with making them in 3D, preferably with moving parts. The (very short) movie can be found on YouTube.
At last I’ve discovered the true purpose of Lego!
Tech note: I’m using a gazillion “dark bluish grey” bricks, and the Spots-not-on-top (SNOT! I kid you not) technique. The upper jaw is much too heavy to lift alone, so the lower jaw is weighted and acts as a counterbalance (they are operated via 2 meshed 16-tooth gears, one with a lift-arm for each jaw.) Even then, and geared down, the old 1980s Lego electric motor is having a difficult time. Note also the muck-spreader on the back!
I think the normally even-tempered, long-suffering Knee is starting to show signs of stress, cooped up with Itchy all day.
Wishing you all good health.
Lunchtime doodle
I think this doodle creature was inspired by one of the characters in Karen’s show.
Finally I can reveal the (main) reason for lack of recent posts… my new book is out!
Containing 108 hippos (and a hippo robot) in 36 pages, with 11 full colour illustrations and other surprises. Suitable for human beings.
£7 a copy plus p&p. Email me to order (see the “about” page for email address.)
Current rates for p&p for a single book (these may change):
UK — £4.20 (first class) £3.80 (second class)
US/Canada — £9.70 (5-7 days from posting date)
EU — £8.65 (3-4 days from posting date)
Apologies for having not posted in ages. I’ve been working on a Hippo-related project, which is nearly ready to be announced, but which is taking almost all of my art time.
Anyway, last weekend we went to a local exhibition of the work of Jeff Koons. One of his special tricks is to make giant sculptures which look exactly like they are made of shiny balloons, but are actually made of steel. The urge to reach out and touch them is almost unbearable.
I was playing with new toys today, especially my dip pen and ink. So here’s a cartoon for #inktober2018