Almighty painter

Chapter 613 Koko and the Cat
A large set of illustrated story collections may have dozens or even hundreds of characters. It is difficult to draw each one perfectly within the specified time.

Scrimbotronx the railway cat and Gus the theatre cat.

These two cats are the type that aren’t drawn that well by the uncle.

They are just two sketches made on drawing paper, skins sewn by brushstrokes.

Whether it is the shiny big tail or the short bald tail, when you turn it over, it is pure emptiness.

When Gu Weijing put himself in the perspective of these two cats.

He could feel a noticeable sluggishness and stiffness.

He did not turn into a cat, but a puppeteer controlling a marionette. Invisible threads emanated from his thoughts and the brush in his hand, pulling the cat's limbs.

If Gu Weijing did nothing, he would be manipulating them intentionally.

Then the two cats would just stand there frozen.

Motionless, or like an unconscious wandering soul, repeating the initial set action.

They don't run around, bark, or rest.

No matter how much time has passed.

The railway cat would mechanically walk from one end of the train to the other end, holding a gas lamp in its paws, dragging its big tail, over and over again. The theater cat would lie on the ground, licking a few drops of wine that it could never lick up, and then repeat the line: "Once, I played a ghost... Once I played a ghost... Once..."

It seems like an NPC gets stuck in the middle of a line.

These two paintings can only be considered as drafts produced by brushes, just like rolling out of an assembly line.

Discard the level of technique.

In fact, any qualified illustrator can come up with a cartoon design of this level.

Gu Weijing does not have obsessive-compulsive disorder.

He knew that if he took on too many manuscripts, he would inevitably encounter similar things.

There is no artist in the world, no matter he is a commercial illustrator facing the public or a serious painter facing collectors and critics, who can be 100% satisfied with every work he creates.

Just as no matter how outstanding a surgeon is, he cannot maintain a 100% surgical success rate, no matter how good a defense lawyer is, he cannot maintain a 100% winning rate.

Even if such people exist.

That is not the result of their good skills.

Instead, they conduct the most rigorous screening and exclusion of cases and are only willing to take over the results of those patients and clients who are very sure and have no risk.

Illustrators don’t have as much leeway to pick and choose their contracts.

Excluding those practice works that were destroyed by the painter after they were completed.

A normal painter will generally be satisfied with half of his works in his lifetime, a quarter will be masterpieces that he is proud of, and among thousands of works, there may be "five or six" that make the creator feel that being able to paint such paintings is a lifelong achievement without regrets.

Then.

This is a very lucky creator.

Gu Weijing was not bothered by the lack of immersion in the two cats. What bothered him a little was another problem.

In addition to the old patriarch cat, Macavity and Bastof are chasing and playing, Jenny is directing the mice to sing, and there is also the bleak Gus and the capable uncle cat.

There is still a vague shadow in his heart.

It floated in its own heart, allowing the other six cats to pass through its body freely as if it were a cloud of mist.

Intangible and qualityless.

With a chilly and cold air.

In the cold air, there is a faint sound of singing.

Gu Weijing took out his mobile phone and opened the streaming software.

Today’s streaming video software all have a “shared screening room” function.

For all users who join the same online screening room, the video and sound progress displayed on the screen will be fully synchronized.

It's like several users watching a movie side by side in the same cinema screening room.

This function is designed mainly to make it convenient for couples who are in different places, or parents who are on a business trip and their children to watch the same video together in the evening and enjoy a warm and beautiful time.

Mr. Sloth watched the original West End musical of "Cats" from beginning to end with him in the online screening room.

During this time, Anna marked a lot of points on the progress bar that required his special attention.

Gu Weijing directly moved the progress bar to the last part with the words "Memory, climax and key points!" and marked the timestamp.

The actress, wearing a fluffy gray wig and a patchy beard, stood in the moonlight.

The cold singing voice penetrated the moonlight.

Floating and misty.

The old times of the past spread to my ears bit by bit.

"midnight,
The road was silent.

Has the moonlight lost its memory?
She was smiling to herself.

