Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

It's a Christmas Muralcle has officially reached the halfway point, aka long past the point where Dave thought I'd give up in a cloud of chalk dust and broken dreams. Congratulations to everyone!

This drawing was helped immensely by a trip to Blick's art store, where I loaded up on new pastels, discovered pigment sticks, and bought as much white chalk as I could carry. Even the cashier was amused! "I love seeing all the random stuff people buy," she said, ringing me up. "Like with you--it just makes me wonder what the heck you're up to!" I was ready to explain it all to her but then she waved me away for the next customer. Loves the mystery, I guess.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer! This one is a special shout out to my three-year-old nephew, Adam, who this Thanksgiving gave me an impromptu ocean-side concert of selected Christmas time hits and seemed particularly enamored of Rudolph.*

I was pretty impressed with how Hermey's head turned out. In real life, it is even more chillingly 3D than this picture, and I keep expecting him to pop out from the chalkboard and give me a dental check-up.

Dave's first-view reaction: AAAAwwwwww! (mumbled in a nasally voice) I don't wanna wear this new nose!


*Sample lyric: Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer! Had a shiny nose! And if you saw it! You would say it glows! (confused muttering as he tries to remember the next line) The...the...other reindeer! Had a very shiny nose! And if you saw it! You would say it glows! (The whole song lasted approximately twenty minutes)

To be honest, Hermey has the right idea. He would be the only dentist in a land where people's diet consists
mostly of cookie handouts and candy cane forests. Santa's elves need to unionize and demand some basic health benefits.

Rudy! Not to be confused with Ruuuuuuuudy!

For all you Scrooges out there, the nihilist's explanation for Rudoph's red nose