'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.

Go here to find out more.

Monday 23 July 2012

About the Goggly-Eyed Ones


Of course the most amusing of the goldfish are the pop-eyed ones.  As appealing (or unappealing) as the pop-eyed dog breeds like the pekineses and pugs, whatever we think of them, they are very popular in Japan and China where they were systematically bred from small carp over a thousand years ago.

The short-sighted gang.






There are loads of different pop-eyes, from huge, telescopic ones, to smaller, fluid-filled bubbles.  And they are attached to a wide variety of colors and tail-types too.  My favorites are the black ones (Moors), and I think I may work up some moor (ha) sketches today, with the aim of doing a decent-sized  'portrait'.
 


Graphite sketch of a Black Moor goldfish.


6 comments:

  1. Love the sketch of the Moor goldfish.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't help but think of Peter Laurie when I see photos of fish like this which is odd because his eyes weren't that bad!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know Peter Laurie SP... but what about the great Marty Feldman? Especially in this:
      http://youtu.be/dNTToXKgwZc

      The words 'Walk this way' will never be the same again.

      Delete
  3. Shooting Parrots means Peter Lorre, the actor who was in the films Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon and Arsenic and Old Lace, to name but a few.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I could say 'of course', but I still didn't know him. Thanks to 20 minutes on YouTube, I am now informed.

      Delete

Spam will go in the incinerator. All other comments are gratefully received. Communication is what makes the world go 'round.