There’s an energy drink called Red Bull whose slogan is “Red Bull gives you wiiiiings,” give or take a few i’s. Since penguins already have wings, and they’re as visually whimsical as the slogan, I thought I’d throw some i’s at them and see how they liked it. They have not objected.

The original unfinished drawing was done for a 3D design class I had at Scottsdale Community College last year. It was for an assignment to sketch ideas for a cardboard stratification sculpture of an animal of our choosing. The instructor, the superheroically-named James Gamble, didn’t think the penguin form was right for the assignment, since he wanted us to have the sculpture be built on legs and build volume on the way up. He regarded the penguin as too static, even though my sketches were trying to sell that they were anything but. So he had me work from my sketches for a gorilla instead. My gorilla sculpture was a disaster. I hope to make a decent sculpture of a penguiiin some day.

As a final bit of whimsy, I drew without looking at any photo source two impossible reflections of what I tried to make look like Emma Thompson in the eyes of the penguiiin seemingly staring at the viewer (Note: penguin eyes don’t work like that. But since this is not a Penguin, but a Penguiiin, these eyes do. And that goes for all other anatomical discrepancies!). Two reasons: 1) I adore Emma Thompson–she gives ME wiiings; 2) it’s a REALLY WEIRD RIFF on the song “Bette Davis Eyes.” Ladies and Gentlemen, behold, for the first time in human history, a Penguiiin with Emma Thompson eyes. 🙂