Blur-maid

Because of all the terrible news I’m sad, so I did a drawring. It’s of a mermaid, because it’s MerMay. Actually it’s a blur-maid, because I have new glasses and while getting used to them things are blurry sometimes… or maybe it’s because I’m sad. Hope this helps to cheer you and I up a bit.

Advertisement

HoHoDooDa 2017 Day 5

 

SkADaMo 2017 post 5

As my cousin Karanne said, “Giving swimming trunks a new image.”

I love it when people are inspired to be punny and engage in word play. I feel the absurd and goofy just might save the world!

It was time for a pun

Back from Summer vacation with silliness intact!

SkADaMo 2014 Day 21

A pretty obvious one, but hey…

Wondering what SkADaMo is, check this out.

Fish Noir

RED HERRING

This week’s Illustration Friday theme is “red” and the first thing that popped into my addled brain was “red herring”. So I thought, hey,  I’ll redraw and repost this from a couple of years ago. What the heck, I’m on a roll.

Most mystery novel and film buffs know that a red herring is a plot device used in film noir, murder mysteries and suspense films, to distract the audience away from the more important aspect of the plot. The red herring can sometimes be a character, believed by the audience to be the killer, only to discover later in the film that they are innocent and another character, never even considered is, in fact, the murderer.

Now that you have your twist ending, do you know where the term red herring originated?

Wikipedia tells us:

A tradition whereby young hunting dogs in Britain were trained to follow a scent with the use of a “red” (salted and smoked) herring. This pungent fish would be dragged across a trail until the puppy learned to follow the scent. Later, when the dog was being trained to follow the faint odor of a fox or a badger, the trainer would drag a red herring (which has a much stronger odor) across the animal’s trail at right angles. The dog would eventually learn to follow the original scent rather than the stronger scent.

I’ve also heard that British fugitives in the 1800s would rub a herring across their trail, in order to divert the bloodhounds pursuing them.

All this talk is whetting my appetite for a bit of kipperes and toast (NOT!) and a Hitchcock film or two (YES!).

 

HoHoDooDa Day 15

My friend Vicki likes fish lips. So I thought I’d give her more fish lips!

Hey! Halfway to the HoHoDooDa finish line!

So now, if you really want to see something great, toddle on over to Marion and Laura‘s blogs for the full HoHoDooDa experience.

HoHoDooDa Day 14

Gone fishing. In other words, kinda doing some other stuff, other than drawing today.

Eh, it happens.

So, instead of HoHoDooDa-ing today, I slipped in this little guy from a couple of years ago.

It happens. Don’t judge.

But the gals who have been busily HoHoDooDa-ing today are Marion and Laura. So please, do check out their HoHoDooDa shenanigans!

propagating adrift

Let’s see. How does the above image illustrate this week’s Illustration Friday theme, propagate?

Does it have anything to do with this?
1 : to cause to continue or increase by sexual or asexual reproduction.

Ummmm, nope.

Does it illustrate this?
2 : to pass along to offspring.

Hmmm, I don’t think so.

How about this?
3 : to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area : extend.

No, I’m afraid not.

Oh! I remember now. I did this illustration for last week’s adrift.  Silly me.

Guess I better get working on something for this weeks prompt, eh?

advent calendar – day 16

Alright, I know, I know, this doesn’t make that much sense. Actually it was originally going to be a sort of “get out of jail free card” of sorts. I was just going to post the “gone fishing” sign” and go to bed… but nooooooo, I had to draw the little fish.

So there you go, a cold fish, for your Advent Calendar pleasure!

Happy Holidays!!!!

fish noir

RED HERRING

Most film buffs know that a “red herring” is a plot device used in film noir, murder mysteries and suspense films, to distract the audience away from the more important aspect of the plot. The red herring can sometimes be a character, believed by the audience to be the killer, only to discover later in the film that they are innocent and another character, never even considered is, in fact, the murderer.

Now that you have your twist ending, do you know where the term red herring originated?

Wikipedia tells us:

A tradition whereby young hunting dogs in Britain were trained to follow a scent with the use of a “red” (salted and smoked) herring. This pungent fish would be dragged across a trail until the puppy learned to follow the scent. Later, when the dog was being trained to follow the faint odor of a fox or a badger, the trainer would drag a red herring (which has a much stronger odor) across the animal’s trail at right angles. The dog would eventually learn to follow the original scent rather than the stronger scent.

I’ve also heard that British fugitives in the 1800s would rub a herring across their trail, in order to divert the bloodhounds pursuing them.

All this talk is whetting my appetite for a bit of kipperes and toast (not) and a Hitchcock film or two.

…like a fish needs a bicycle

I know, I know, enough with the fish already. What is this my third fish post?

Well, you see, on Thanksgiving day, my brother-in-law Carl, when I told him about the animal idiom themes I’ve been sketching lately, he suggested a phrase from the U2 song “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World” (Achtung Baby.)

…nothin’ much to say I guessJust the same as all the restBeen trying to throw your arms around the worldAnd a woman needs a manLike a fish needs a bicycleWhen you’re tryin’ to throw your arms around the worldI’m gonna run to you, run to you, run to youI’m gonna run to you, run to you, run to youI’m gonna run to you, run to you, run to you……and on and on.

So what is the meaning of this particular song?

You got me there.

I understand that Bono and the lads meant it as a bit of a drinking song. In fact, I believe it may have been one of the 5 thousand U2 songs we heard performed by The Glass Onion Band, at the Quays Pub in Galway, on our trip to Ireland last year. They love their U2 over there in Ireland. I’ll tell ya, get enough Jameson whiskey in your gullet and you might find yourself singing U2 songs all night as well.

Now, as for the phrase, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” well that’s simply a feminist slogan, suggesting that men are superfluous to women’s needs.

You know.

Funny, I realized how far I’d come, when Carl reminded me of that line and my mind conjured up the ridiculous fish image you see above, rather than the passionate, bra-burning, feminist fervor it once would have. I’m not saying my political views have changed all that much, but I have calmed down a tad over the years. These days I burn up any excess energy by drawing goofy cartoon animals and I try to keep my under garments in a nice, cool, dry place.

As for women and men, I don’t know about need, but a little interdependence is always nice. As for fish, they should probably stick to roller blades.

school of fish

Obviously this is the substitute fish teacher. Had it been the regular teacher, this incident would have ended up in the little, class clown fish’s permanent record.

drink like a fish

A bass goes into into a cocktail lounge, bellies up to the bar and says, “Bartender, give me a bottle of whiskey and a seafood menu, I’m famished!”

The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve fish here.” Ba da da!

To all my friends!

catbunfrobirdishpup

I often encounter this annoying, yet ongoing argument: What critters makes the best pets? Some feel it is the loyal, unconditionally loving canine, while others insist it is the self reliant, yet snuggly feline. An aquarium of colorful fish can be stress-relieving and very healing to the soul. Parrots, though they may have ear piercing squawks, never seem to tire of entertaining antics.

How about a nice moist amphibian?

Frankly, I’m not sure why folks engage in such pointless arguments. Any critter willing to put up with us humans is alright in my book, (although I don’t believe fish have much of a choice.)

Anyway, as this thought rattled around my caffeine deprived head this morning, an image presented itself to my sketchpad.

Meet Catbunfrobirdishpup.

Catbunfrobirdishpup may not settle any pet related arguments, but he/she was darned fun to draw.