Untitled

[oversizedkrait]

My pool noodle and his robo fishy.

I was going to put this one up a lot sooner but got a little distracted. Had it all written and just needed a nice sketch to go with. Got some great news. I have a surgery date now! There have been a whole bunch of doctor visits this month but it's all looking up. Also thought of trying a different style of drawing and it's taking a lot longer. So I'll just toss out my progress so far and a sketch of the fish. Speaking of, let's get to the story I wanted to tell at the start of the month. 

I have had a little HEXBUG fish that is on a remote for a while, kind of a whim purchase. I showed it to Λ and he was as excited as I expected him to be when I asked if he would help me make it better, so I could play with him in the pool. I am only 50/50 on recommending them. They are a cute idea, and probably great for little kids in the bath, but we had to do a lot of modifications to get it were we thought it should have been out of the box. 

If you have a Krait then it is an amazing little toy. A little fish friend for swimming that glows in the dark. Comes in a bunch of fun colors, not too pricey and I have faith that a few models down the line they will be crazy cool. Plus, with a few supplies you can let your Krait go to town on it and not be out much money.

The biggest problem was the controls, they are pretty rough. Fortunately it uses infrared for it's remote so we can parse the binary rather than break the fish open. While I like to play with this stuff, I have not tried to make anything watertight before. I would rather trust a factory that is designed to do that than hope I did it right after gutting it. 

The second thing we ran into was the limited range of the remote. It wasn't really designed for someone sitting on the far side of a pool. My uncle taught me how to make an infrared reflector using electrical and aluminium tape to boost the range of TV remotes back in the day. It worked just fine for this remote too. It's a small boost mind you, so it might be less effective if you have a larger pool or in a lake. 

Finally, the fish can have some buoyancy issues but a screw, some glue and a little magnet works wonders. We might get a second one and see if we can adjust the buoyancy internally, but that is for when we try to see if we can program them to swim in a school.

Really don't recommend the fish for open water because it will swim on its own in a straight line when not receiving input. So if you guide it out of range you won't be getting it back unless you can catch the thing. The fish isn’t too fast so a Krait could catch it just fine, but humans might not feel like jumping into the water just for a cheap toy.

One of Λ’s favorite games with it is follow the leader. He loves to swim in corkscrews around the fish while I steer it around the pool. The kids in our building have come to enjoy this game too and will swim after Λ in their own splashy way.

I have gotten some more traditional toys for Λ as well. All the basics like sinker rings, pool noodles (the foam ones), a pair of ducks and frogs who squirt water when you squeeze them. Not as much fun to talk about but still great for pool time.

P.S.

The castle is my favorite, a pretty famous one, but I thought a grassy field and some champion in the foreground would look great for a fantasy picture. Line art is so hard, all my praise and hero worship to those of you who make it look easy.

[oversizedkrait]

Fun in the sun with new friends.

Let’s dive in.

Things have been hectic but we got some good news finally about my back. Now for another Λ story and a picture of him playing with his duckies!

Λ has been a delight that far exceeds my ability to keep up with drawing all of it. I have been wanting to post about all the fun we have been having around the water but I will definitely have to break it up into a few of them.

For those who don’t know, Kraits are an aquatic snake bitty so they need access to water to stay happy and healthy. Otherwise their scales can easily become dry and irritated. When adopting a Krait you really want to make sure you can provide a space for them to swim. Usually a bathtub will serve just fine for a full sized one and I have heard about miniatures who enjoy making friends with their keeper’s pet fish.

I know I spoil Λ, but it gives me a sense of control through everything that is going on. Not that he complains any.

Our apartment has a heated pool that is open year round. The lake is just a short five minute drive away for cooling off in the summer. And if we want to have an adventure the ocean is less than thirty minutes away. Λ’s size makes it a bit hard for him to swim in the apartment’s bathtub but he still gets a daily bath, on top of a daily swim, with all the toys and luxuries he could want.

The apartment’s pool has a nice lounging area so I can relax and play with Λ while he has his mid day swim without getting wet myself. I won’t be starting the swimming part of my physical therapy until after the surgery so I still have to keep my activity to a minimum. They did some new landscaping around the pool and it has turned out to be quite a lovely little place to relax.

The kids here are total sweethearts, never had a noise complaint, helpful with bringing things up the stairs and will apologize if they feel a friend who is over is being out of line (not that I thought they were). I know I didn’t show that level of maturity at their age so it always catches me off guard in the best of ways. Between their temperament and the promise of friends to swim with I was never worried about Λ getting along with any of them.

When they first met Λ he was feeling pretty shy and just wanted to hide in my coat with me. Normal Krait things and to be expected, thus the hoodie in the middle of summer. He got over that fairly quickly after watching all the fun they were having with me tossing toys into the pool. It’s hard for a Krait to pass up pool fun and I would have been extremely worried about his health if he had.

His mid day swim has become a little event at the pool, almost as anticipated as the ice cream man. The parents are happy to let their kids be watched for an hour or two where they are safe and active. Λ gets to swim with friends and lots of hugs. Two of the little girls are extreme huggers and their swimming has improved since playing with Λ. More swimming like and less drowning flail.

Was going to write about our Hexbug project but felt I needed to explain a few things first. And I can’t pass up a chance to draw my pool noodle being his graceful self. Next time robots!

[oversizedkrait]

If you give a Krait a Lego.

It's been awhile since I sat down to draw anything. The past several weeks have not been kind. I’ve had a complication with my back that has made trying to stay positive a struggle. But no one really wants to hear sob stories, so on to my goof noodle.

