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We're on a Road to Nowhere

This is a picture from Wizzin', the third part of the Futurama episode Anthology of Interest II (season 3, episode 18), in which Leela is having a dream of being in The Wizard of Oz with other Futurama characters standing in for the characters in the L Frank Baum classic tale.

Leela (Dorothy) is with Fry (Scarecrow), Bender (Tin Man), Zoidberg (Cowardly Lio... Lobster), and Nibbler (Toto). They're skipping down The Yellow Brick Road on the way to visit the Wizard of Oz.

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Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She's often referred to as the "Queen of Soul". Rolling Stone magazine has twice named her as the greatest singer of all time. She was born 25th March 1942, Memphis, Tennessee, US. She died on the 16th August 2018 of pancreatic cancer.

She got pregnant at the age of twelve, giving birth to a son who she named Clarence, after her father. She had sons later on. She got into singing through gospel music alongside her father. Famous songs by her are A Natural Woman, Respect, Chain of Fools, Ain't No Way, Say a Little Prayer, and Think, along with many others.

I drew this picture of her from a photo when she was young.

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Mexican Red-Legged Tarantula

This is a picture I've drawn of a Mexican red-legged tarantula.

There are over a thousand species of tarantula worldwide, which can be found in every continent bar Antarctica. They live for around fifteen to twenty-five years. Their bite isn't normally dangerous to humans, being more akin to a bee's sting. Due to their not being generally a threat to humans, many people keep them as pets. They tend to have fairly poor vision. In fact, I had quite a difficulty in trying to find and draw their eyes.

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Zoidberg, Homeowner

This is an old coloured pencil sketch I did nearly twenty years ago. It features Doctor Zoidberg from Futurama with his very own house under the sea. This scene comes from the Futurama episode The Deep South (season two, episode twelve).

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George Harrison

This is a drawing I've done of George Harrison, who was an English musician and one the the Beatles. He was born on 25th February 1943 at 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool.

He was the youngest member of the Beatles and their lead guitarist. He was invited by Paul McCartney to join his and John Lennon's band called the Quarrymen, a skiffle group, which eventually became the Beatles. He also had a solo career when the Beatles split, notably influenced by Indian-styled music. He died of cancer on 29th November 2001 in Los Angeles.

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Nudibranch (Sea Slug)

This is a picture I've drawn of a nudibranch, which is a kind of sea slug. Nudibranches are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs that shed their shells after their larval stage. Their name comes from Latin, meaning naked gill.

There are over 3,000 species of nudibranch, where most live in shallow tropical waters. They can be anywhere between a 5mm to 30cm long. Their lifespan varies, with some living for a month while other kinds can live for a year. They acquire the stinging cells from the jellyfish that they consume, using these stings to defend themselves from predators.

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Kingfisher

Here's a pencil sketch of a kingfisher. This bird is a very popular here in the UK, usually getting into top places in surveys on the public's favourite birds. The bird catches fish by diving into a stream from an overhanging branch, etc, and catching its prey with its beak while under water.

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Fry and Leela Renoir Style

This picture is based on the famous Renoir painting Alfred Sisley and His Wife (1868), but the two subjects aren't a Victorian couple, but rather Futurama's Fry and Leela.

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Bob Dylan

Here's my drawing of Bob Dylan. He's an American singer and songwriter. He's regarded as one of the greatest songwriters ever. He's been a major influencer of music over the last sixty years.

Bob Dylan was born as Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, US. Originally he was an acoustic folk singer, but in the sixties started to experiment with electric guitars, causing a bit of a riff in the folk singing community. He's contributed to many artists' songs and has been covered by many, too (All Along the Watchtower covered by Jimi Hendrix being a famous example, Mr Tambourine Man covered by The Byrds being another).

His songs include The Times They Are a-Changin', All Along the Watchtower, Blowin' in the Wind, Like a Rolling stone, Mr Tambourine Man, Lay Lady Lay, Knocking on Heaven's Door, Must Be Santa, Just Like a Woman, House of the Rising Sun, Highway 61, The Wheel's on Fire, Desolation Row, Queen Jane Approximately, Maggie's Farm, and many, many others.

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Discus Fish

This is a picture I drew of a discus fish. They're a freshwater tropical fish that are found around the Amazon River basin, in South America. They're also popular in tropical aquariums. Looking at the various colours that they sport, it's no surprise why that's so.

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American Cockroach

This pencil drawing is of an American cockroach. Despite its name, it isn't actually native to the Americas, but instead originated in Africa and the Middle East. They arrived on American shores in the early seventeenth century, through stowing aboard on commercial boats and slave ships. American cockroaches are the largest of the cockroach species.

There are thirty species of cockroach that infect human habitats out of 4,600, so are generally known as pests. The American cockroach is one of those species that are considered pests. Cockroaches may have a similar look to beetles, but aren't actually of that group. They're more closely related to termites.

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Provolta

This drawing parodies Saturday Night Fever, but instead of having John Travolta in the picture, we have Futurama's Professor Farnsworth strutting his stuff.

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Donald Sutherland

This is my drawing of Donald Sutherland, who sadly passed away in 2024. Donald Sutherland was a Canadian actor whose acting career spanned six decades. He was born on 17th July 1935 in Saint John, Canada, and died on 20th June 2024.

He's received numerous awards, including an Emmy award and two Gold Globe awards, as well as a Bafta award nomination.

Films he's been in are: M*A*S*H, Don't Look Now, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Hunger Games trilogy, The Eagle has Landed, Klute, Pride and Prejudice, Kelly's Heroes, JFK, The Dirty Dozen, and many more.

My favourite film of his is Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

***SPOILER BELOW ABOUT THE ENDING OF THE FILM INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS***

The drawing I've done is from a famous scene at the end of the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, where his character has been "snatched", and is pointing towards an "unsnatched" character, played by Veronica Cartwright.

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Cobra

This is a cobra that I drew. There are various species of cobra, which reside in southern Africa, southern Asia and some of the islands in south-east Asia.

They are very venomous and are responsible for many human deaths. The neurotoxin venomous bite from a Caspian cobra can kill up to twenty humans or even an elephant. However, they're also a favourite of snake charmers, who basically frighten the snake into moving in a direction governed by the flute's movement. The hood of the cobra is made by expanding the neck ribs. Surprisingly, despite their reputation as dangerous predators, they are predated by mongooses, who have genetic mutations to protect against the venom.

I want to dedicate this picture to my sister, Helen, whose birthday was on the same day that I finished this picture.

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I Am the Walrus

This is a picture of a walrus. They're found in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of the northern hemisphere. They're an extremely sociable animal, but are aggressive during the mating season. They have very large tusks, sport long whiskers, wrinkled bodies, flat flippers, thick hides, and they're full of blubber. The males can be over three metres in length, while the females are about 2.5 metres. They're a carnivorous species. Its only threats of being predated are from humans, orcas and polar bears.

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Emma Stone as Cruella

This is a picture that I've drawn of Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in the film Cruella (2021). She's an America actress who has won two Oscars, two Baftas, and two Golden Globes. She was born on 6th November 1988 in Scotsdale, Arizona, US.

She's starred in films such as Birdman, La La Land, Easy A, The Help, Cruella (obviously!), Poor Things, The Amazing Spiderman and its sequel, Friends with Benefits, and many others.

My favourite film of hers is... I can't decide between Cruella, Birdman and Poor Things.

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Sinking Shipper

This picture was a request from a Futurama fan, who was interested in the sinking of the Titanic, to have both Fry and Leela watching the stricken ship sink.