There were branches and leaves piled up underfoot.

The wind is also sighing alone

......"

If we were to choose one enduring clip to summarize the public's most profound impression of the musical "Cats".

The scene where Bella, the once beautiful and charming cat, sings the theme song "Memory" alone on the stage when she is old will be the only answer without any dispute.

This song "Memory" almost represents all the soul of the musical "Cats".

It not only conquered all the cats in the cat family, making them nominate Bella to ascend to the ninth heaven and win a new life, but also moved hundreds of millions of audiences around the world, and made the original actress Elaine Paige who played Bella the "First Lady" of the musical world.

It also made director Webber earn hundreds of millions of dollars.

That's the charm of the musical's protagonist, the charismatic cat Bella.

Gu Weijing wanted to try to create an image of Bella in his mind.

But its "naughty" singing is like the mist in your ear. Whenever you reach out to reach it, it will slip through your fingers and turn into wisps of water vapor.

Bella is the most important character in this musical.

It is also the most complex role.

This kitten, once stunning and charming but now destitute and lonely, does not belong in any of Eliot's short poems.

It is an original character designed by Webber for this musical.

However, Gu Weijing seemed to see the shadow of every cat in it.

It combines the old age of Dutronomie and Jenny, the agility and mystery of Macavity, the cuteness of Bastof, the strength of Skimproshenks and the desolation of Gus, the theater cat.

hard to imagine.

It’s amazing that a cat on stage can have so many different characteristics at the same time.

But it did.

The continued popularity of "Cats" for more than 40 years since its initial release has proven the immense success of this character.

This kind of delicate character is the most difficult to handle.

It's like trying to catch a thick fog with your palm, without missing even a trace.

If it cannot be fully expressed, the writing will lack any of its characteristics.

In an instant, the drawing is no longer complete, no longer a charming cat.

Gu Weijing picked up the pen several times in succession, and the cat he drew looked different each time.

Sometimes, it looks as old as the cat patriarch.

Sometimes it's cute like Macavity or Bustopher.

……

But not once did the cat sketch look like Bella herself.

Bring in.

Bring in.

Then he ran to other characters! Every time Gu Weijing got close to the fog in his heart, getting closer and closer, when he felt that he had entered this role, the cold singing seemed to have reached his ears.

He lunged forward.

The smoke was pushed away by his figure, and he could only speechlessly see the fat Bastof twisting his butt in his arms to act cute, or Macavity rolling his eyes in front of him.

And Bella the Charming Cat - she is still a mysterious mist like moonlight in the distance.

Gu Weijing could have chosen just one or two, or a few traits and expressed them as much as possible before submitting his manuscript, just like Theater Cat or Railway Cat.

but……

Bella is the protagonist of the whole show and the most vivid character portrayed in the musical.

Seven out of ten colors of the whole drama are due to this female cat.

The other drawings may be slightly lacking in one or two colors. Gu Weijing does not want the cat, the mainstay of the play, to look like a soulless music box, which simply becomes an NPC that plays the theme song "Memory".

That would be a pity.

"Even with the knowledge cards, this cat is still hard to draw."

Gu Weijing thought to himself, stood up, and turned off the light music on the tape recorder beside him.

No one disturbed Shengzi who was sitting in meditation.

He strolled to the branch of the old locust tree in the yard, and looked with slightly raised eyebrows at Awang, who was standing thirty centimeters above his head, and whose big butt made the branch fall in an arc that he could not bear the weight.

Thinking is always mentally exhausting.

It would be so comfortable if I could just wave a whip and wait for the supervisor so that the coolies could finish the work.

pity.

He could practice painting while waving a small whip and making old man Gu howl in pain.

But he couldn't stop Awang from meowing and turning into the image of Bella in his mind.

"What a shame. You're already a 25-pound, mature cat. You eat so much veal and cod. Why can't you just suddenly sing Memory for me? You eat enough to buy several theater tickets every week."

Gu Weijing smacked his lips and commented.

"It's no use."

"Meow!"

Awang was licking his paws on the branch. Judging from his posture, he was either savoring the taste of the kitten noodles he had just eaten as a snack, or he was wondering if his owner Xiao Guzi was tired of living.

"Come down."

Gu Weijing opened his arms.

In ancient times, there was Wang Yangming who studied bamboo to gain knowledge.

Now there is another person named Gu Weijing who is painting a picture of a cat.

Yangming Gong read the face of a bamboo for seven days but could not figure out the truth.

Gu Weijing wasn't really expecting to see any cool and noble qualities in his foodie cat before the deadline for submission of artworks for the exhibition.

But apart from hugging Awang, he couldn't think of any better way for the time being.

"Maybe... I need to ask Mr. Sloth for more advice."

Gu Weijing’s mind was turning.

"But from what he said, Mr. Sloth is actually a dog person, not a cat person. I think I even heard a dog barking once or twice during the conversation."

He waited under the tree with his arms outstretched.

one second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

……

It's very embarrassing.

Awang squatted on a branch, looking at him as if he were a fool, and ignored him completely.

"It's useless. Come down, come down, and let your sister RUA you obediently, or your sister will come and catch you."

Koko just closed the folder in her hand.

She saw Gu Weijing standing by the tree and curled her lips with some pity.

The girl stood up and walked under the shade of the tree, and neatly tied her hair behind her head.

Awang tilted his head and looked at Koko.

Koko also tilted her head and looked back without showing any weakness. Her eyes seemed to say, we should always keep our word.

If it doesn't come down, she will really go up and catch it.

"Meow." The big ginger cat bared its teeth and meowed.

"Meow." Koko also called out playfully.

Awang was obviously as unhappy as a young wife who was sold to a brothel and forced to open the door to receive customers.

The cat king is so handsome! Can anyone do whatever he wants?

The cat king is so cool! He can pet you even if you don’t give him food!

Cat King...

Forget it. The Cat King is indeed a little itchy today, so I'll just do it reluctantly. I'm not afraid of you.

The tabby cat moved its butt reluctantly and loosened its claws.

With a slight kick, he fell from the air with his arms and legs spread out.

Koko bent her knees slightly, and as if catching a water-filled volleyball, she steadily held Awang in her arms.

"Wow, it's fat and soft and feels so good. The cat that jumps into my arms is my cat." Koko rolled her eyes at Gu Weijing and scratched its double chin with her fingertips.

"I won't give it to you."

Awang lowered his eyelids and pretended to be dead in Koko's arms.

Since life insists on raping it, it decides to lie down and enjoy it without making any useless struggles.

Little sister, casual.JPG.

"Memory? I just heard you reading a poem to Jasmine and the others. Was it "Cats"? " Koko asked casually.

"Old Possum's Practical Guide to Cats, a short poem by Eliot, is also the prototype of the musical Cats."

Gu Weijing interface.

He never forgot that he had heard Koko hum the melody of "Memory" to her.

"Koko."

"Hmm?" The girl lowered her head and rubbed the cat's ear with her chin.

"Are you familiar with cats?"

"Are you talking about the musical, or the little pig in my arms?" Koko poked Awang's round belly with her fingers, letting its four little feet dangle in her arms.

"Musicals. As I recall, your mother likes Cats, right?"

The actors and the characters complement each other.

Gu Weijing found that he had always been understanding "Cats" from the perspective of a script and a painter.

If only there was someone among all the people he knew in real life who could give him creative advice from the actor’s inner perspective.

That may not be Mr. Sloth, who has a high level of literary accomplishment.

But she is the daughter of Koko, a stage actress.

"Of course, every girl who dances loves Cats. The prima ballerinas of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Paris Opera, the leading actresses of Webber's musicals, these are the undisputed queens of the dance world. Each of them is a legendary performer, and their income for one scene on stage is the salary of other performers in a year from beginning to end. Who wouldn't want to play a role in Cats?"

"Asking this question is like asking if boys want to play Iron Man in Marvel."

Look at Koko raising her eyebrows.

Gu Weijing was clearly asking a stupid question in her mind.

(End of this chapter)