This is where it all began. By that, I mean, this is the first officially rendered Kizmyt. (Although I hadn't come up with a name yet.)
It's kind of interesting how I settled in on balloons in the first place. In my youth, I once heard the story of artists who were under consideration to be commissioned to create a masterpiece of some sort. I didn't recall the names, but I remembered one aspect of the story. While all the other artists were showcasing their abilities by meticulously creating samples of their work, another artist simply picked up a brush, dipped it in paint, and drew a perfect circle, free-hand. He received the commission.
Thanks to Google and Wikipedia, I found the source of the story.
The artist was Giotto di Bondone (a 13th Century master). Here's a brief excerpt from Wikipedia of the account that I semi-accurately recalled.
"Vasari recounts a number of such stories about Giotto's skill. He writes that when Cimabue was absent from the workshop, his young apprentice painted such a lifelike fly on the face of the painting that Cimabue was working on, that he tried several times to brush it off. Vasari also relates that when the Pope sent a messenger to Giotto, asking him to send a drawing to demonstrate his skill, Giotto drew, in red paint, a circle so perfect that it seemed as though it was drawn using a compass and instructed the messenger to give that to the Pope."
So, what does that have to do with me drawing balloons? I like to doodle, and many of my doodles are attempts to draw that perfect circle. To put it bluntly, I don't even come close. Not only are they not round, the start and end points (which typically were at the bottom of the 'circle') don't meet properly. However, it's a very simple matter to make a little knot at that point, add a string with a bow, and voila, not too shabby of a balloon. So, I knew I could draw balloons. Then I started coming up with balloon ideas. 'Hi Pop' was the first of several, that's where it began.
It's kind of interesting how I settled in on balloons in the first place. In my youth, I once heard the story of artists who were under consideration to be commissioned to create a masterpiece of some sort. I didn't recall the names, but I remembered one aspect of the story. While all the other artists were showcasing their abilities by meticulously creating samples of their work, another artist simply picked up a brush, dipped it in paint, and drew a perfect circle, free-hand. He received the commission.
Thanks to Google and Wikipedia, I found the source of the story.
The artist was Giotto di Bondone (a 13th Century master). Here's a brief excerpt from Wikipedia of the account that I semi-accurately recalled.
"Vasari recounts a number of such stories about Giotto's skill. He writes that when Cimabue was absent from the workshop, his young apprentice painted such a lifelike fly on the face of the painting that Cimabue was working on, that he tried several times to brush it off. Vasari also relates that when the Pope sent a messenger to Giotto, asking him to send a drawing to demonstrate his skill, Giotto drew, in red paint, a circle so perfect that it seemed as though it was drawn using a compass and instructed the messenger to give that to the Pope."
So, what does that have to do with me drawing balloons? I like to doodle, and many of my doodles are attempts to draw that perfect circle. To put it bluntly, I don't even come close. Not only are they not round, the start and end points (which typically were at the bottom of the 'circle') don't meet properly. However, it's a very simple matter to make a little knot at that point, add a string with a bow, and voila, not too shabby of a balloon. So, I knew I could draw balloons. Then I started coming up with balloon ideas. 'Hi Pop' was the first of several, that's where it began.