Radiating Feral Cats from 'Da Bayou... Number Three!

Nothing a little cayenne can't fix!

No, it is not the effects of radiation poisoning after the atomic bomb was first dropped. It is the result of the ecological disaster created by man, Hurricane Katrina and years of exposure to the folly of the Corps of Engineers, ha!

These are sketches that were included with a presentation for a movie proposal. It never went any further than that for me... C'est la vie!

Copyright Ben Bensen III/ 2011-2012

"A New Kind of Mexican Hat Dance...Feliz Navidad?"

Feliz Navi-DAT!

Well, I was sitting in the dentist chair when I received the good news. All systems go, that is, no cracked fillings, no receding gums, no cavities, no problems. So, I decided to celebrate by having a Mexican lunch. It would be a solo gig and that was just fine for me!

Earlier in the day, I, along with other dutiful and intrepid parents, braved the wet weather and attended a Christmas extravaganza presented by the Lancaster Elementary School. The performance went well much to the delight of parents and teachers. After the show, there was a party complete with all kinds of Christmas themes, decorations and goodies. Because I wanted to impress my dental hygienist, I abstained from the sugary stuff.

But now, reveling in my dental report, it was my time to party and show off the "pearly whites. Ordering one of the luncheon specials, accompanied by a large frozen margarita, I noticed the festive Christmas decorations complete with Saints posters and the ever present, fleur-de-lis.

How Mexican!

But, the best was this restaurant's artificial tree standing proudly in the large glass window just loaded with all sorts of "multi-cultural" adornments. When I saw the black sombrero atop the tree replacing the standard star or angel, or "Gawd Forbid" a fleur-de-lis, I just had to pull out the sketchbook and capture it. Can you say Merry Christmas with a New Orleans 'Yat accent?

Feliz Navi-DAT!

Copyright 2011-2012/Ben Bensen III

Radianting Feral Cats from 'Da Bayou... Number One!

Conceptual kitties from 'da Bayou...

Sketches of cats that, in the script,  are exposed to the toxic waters of New Orleans after the floods of Katrina, which flow to the bayous and swamps of southern Louisiana to infect the animal kingdom.  I wonder what effect it has on the native nutria population...

They are already ugly enough, ha!

Copyright 2011/2012/ Ben Bensen III

Demented Felines from Katrina's Aftermath...

Mini-Cat Men!

Just two quickies for my own exploration in the world of catlike humanoids left to their own devices out in 'da Bayou years after the floods of Katrina...


Radiatin' Cajun Cats!

Copyright 2011/Ben Bensen III

More Conceptual Cooties... The Finale!

Snake mouthed, possum headed, google-eyed, crustacean with a scorpion tail...

What else would you expect? I have a few more even sillier ones to show, but I think you get the idea that, pretty much, all avenues have been explored. Coming up with something that no one has ever seen before can get pretty tiresome. I believe that I have almost every animal phylum represented except maybe those strange deep sea creatures like the angler fish. Eventually, the writer gonna have to make some decision on which way to go... and, I'll bet, he'll be playing "cootie" himself with all the variants, silly and almost believable, too. He's got a lot to choose from...

And to think, the best Mother Nature could do was the duckbilled platypus!

Copyright 2011/2012/ Ben Bensen III

More Conceptual Cooties... Page Five!

Bug with a Cajun Influence...

At one point, this sketch had claws, but it looked way too much like something a Cajun would throw in a pot with seasonings and cayenne and cook till it turned red. The human legs do look silly, but it is part of the script where the people who are infected slowly turn into strange insects. The problem is that we just haven't hit on the right combination...

And, we may never, ha!

The main problem is one of locomotion. The writer has written into the script the ability of these bugs to hover, fly and levitate as it moves from one place to another, but he has no vision or concept of how this movement is accomplished.

"Show me something I've never seen before," he constantly says, but if you've never seen it before, how will you know... when you've seen it? It's a new take on the old adage, "I don't know art, but I know what I like!

It's a Face I Just Had to Draw...

Daily Reminder Art!

Well, I took the wrong Daily Reminder with me when I went to bring my mom to the doctor's office for more blood test. Happy to say, she is fit as a fiddle, but in the waiting room was this man who's profile reminded me of that actor that played along side of Fred Gwynne in the "Munsters" and"Car 54."

Guess I could look it up, huh!

Anyway, I thought I captured him pretty well, though I had to constantly move to get his unique profile, which I thought was pretty, um... unique!

Copyright 2011/ Ben Bensen III