Skylanders Hot Dog Jumps on Connor From Assassin's Creed III

My sons' intense appreciation for the Assassin's Creed Games, (which they are too young to actually play) makes me appreciate the fact that no one's head gets hacked off with a tomahawk in Skylanders.

To tell the truth, I am a little burned out on drawing Hot Dog-  all those molten cracks really are a drag to deal with on a napkin- but his presence here seems to render the assassin a bit less ominous. 

Connor's head is tilted back to try and escape the flying pink saliva.  And because it's hard to see under that hood. 

Beast Boy as a Yorkshire Terrier

I had been avoiding Garfield for the canine superhero series as I thought picturing Beast Boy as a dog was redundant.  But the question of the mysteriously disappearing costume made me think I should give it a shot.  As my kids would point out: sure he can transform from a single cell organism to a whale in moments, but where does the costume go?  That makes the whole thing implausible.

I don't think Beast Boy is on record anywhere as a Yorkie.  I'll admit that my brief research last night turned up several dog breeds from comic and televised appearances, including one in the contemporary "Teen Titans Go!" but there was not really enough source material to go, so I thought I would just go elsewhere.

Ansel always likes an insipidly cute dog, and I thought the contrast between the fluffy face fur and the spandex costume might be nice.  This is the sort of profound thought that I have at midnight.

And pie....of course.  My kids favorite part of the latest TV show was the song about pie.  And they don't particularly like pie.  It doesn't have enough frosting.

Napkin Not For A Lunchbox 11

From the 24 hours of dysfunctional parenting series: this is 6:15 pm, our commute home to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge.  Since I started this series on Hourly Comic Day on February 1st, it's completely dark at 6. 

For those who already disapprove of my use of the cargo bike to move my kids around NYC, you can add my children's use of electronic devices to the list of my parenting sins.  I used to insist on the reading of books (and still do on the inbound trip to school) but books do not work as well in the dark inside a sleeping bag.  And yes, I am aware of the existence of flashlights.

Archer would like me to issue the disclaimer that Ansel is the one who usually needs to pee in the middle of the bridge, not him. But the word balloon just didn't work on the right side.


 (You can see the whole series so far at this link. )

Tyrannosaurus Rex and Skylanders Tree Rex

Suddenly at bedtime last night, our sons desperately needed to google "Tyrannosaurus Rex fights Tree Rex" instead of getting ready for bed.  They were certain that many exciting images would come up with those search terms. 

Strangely,  I neglected to google the phrase before I drew the above picture, but having just done it now (here, if you doubt my account)- I can report that this is a strangely unexplored area. 

The Tyrannosaur and Tree Rex were supposed to be fighting of course, and I opted for a more ambiguous encounter to make the image more appropriate for a Quaker Kindergarten lunch.  Nonetheless, Ansel accepted the non violent image with good grace this morning. 

Battle Beast from "Invincible" with Chicken Nugget

Battle Beast makes an aggressive case for chicken nuggets.

Ansel has been having trouble coming up with a request for the next day's napkin image recently.  I offered several suggestions last night, most of them wholesome and related to school topics.  (The kids' teachers are pleased on the rare occasions that the napkin has something to do with curriculum rather than TV or violent graphic novels)

Ansel groaned at my lousy suggestions and told me that it "has to be something GOOD."  I am not sure if Battle Beast, a ridiculously tough alien who can survive the vacuum of space and fights super humans just for fun, was really a good choice.  But Ansel did take the napkin to school, so I guess it was better than nothing.

Teen Titans Robin and Komodo Dragon

Apocalyptically, we missed most of the first episode of "Teen Titans Go!" last night.  School night programming is a real problem for Kindergarteners.

I attempted to redeem my indulgent mother cred this morning by drawing the taller Titans version of Robin hanging out with an oversized komodo dragon. (And more persuasively- by downloading the episode from iTunes)

His fourth grade brother is working on a report on komodos, so they are Ansel's favorite animal this week.  Archer was colossally disappointed to discover that komodo's bites are supposedly only as strong as that of a house cat.  I don't think he has told Ansel this yet, so komodos are still cool in Kindergarten.

