Monday, September 17, 2007

CONTEST WINNER! Character In Search of a Story #7

Here's the winner of our contest:

AMBIGUGUS, The Remarkably Unmemorable Man, suggested by Jon Harmon
Okay, here's what I was thinking (and if you need to read this section, then I have failed you, reader. I am sorry). I was originally thinking of giving him no features at all, like the old Dick Tracy character, The Blank. Of course, it bothered me that if any of us really saw a featureless man, he would be the most remarkably memorable man we'd ever encountered. So, apart from making his features a little indistinct, I decided to put him in front of three mirrors, each of which is reflecting something entirely different. He's unmemorable because, each time you look at him, he appears as a completely new person or thing.
Ta da.
Thanks to everyone who submitted a name or voted for one! And thanks to Cyril for putting the idea of reflections in my head.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, Adam, a great job with a really difficult challenge! Very nice!

Mike Dutton said...

I really like this one, Adam. Not quite as eerie as a Mr. Blank-type, yet I do like the sort of eeriness this one has about it. Memorable in its own right.
I was going to submit an idea (a Rocktopus - that's an octopus version of a one-man-band) but I'm glad this one was selected!

p.s. thanks for the kind words in your previous response on the flappy armed kitty post.

Jon Harmon said...

I admit, I based my suggestion entirely on the "what would be really hard to draw?" theme, and you nailed it. Great work!

Adam Rex said...

Thanks David, Mike, and Jon!
Mike, I would have loved to draw a Rocktopus. There was also an Octogoat on the list, though, if I'm not mistaken, so you might have just split the important eight-legged constituency.

Anonymous said...

Excellent job. Still smacking myself on the head for not sending in an entry, but Jon the Geek's was my favorite and could not be beat anyway. Glad to see it win and to see the sketch. I echo David's comments about how challenging it must have been, but it's quite the memorable illustration.

OctoJules

david elzey said...

Well handled. Does everyone see the same reflections in this drawing? That's Ben Franklin on the right, and an amphibious skunk on the left, correct?

As the suggestor/creator of the Octogoat I have to thank you for answering a question I had about my own character: would you assume eight legs or eight heads? There are interesting possibilities in both.

I joked on my own blog that everyone who participated should, win or lose, write stories about their characters. I even went so far as to suggest that once compiled you, Mr. Rex, be compelled (okay, I didn't say that) to illustrate the resulting omnibus.

How creative are we all feeling?

Jon Harmon said...

I have several aspects of Ambigugus's life story playing through my head, starting with his birth and rapid orphaning (because it's an inherited trait, and the nurses couldn't remember who his parents were).

Jon Harmon said...

UNBELIEVABLE!

I got the original. The one in an enveloped with "Do not bend" clearly written on the front and back. It was bent in half and stuck in my mailbox.

So it now has a big crease down the middle.

I haven't figured out what I'm going to do yet. I'd write an angry letter, but I'm not sure the post office would get it.

Adam Rex said...

Those sons 'o bitches. I should have insured it. Then they would have paid attention, when they had money on the line.
There's no rhyme or reason to my carrier. He makes origami out of letters that would have fit in my box easily, crams some things in there that don't belong in the box at all, and other times makes me go to the station to pick up things that would have fit just fine.
They're just angry, petty people, postal carriers.
Sorry, Jon.

Jon Harmon said...

Update: My sister is an archivist at the LBJ Presidential Library, and she's getting tips for me on how to remove a crease without damaging the drawing. I'll let you know if it works out...