'G' is for garbage

As promised, here is the second work in my "Blue Collar Muppets" series. Due largely to the bricks, this took over 40 hours in the last month or so to complete.


I am not sure how many will be in this series. In order to call it a "series," though, it must have at least two or three more. But I have more ideas than that. Right now, this is what I have in mind: ***updated***

Kermit as a barber

Grover as auto mechanic

Oscar as highway worker, or bulldozer operator (with Slimey the Worm)

Telly as farmer

The Two-Headed Monster as factory line worker

Bert and Ernie in food services
I did not go for the obvious with The Count as hairdresser (because he is the gayest muppet). I don't like that particular stereotype, mostly because I have the best barber in the world. Kermit will be my homage to him.

I think I will stay with the Sesame Street muppets, rather than the late-seventies show muppets, like Gonzo or Animal. (They are still called muppets even when it is Sesame Street, right?)

I am still soliciting ideas for small details, or anything major that I have left out. Is Big Bird a muppet? I am guessing not.

--gh

'flatulent' footwear

Thanks to fark for supplying this story, in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Basically, the shoes make flanky sounds. (Yeah, that was my childhood version of the 'F' word. Still can't say that word.)

Anyhow, the sad thing is that there are people in this world without shoes, but this company is forced (economically) to toss out 35,000 shoes -- just because they make flanky sounds when you walk.

Sad. I could use a pair of flanky shoes.

--gh

Mr. Clean is getting married...

This morning I was reading about the proposed Procter & Gamble merger, and it made me think about Mr. Clean making use of his new Gillette shaving gear (and batteries, of course). I think I had a whole joke lined up about it, but I couldn't remember it. I think it had something to do with his image always showing his arms crossed. (He never does the work.) So, I thought I'd do a quick e-painting to collect this image...


I think I had more to say, but I nearly completed it and then ArtRage crashed and I realized I saved nothing. For some reason, I sat down this evening and spent an hour re-painting it.

If you are curious about how "Sanitation Monster" is coming along, you should know that I am working on the masonry right now.


There are hundreds of bricks in this image. The bricks on the right have already been smoothed for the back ground, and I am working on the ones on the left. I know if looks weird to spend 4 hours drawing bricks, and then smooth them out and blur them. Remember, though, this is the background, and I need to do this... besides, it will make the windows pop out more. You can see some of my technique here to the left of the window. I draw the mortar first, then the bricks (and then I smooth them over with a glazing palette knife, electronically, of course).

I need help with the title. How would you title a picture of the Cookie Monster doing sanitation work?

--gh

Valentine's Day

Today's image is brought to you by the ACME Heart Maker. Make your own for Valentine's Day.


Okay, so I have another rant-peeve about the next upcoming holiday. On that day, I will probably hear about 20 people (guys, mostly) talking about how it is a made-up holiday from the cut-flower, gift-card, and candy companies. I think they say the exact same thing to 20 different people all day, and there is nothing that I detest more than repeated comments ad nauseum...

Okay, we get it. I don't really care for it myself, and it probably won't surprise you that I am not a candy/cut-flower/VD-card kind of guy. But honestly, this battle is so lost and those compaints are so played...

Just get over it and stuff. You lost, deal with it. Buy the card.

Mardi Gras!

Okay, I'm not one to post pet peeves, but I have to get this off of my mind. Today is Mardi Gras, an interesting celebration predominantly found in historically Catholic communities. I get it, and I don't mind that it's turned into St. Patrick's Day on steroids.

What I am tired of is this: It is called Mardi Gras. I know that this roughly transliterates to fat Tuesday, and I think everyone should know this. Teach this to your children, etc. However, once you understand this, STOP CALLING IT "FAT TUESDAY"!!! The web is full of blog posts today calling today Fat Tuesday, somehow trying to get us to respect the cultural knowledge of the author. The news this morning (well, CNN and FoxNews) has smiling faces reminding us what Mardi Gras means in English... If we don't watch out, five years from now Fat Tuesday will be an acceptable title. NO!

I was in New Orleans two years ago during Mardi Gras. Wow. The streets smelled like the best food, and the worst garbage. I saw hineys, hoo-hoos, and ha-has. (Language.) I ate Crawfish Étouffée at five different restaurants, each one unique and totally awesome (well, except for what was served on a riverboat cruise we took to the battlefield, we skipped that meal to eat another one in the French Quarter.)

Despite my dislike for "renaming" Mardi Gras, I don't mind it when people call the Quarter "Vieux Carre." Not that I do this, but it does seem to separate those who've been there or not. (Is who've a proper contraction?)

One of the interesting things that I learned that week was the local pronunciation of "New Orleans." The police, the mayor, and the newscaster's pronounce it: New Or-Lee-uhns (4 syllables). This happens to be the way *I* have always pronounced it. I will NEVER stand for someone correcting me on that pronunciation again. If you are a Cajun, you have the right to say "Na-Awl-linz,"(only 2 syllables) but that is not how the city folk pronounce it. And I am a big fan of pronouncing a city like the locals. (I can pronounce Norfolk the Nebraska way and the Virginia way.)

"Laissez les Bon Temp Roulez!"

--gh

I can smell in my dreams.

Okay, so I had a dream where I could smell stuff. This happens to me every once in a while. Usually it is associated with strong smells. Oddly enough, whenever I dreamt about humpin' trash (which was EVERY NIGHT when I had that job, unfortunately), I could not smell my work.

Speaking of trash, don't feel like I've been neglecting my artistic duties. Yeah, I've been busy with teaching and stuff, but... well, click on the Digital Refrigerator to see how my current sketch is coming along. Comment any good ideas to incorporate into this, it definitely is not too late, I have only just finished with what I call the "major composition" of this work. I want to put a cookie in there somewhere. Maybe the shop will advertise them or something...

Of course, the final work will be posted here, but the Fridge can hold all of the works in progress.

--gh