Small Ink #005

Seriously, I need a baby hippo in my life.

I have been obsessed with baby hippos these days. They look so cute and silly. There are many videos of baby hippos on YouTube and one of them was particularly cute. It was about a baby hippo swimming for the first time. When the baby hippo came out of the water, he just wiggled his little ears and shook his little head and that was just one of the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! Therefore, for the new piece of Small Ink I decided to draw a baby hippo. The first draft was simple and quick. I just wanted to draw a baby hippo coming out of the water.

hippo draft
Draft one of a baby hippo
IMAG2455
Draft two of a baby hippo

IMAG2456
Working progress of a baby hippo

At this point I felt like the ripple effect wasn’t good enough. I wanted something more and perhaps something that could add a bit of fun to the image. I tried to think of things that are round. This is what I came up with after some brainstorming.

IMAG2458 copy
Working progress of a baby hippo

A lifebuoy! How hilarious is this! The baby hippo was still learning to swim therefore a lifebuoy seemed to be quite legitimate here. I cracked myself up too much with this idea. Anyways, I wanted the lifebuoy to be a bit vintage so I also added some little design to it.

Scan 2017-5-19 20.59.17
Working progress of a baby hippo

After I finished the piece I felt the hippo was a bit off compared to the lifebuoy. Somehow these two things looked weird when putting together. I knew it was because of the difference in texture. Therefore I redrew another draft and this time I wanted to use more distinct lines to depict the hippo.

IMAG2472
Draft three of a baby hippo

This draft seemed much better and the style seemed more cohesive. I was very happy with it and quickly finished drawing it. Here is the final result.

IMAG2503

For a better look at the finished piece, please click here. Do you like the modified version of the hippo? I hope you enjoy Small Ink #005. Cheers✨

18 thoughts on “Small Ink #005

  1. Reblogged this on Ben's Lab and commented:
    Science and art used to go hand in hand. Art is a science, but can science be art? Who knows? Enjoy this little stroll through the creative process. No science here, just the simple pleasure of drawing and sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. That’s okay. I think I may have accidentally unshared it….It doesn’t seem to be anywhere.
        Blogging is so much more rewarding than YouTube. I still have a channel, but I’ve shelved it for now, preferring the obscurity of doing something I’ve always loved (writing) to the eternal crushed hopes of trying to make my channel work. Life’s too short. The best part is finding all these new blogs to check out, like yours. It’s such a personal and meaningful act to share the things we share, so I’m happy to share your work when I can.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment