Chips Haircut

You
The guy on the left is Chip McDonald. When I first drew him I was struck by his hair. After drawing and putting Arthur with him at the restaurant table I knew something had to be said about Chip's hair. With such a glum look on his face, the story just seemed to write itself.

My goal was to feature a Simplified Chinese Character, with the Pinyin, for each new cell I drew. That way I would feel like I was doing something educational for my kids, who are learning Mandarin as a school subject. I also wanted to inject humour wherever possible. Any amusement you may receive here is a by-product of me trying to make myself laugh. I suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), so any levity I can find is a welcome relief.

Why did I choose 'you' as the first word to learn? I had trouble working out what 'hairdresser' was in Chinese, so I went with 'you' instead. I am certainly no expert on Chinese Mandarin. I am trying to learn it now, as a mature (mostly) adult. I can see Mandarin becoming a more useful language to know in the years ahead. Also, I want to be able to read the warranties and instructions on all the products I buy.

Feel free to correct me when you spot my errors. Tackling Chinese Mandarin is a daunting challenge. I am learning from scratch, with no formal teacher. You are welcome to join me on this strange Odyssey. (I had to use that word - I just bought a 2000 Honda Odyssey. Quite pleased with it...actually, it's my wife's. I drive our 1995 Holden Commodore.

Orange Juice
For pre-dinner drinks Arthur looked more like an orange juice man. Or was it that I
couldn't resist focusing on Chip's strange hair colour? As well as providing me some slight amusement, the OJ reference came about because I had already collected the characters and pinyin for 'orange juice.' May as well use them.

Chip's first words were a question designed to deflect attention from the top of his head. He didn't want to discuss the terrible appointment he had just come from, at the hairdressers. I was glad I had drawn his face glum. I am not a skilled artist. I find it rather challenging and time-consuming to create these guys. Yet it is also therapeutic to have a creative outlet.

You'll notice I am in no hurry to change the way a character appears, from cell to cell. It's hard enough getting them to look OK in ONE position, let alone alter their features from cell to cell.


- Barry -