Invincible and Tech Jacket

 

We are still working our way through the back issues of "Invincible"- slogging through the Viltrimite war while I consider the effects of graphic cartoon violence on lower school minds.  It's still easier to breeze by the sex, but the entrails are harder to miss. 

One of the highlights of these issues is the appearance of Tech Jacket, one of Ansel's favorites. 

Here, he and Mark offer broccoli and an apple for a manly lunch.

Teen Titans Raven as a Weimaraner

Both kids are eagerly anticipating the new "Teen Titans Go!" series airing tomorrow night.  Even when they are disenchanted with Batman, they are usually still interested in the Titans.

Ansel had neglected to put in a napkin request last night, so I thought Raven as a dog might be a safe bet.  We already have Robin as a Pug, Cyborg as a Bulldog and Starfire as a long haired Dachshund.  Beast Boy seemed problematically redundant.

But Raven was a no-go this morning.  Too girly.

Napkin Not For A Lunchbox 10

From the 24 hours of dysfunctional parenting series:  this is 7:15 am, just before we need to race out the door on our way to school, the kids are (not) hard at work, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, checking their backpacks...

They usually wait until I am exhibiting symptoms of total hysteria before getting motivated.  And, yes, they are watching TV, which, were I a competent parent, would be withheld as a reward until they are completely ready to go.  

But the offer of TV allows me to get the younger child out of bed and somewhat upright without a vicious wrestling match.  If he is watching TV, at least I do not have to try and excavate him after he has rolled himself in the quilt and is clinging to the bed frame... or search all the closets in the apartment.

(You can see the whole series so far at this link. )

Napkin Not For A Lunchbox 9

The Kindergarten went on a field trip to the zoo, and Ansel took a commercially printed Ben 10 napkin for lunch, saying that he did not want to throw out a hand drawn one.

Therefore I had a weeknight to return to the hourly comics series: This one is 7:00 am, when I sit on the floor in the corner behind the couch and take a shoddy camera phone image of the day's napkin(s) before it goes into the lunchbox.  I finally got an app for the iphone that does a reasonable job of setting the white balance, but it is still not ideal documentation.  The light situation is quite variable, and in the winter, pretty much limited to a halogen lamp (represented by the tangle of cords in the upper left corner).  And I am pretty much incapable of taking a non blurry image.

While I am doing this, the kids are generally on the other side of the room, laying on the couch in their underwear, resisting the idea of getting dressed and going to school as much as they can.  

(You can see the whole series so far at this link. )

Skull Brothers Dogs

Another canine version of characters from "Gladstone's School for World Conquerors":
I'm not sure what breed of dog they might be, it was another late night.

Kid Nefarious from Gladstone's School for World Conquerers as a Terrier

Today Kid Nefarious joins the canine superhero series.  Archer pointed out that his scarf should have "D" and "N" for "Dog Nefarious."  That sort of sophistication was clearly beyond me late last night.

Ansel has instructed me to give all of his friends copies of Gladstone's for their birthdays to get them up to speed.
And of course, we have contributed to the Kickstarter campaign for future issues.

Monocular Monster

Ansel's request for today was a one eyed monster that looked like a ceramic piece that he had painted last week at one of those paint-your-own pottery studios.  The original was very Mike Wazowski from "Monsters Inc." and so is the drawing.  For some reason, I felt he needed a pink couch.

Dark Pug

A rare untrademarked superhero image: 

Ansel requested a "dark Pug with glowing red eyes."

I decided to interpret the glowing eyes as goggles. This seemed to be acceptable to the 6 year old art director this morning.

Napkin Not For A Lunchbox 8

From the 24 hour series; this is 3:40 pm, our commute by cargo bike in Manhattan.

Helpful pedestrians express concern for my children's welfare.

Bikes are certainly a controversial topic for some in NYC.  And then there are always people on the lookout for opportunities to spot and condemn what they perceive as bad parenting.  A woman pedaling her kids on a city street is like a double Yahtzee moment for the self righteous.  

