Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

Art by Christopher Carter

This installment might be a bit of a mixed bag. I’m trying to wrap up some of the early repaints (same shape, different colors) before I start moving into the more complex designs where I keep the basic shapes but completely redraw the vehicle. These examples are still relatively simple.

Perhaps as a nice segue into the redraws, I actually painted out the gun for the “National Park Service“ vehicle (above), suggested by my wife. We agreed the National Park Service vehicles are really boring; just white with green trim. We wanted to spice it up a bit. I couldn’t think of any repurpose for the gun so away it went and replaced with a canoe. I don’t imagine the NPS would use a heavy wooden canoe, likely favoring a lightweight kayak or a rubber raft but I liked the addition of the wood grain to match the natural motif. The NPS is very protective of their logo so rather than recreate it as livery, I incorporated elements of it on the whole vehicle. I like it. In fact I like it so much I’ve been considering doing the other angle for this one. Right now the side view is all there is.

So a bunch of guys from “National Business Solutions” come into my place of occupation for lunch and some of them drive vehicles with this logo and decal job. I liked the look of it and, thinking it would be fun to treat these fellas to something novel, I did this up real quick (above). I showed them a few of the ones I’d done before and then revealed this one. They loved it! Especially the boss who was present. One of the fellas came in by himself much later and I asked if they did anything fun with the artwork. He said they made color copies and now there’s one in every office. The presence of the huge gun on the back for a place called “National Business Solutions” particularly tickled them. Fun stuff.

Applying the Little Tykes kiddie car design to anything is hilarious to me so naturally this had to be done. I may just do a variety of Little Tykes kiddie cars if ever I get tired of doing these.

Requested by my fourth daughter the Hello Kitty Tactical Assault Vehicle (above) is ready for action. Periodically she would check on my progress and demand “More guns!” She still isn’t fully satisfied. I liked the white tires. Frankly, by now I was sick of coloring black or dark gray tires on everything.

This is one of my favorites. I love Nickelodeon. Based on Nickelodeon Studios building in Universal Studios, Florida, but also incorporating elements from a number of Nickelodeon themed merchandise, it also features elements from the slime fountain. I think not drawing green slime all around the vehicle was a missed opportunity but at least I got some on the front.

Final exhibit for the week: We have the Post-Apocalyptic School Bus.

This mandatory ride to school in the war-torn hellscape that is the inevitable future comes equipped with spiked wheels for tearing over impassible rubble and wreckage, a string of barbed wire to ward off the gargoyles, and a nifty retractable stop sign to inform rampaging mutants and zombies to tarry a moment and let the little kiddies get to class that we may have a brighter, less apocalyptic future. As a hurking firearm would be in poor taste for an academic institution, I’ve taken the liberty (while we still have liberties to take) of replacing the giant gun with a giant claw, to grab any juvenile deserters who might think they’re ready to run off without an education and join the resistance prematurely.

The “Safe Place” sign was my oldest daughter’s idea. What looks like rust on the sign was unintentional, courtesy of an elderly lady who picked up the artwork with wet hands. It works for me!