Mr. Invisiblegs

It’s a good thing there’s Toon Club, or what would I ever post on my blog? I’m planning on getting around to doing something original soon, but for now it’s another double dip from Toon Club… this week’s topic: “Unnecessary Superheroes.”

I had several ideas when I began to sketch. There was The Check, who painted big, red check marks on stuff he came across... a cow, a garbage can, a police officer. He was basically compiling a checklist of things he’d seen without the paper-wasting practice of using a list.

Then there was The Elevator… a muscle-bound bellhop with a cape.

I had also considered Disapprover. He didn’t do anything to correct injustices – he just watched in the distance with arms folded, shaking his head.

I actually liked my sketch of Action Pig. He had no powers at all... just a name and a sketch. Maybe I'll post him on here someday.

Mr. Invisiblegs was born of laziness. Since I wasn’t sure which of those ideas I was going to go with, I just started sketching some designs of random superheroes that could pass for any of the ideas. On my fourth sketch, I came up with a head and upper body that I thought were working okay… so I quit. Fill in the cape, and there you go – Mr. Invisiblegs. Sometimes “lazy” is the key ingredient to an okay idea. This is the only example I can think of.

The White Rabbit

This rabbit's panic and anxiety sums up the last month of my life... I've had way too much to do and not enough time to do it. Things are starting to settle down, though. Time for a much-needed break. I better go to Disneyland.

Yeah, I know - those slippers are way to small for his feet. Have you ever tried to find bunny slippers in a size 22? Not an easy task.

When Pigs Fly

As a student several years ago, I applied to BYU's illustration program. They turned me down. I met with the head of the department to ask what I could do better. He told me I would never be an artist and I should try a different major.

Now I'm working for Disney and teaching animation and illustration classes at the same university that told me I'd never be an artist. Never? Luckily for me, "never" only takes a few years. I didn't have to wait for pigs to fly... I made them do it myself. Ah, the magic of drawing! That's why there's a flying pig on my blog's title. They've become the mascot of my career.

Little pig, not too big,
You have wings. I don't.
Should a plane fly overhead,
You may die. I won't.

I should also point out that the illustration program was right... I was terrible.

Chili with Nachos or Somethin'

As I walked through the Wal-Mart parking lot yesterday, a handsome couple inspired to me to draw this. They seemed quite concerned as they inspected the car's floor together, and as I passed I heard her say:

"Maybe you had some chili in some nachos or somethin'."

Did they disregard some substance in their car for such a long time that it had become unrecognizable? Or were they comprising a comprehensive "vomit ingredients" list? Maybe they just realized for the first time that their car and their clothes and their hair and their skin smell awful, and they were trying to find something other than their shoddy grooming habits to blame for it. Whatever the case, her comment combined with their appearance was GOLD! It was clear they needed to be featured on my blog.

Trashy, confused Wal-Mart couple who's stuck in the 80's... you're an inspiration to me.

The Old Man and the Sea

I've always loved being in the ocean... riding the waves... struggling for breath... trying to free my arms from the kelp and sea weed that entangles them... the taste of salt in my nose... and don't get me started on the deadly sea creatures. If I'm at the beach, I'm only on the beach long enough to get to the water. No resting on the sand for me - I love being in the ocean.

My favorite of all oceanic features is undertoe. I remember being told by my mom when I was a child to "be careful - the undertoe will pull you right out to sea." I didn' t really know what undertoe was, but I was very against what it intended to do to me. This old man is a victim of undertoe. Luckily for him, he has a yellow tube. He should be able to flag down a plane or a cruise ship with it, you'd think. And give him a coule more days... his sunburned skin will be visible from space. Here's a closer view of The Old Man and the Sea:

The Patient Polar Bear

Finally... a bear who has decided to branch out from the "all kid" diet. The recent theme of my blog seems to be fairly anti-seal. This wasn't intentional. I like seals. Bears like seals too... like I like donuts.

Shark-o-Phobia

I never miss a TV show about sharks. Whether it's the Discovery Channel's Shark Week or a random PBS special - if there's shark information to be had, I need it. The unfortunate side-effect to this obsession is that the more I learn about sharks, the more I fear them. The only nightmares I ever have are shark-themed... and I have at least one of them a month. I can't swim in a pool without being a little afraid of sharks. I can't sit on a couch without being a little afraid of sharks. They're following me like the Jaws family follows the Brody's... I'm sure of it.

In pretty much every shark show I've seen, some shark expert shares a common message: "We really have no reason to fear sharks. They don't intend to hurt humans. Sometimes they just mistake us for seals." And then a one-armed surfer says, "I was in the shark's home. It was just curious." Just curious! Mistake us for seals? I want shark experts and victims of shark attacks to make up my jury if I'm ever on trial.

Do shark experts really think sharks are less scary because they're maming people on accident? I don't think it's their intent that scares me as much as their ability to bite me in half.
"Help! A shark just bit my leg off!"
"Relax! He's just curious."
"Oh - thank heavens. I was a little nervous for a second there."

You know what, sharks... I don't care what you think I am. If you bite off my leg, I'm holding YOU responsible. I don't bite the limbs off of things that come into my house. Oh, but your eyesight's miserable and you don't have hands? Well then - bite away! Take both legs if there's still some confusion after the first. And thank you, shark experts. You're right - being ripped apart and killed isn't horrifying at all when you know it's just a misunderstanding. Accidental death and dismemberment is cute and fun. Let's all swim with the idiot sharks. No need to fear - they're not mean. They're just not very bright and a little bitey.

Sharks are stupid and scary... I wish there were more shows about them.