My Prehistoric Pals, Calvin & Hobbes were named after the famous comic strip characters created by Bill Watterson (see post September 15, 2018 “The Green T-Rexes: Calvin & Hobbes”). https://www.paulsprehistoricpark.com/?p=2642
The Adventures of Calvin & Hobbes, still bring smiles and laughter. A year after Calvin & Hobbes (his stuffed tiger) first appeared, they were in 250 newspapers. In 1995 when the last script ran 2,400 newspapers carried their Adventures. You can still enjoy Calvin & Hobbes in the various books & eBooks by Bill Watterson – check out amazon.com for paperback and Kindle offerings.
Calvin’s imagination & daydreaming with his stuffed Tiger Hobbes provides fun for all ages. I enjoy the Dinosaur imaginings, but there are Aliens, Bugs, Snow Monsters and more. Calvin becomes Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man and his ability to turn a simple cardboard box into a Duplicator, Transmogrifier & Time Machine will keep you hooked.
Calvin often imagined himself as a Tyrannosaur Rex. When I saw these T-Rexes at Somis Koi, I was immediately reminded of Calvin by the larger one.
They joined the Park in May 2018. The Artists (two brothers & their cousins in Mexico) that created these Tyrannosaurs, the Raptors – Brison & Xavier and the Brachiosaurus – Brandi uses the Green and Brassy Gold paint as their signature for finishing Dinosaurs. I prefer the sculptures unpainted to start, but I liked this color. So, I have left it alone for the most part. The eyes were hard to see with the dark coloring especially on the small one. I used some Gloss Marigold to make them stand out.
In January, Calvin used the infamous “Duplicator” creating Hobbes “2” (see post January 24, 2020 “Calvin Uses Duplicator on Hobbes”). https://www.paulsprehistoricpark.com/?p=4482
As mentioned in recent posts, May 30, 2020 “Clever Girl, Brison & Xavier” https://www.paulsprehistoricpark.com/?p=4828
this paint unfortunately was not a high quality and needed to be redone within six months of exposure outside.
The original Hobbes enjoys a special perch up high in the Living Room opposite Brandi the Brachiosaurus. Hobbes likes his cozy spot out of the weather. Since original Hobbes & Brandi were rarely outdoors their paint is just fine. Plus, their colors really work nicely with the indoor colors of the house. Below with some of the Prehistoric Pals on Valentine’s Day.
I had been painting the stepping stones that many of the Prehistoric Pals like to Perch. I created a brighter color scheme for the stones (see post May 9, 2020 “Stegosaurs & Stepping Stones”). https://www.paulsprehistoricpark.com/?p=4771
It was time for Calvin & Hobbes 2 to have their spot enhanced. More sand was needed to raise the area and allow drainage around their site. In addition, Calvin like most T-Rexes has a rather large head, but don’t tell him I said so. As result I angled the stones that he rests to redistribute the weight. The posts have screw eyes to permit a cable to prevent Calvin from tipping over in windy conditions.
Note: See posts September 15, 2018 “The Green T-Rexes: Calvin & Hobbes” for the original creation of Calvin & Hobbes Perch https://www.paulsprehistoricpark.com/?p=2642
October 27, 2018 “The Green T-Rexes New Perch is Finished” for cabling details and first design for painting the stepping stones. https://www.paulsprehistoricpark.com/?p=2792
During extremely high winds Calvin joins us indoors. Unlike Calvin’s namesake he has been studying indoors a great deal. As a result, his paint has fared much better than the Raptors – Brison & Xavier. However, Calvin will receive the same treatment as the Raptors and color scheme as Hobbes 2. The Solar Rock Lights provide a Scary Cool Night Shadow on the House!
Stay Tuned for More Details & Final Touch-ups on the Raptors!
Check Out these options for eLearning & eTravel:
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County www.nhm.org under Research & Collections / Digitized Collections will allow you to browse their Collections. Their Zoom Meeting in the Butterfly Pavilion was Great! Check out the latest Activities on their site.
The American Natural History Museum www.amnh.org You will find eLearning for Families, Students & Educators. Explore the Museum Virtually. Check Out SciCafe: Video Talks and Meet the Icons: Stories behind the Exhibits! Of Course, I’m checking out Tyrannosaurus Rex. There are Video Series covering Behind the Scenes at the Museum with Space & Dinosaur Explainers.
Chicago’s Field Museum www.fieldmuseum.org You can talk to “Maximo the Titanosaur” online, Yes Really! Visit Sue the largest T-Rex discovered! Check Out “Brain Scoop” with host Emily Graslie and the Learning Resources – many are also in Spanish.
Consider Memberships with these Museum. In addition to Supporting Their Valuable Work there are Benefits to You.
www.Readingtokids.org has a number of eBooks and YouTube videos with Authors Reading their Books. Craft ideas are demonstrated online as well! The Zoom Reading to Kids Events have been a Great Success. We All look Forward to when We can Safely resume the In-Person Events.
www.scholastic.com is another free resource during School Closures. Learning Journeys provided for Grades PreK – 9th.
Make use of all the Resources for eLearning, eBooks, even online Music & Movies at Your Library!
The Great Courses www.thegreatcourses.com has many DVD and Downloadable Courses for “How to Draw”, “Everyday Urban Sketching”, “Sketching People, Places and Landscapes” that can help you as they have me with drawing and using watercolors. Just remember practice, practice & practice to reach your goal. Check Out Your Library to see if they have these courses available for You online.
Viking.tv www.viking.tv has some Wonderful Art, Music & History Lessons plus eTraveling. The Great Courses can also let you open a travel portal from your living room to faraway places! I especially enjoyed “The Great Tours: Greece and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul. Not only do You receive a Great History Lesson, You learn about what to bring and Off the Trail Spots Your Tour Guide might not show You!
My First Book “Is a Metal Dinosaur the Right Pet for You?” is Available as an eBook on Kindle through Amazon.com!
Included are two photos of Prehistoric Pals converted to black & white line drawings for You to express Your Color Imagination! Search online for print options on Your device. Print Screen, Cropping & Printing are available on many smart phones. Your smart phone may even allow You to email Your Print Screen to Yourself allowing even more options before printing. Kindle has an app for smart phones!
I would love to see Your Color Visions for Dominic & Raphael! Use crayons, pencils, pens, or watercolors! Attach feathers, glitter whatever brings them to life for You. Send a picture of Your Colorized Imaginations to: paul@paulsprehistoricpark.com It could be in a future post!
I will keep You posted with information on my Next eBook “The Shy Triceratops”. I hope to have Paperback versions available later this year.
Stay Safe & Well.
“Encouraging the Appreciation of Art and Education through the Inspiration of Dinosaurs”
Paul & Prehistoric Pals
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