In my own defense, the vast majority of our trip is in separate bike lanes, and on the rare occasions that we do ride with traffic, it is generally so congested and slow that no one could run us down if they wanted to.  

This does not stop strangers from expressing their disapproval at my parenting/transportation choices.  I've quizzed the few cargo biking men I have met about whether people shout obscenities at them as they pass.  I'm developing a theory that people harass me because they think they can get away with it as there is a slim chance that a mom with two kids is going to say apply her bicycle pump to a man's skull just because he yelled " You F#%&*ing C#+@*!" at her in front of her kids.

(You can see the whole series so far at this link. )

Max Steel

Ansel had a doctor's appointment and blood work yesterday morning, so I gave him the option of going home afterwards instead of taking his poked arm back to school.  He did actually give the idea of going to school some thought, but not too much.  

Therefore we were home watching television at an unusual time and were able to see Max Steel, a show that we had not had the opportunity to view previously.  It is the standard fare of a boy with superpowers who can morph into various powerful forms.  And there's wisecracking sidekick banter.  Ansel thought it was ok enough for a napkin today.

Darkwing from Invincible as a Boxer

Darkwing is the Batman analog in the "Invincible" universe.  Despite not exactly being a good guy in his second incarnation, he is one of Ansel's favorites.  Here he appears as a perspectivally challenged boxer.  

Invincible Doberman

We are still working our way through the complete "Invincible" series.  Ansel was surprisingly pleased with this image of Invincible as a Doberman, our latest- and first non DC addition to the super canine series.  

Bi-Plane From "Invincible"

Ansel was not impressed with my bad perspective rendition of Bi-Plane, another ridiculous villain from "Invincible." I should have drawn a cuter bad guy.

Napkin Not For A Lunchbox 7

Another non lunchbox napkin from the 24 hour series. 

This one is 7:40-8:15 am: our morning commute to school, when we have the opportunity for meaningful parent/child conversation.

Napkin Not For A Lunchbox 6

Ansel took an older napkin today, so I went back to the hourly comic series.
This would be 7:40 am, about ten minutes after we should have left for school.  After I have finished stuffing them into the sleeping bags and blanket in the bike while complaining about how late we are, Archer is happy to offer me some advice.

(You can see the whole series so far at this link. )

The Salamander from Invincible

We seem to be rereading all of Invincible again.  It is only marginally less age-inappropriate this time around.  

Ansel chose an obscure character for his napkin today: The Salamander, one of the bit players in the bad guy group the Lizard League.  I think he appears in the background a couple of times, and perhaps speaks once.  Although I certainly could be wrong, we are only on Volume 2 at the moment, and I haven't slept much since the last reading.

Archer told me this morning that I got it wrong, the color should be more red.  

Kid Nefarious and Skull Brother from "Gladstone's School For World Conquerers"

Our sons are still rereading Mark Andrew Smith's graphic novel.  They are collecting as many details as possible so they can take on the personas of their favorite characters.  The 10 year old prefers Kid Nefarious, and the 6 year old want to be the taller of the two Skull Brothers.  

As usual, Ansel was not satisfied with my arrangement of the two characters, (and there are no weapons!!) but did not have any suggestions as to how I could have improved the situation.  

Douglas The Crocopup From The Croods

Of course we went to see "The Croods" over spring break, and of course, the crocopup Douglas was the highlight of the movie for Ansel.  

As a petty observation, when I was looking briefly online for images of Douglas so that I could draw him, I noticed that he is depicted with three different types of eyes:  with crocodile-like eyes with slit pupils and white orbs, or bright green orbs with black round pupils, or lastly in the posters, with cartoony human eyes- white orbs and round pupils and irises, pretty much like the human characters in the movie. 

Yes, it is pretty sad that I spent this much time on the topic.  Although I am sure there were several people at Dreamworks spending time on what Douglas's eyes should look like as well.  One can only assume that they were at least well compensated for their time.

I went with the more friendly human style eyes, although I did like the greenish orbs.  

The strawberry of course, is not from the movie.