This is the sketch I gave up on, on our lazy weekend. It's of Λ’s excitement over the robotics kits when he first got home. He was so adorable. I don’t think I even got close to capturing it. We’ve had some wonderful bonding as I taught him how to program the base units. Λ is so freaking clever. I know, I know, he's a Krait, it comes with the territory. But it really is one thing to read or hear about it, and a completely different matter watching it first hand.

I got my hands on a copy of House of Leaves and we have been having a great time puzzling it apart together. He's been extremely supportive since my fall, hardly leaving my side unless it's to get me something. So I thought a book that was a little more engaging than just the classics would be fun.

I was only feeling so so about this sketch, but it's starting to grow on me. Maybe I'll finish it for next time. Or I'll do something with him swimming. I have a few stories with Λ being adorable at the pool. And more chances to draw noodle tails.

Edited for grammar.

[vex-bittys]

*First of all, Lamda has the cutest little happy face, and I’m glad you decided to post it. Secondly, I am really sorry to hear about your back. Third, I looked up that book and it sounds like a perfect book to share with a Krait as you go through the twists and turns of the story (and turn the book sideways for some pages according to Wikipedia?)

[oversizedkrait]

Oh yes! It is full of all sorts of wonderful strangeness like that. Take a look at this page.

[oversizedkrait]

If you give a Krait a Lego.

It's been awhile since I sat down to draw anything. The past several weeks have not been kind. I’ve had a complication with my back that has made trying to stay positive a struggle. But no one really wants to hear sob stories, so on to my goof noodle.

This is the sketch I gave up on, on our lazy weekend. It's of Λ’s excitement over the robotics kits when he first got home. He was so adorable. I don’t think I even got close to capturing it. We’ve had some wonderful bonding as I taught him how to program the base units. Λ is so freaking clever. I know, I know, he's a Krait, it comes with the territory. But it really is one thing to read or hear about it, and a completely different matter watching it first hand.

I got my hands on a copy of House of Leaves and we have been having a great time puzzling it apart together. He's been extremely supportive since my fall, hardly leaving my side unless it's to get me something. So I thought a book that was a little more engaging than just the classics would be fun.

I was only feeling so so about this sketch, but it's starting to grow on me. Maybe I'll finish it for next time. Or I'll do something with him swimming. I have a few stories with Λ being adorable at the pool. And more chances to draw noodle tails.

Edited for grammar.

[oversizedkrait]

Lazy weekend reading

Just a lazy weekend spent reading and drawing. Been trying, and failing at, drawing some more. Struggled with the same sketch for over a week now. Gave up and this came out in a few hours. Progress is progress so I won’t be disappointed with how it turned out. Λ’s reading the Botanical Bible, I was not going to try and draw the pictures in that book. It’s a fun read if you have a passing interest in plants and has a ton of pictures for those less inclined toward hard sciences.

[oversizedkrait]

No place like nest.

Today’s sketch has far too little Λ for my liking, but I felt it was important to talk about his nest. Kraits like being with you more than being alone but you should still provide a space for them that is theirs. They can be quite shy little things so if they need some alone time to decompress they should have somewhere to go.

I had a space between my bed and the bookcases on that wall. Was looking for a skinny bookcase to fit there, but it’s just a little wider than a queen size pillow. Using the pillow as a base I laid down a lapghan (small blanket for sitting on the couch) folded to provide some extra comfort. Added two lumbar rolls along the side against my bed and a packable down blanket that rolls up along the wall. I wanted to make sure it was soft and warm for him but moddable for the different seasons. No need to ever be too hot or too cold.

I hung a long shawl between the top of my bed and the bookcase so he can have a little roof to make it extra cozy. It can be flipped down to close the space off from the world. I tucked in a small battery powered lantern so Λ can still have some reading light in the evening or when he wants to shut out the world.

Making a sort of half wall that is level with the end of my bed is my (his now) box of legos. I have two complete sets of mindstorms and a whole bunch of parts I bought off some classmates at Uni. I have donated my old laptop to the cause as well so Λ can code to his heart’s content. When I said I was a nerd I didn’t mean in the “Teehee, I like games and comics,” kind of way.

There is more I am sure I could add to Λ’s nest, I am sure as time goes on I will. He has free range of the apartment though so anything he feels he is lacking he can just snag as he sees fit.

[oversizedkrait]

Adoption Day!

Noodly tails are fun, I could draw them all day long. Clothes on the other hand are giving me a headache. I am pretty sure the perspective changes at least three times in this. And I had to fix the scale just as many times. I am going to have to do more exercises with DrawaABox this week.

Regardless of my inability to draw (for now), I think all Kraits have a thing for getting into pockets, regardless of their size. They just love to stowaway.

Λ is quite big for a Krait, right around the seven foot mark. He’s still a Krait so he’s just a long, skinny, sea noodle. Pretty much all tail. Pockets are a little small for him but it doesn’t stop him from trying. I think it’s become a game for him because he knows it makes me laugh every time.

Fortunately for him, I favor oversized jackets so he hasn’t gotten his head stuck too many times. And I can just zip it up a bit for him so he can crawl into my lap to feel secure.

Edited for grammar.

[oversizedkrait]

Hello World!

Bad back anon here. I have an abundance of free time with my injury and need to distract myself from the pain. So I thought I would learn to draw. And what better way to learn than to draw my goof noodle.

This is Λ, named for the cosmological constant, with my stuffed octopus. He is a Krait from @vex-bittys. I am a nerd. We make a great pair.

I want to apologize upfront for any mistakes I make on this platform. I've never done anything like this before and am sure there will be a learning curve.

It's not a great sketch of him, but turned out way better than expected. Vex always says she likes to see peoples art of their adoptees so I figured making this would be a nice and easy way to show her my sketches as I go along.