Remember the fuzzy

Two and a half years ago, this little guy came to live with me and bring joy to my life. His name was Betelgeuse, but he was soon affectionately renamed either "little B" or our equivalent of "Brutus", from the Popeye cartoons. My dad was the one to come up with Brutus, because the little fuzz ball would stand on his hind paws and try to make himself appear biger than he really was, strutting his stuff much like Brutus would in front of Olive. 

Brutus was a kind and patient little Syrian hamster. He never bit and enjoyed sitting on my shoulder, munching on lettuce or apple slices. He was also a bit of an escape artist and daredevil, getting out of his cage and jumping off my desk when I wasn't looking. He loved to roll around in his plastic ball, so much so that he wrecked two. He was a picky eater, opting more for sunflower and wheat seeds than anything else. 

Two months ago, my little fuzzy love died. One day, while I was away, he slowly stopped breathing. My mum buried him and said that he looked very tiny and was very still.

This little ball of fuzz was a great joy and a nice little companion. He also inspired some of my work and will probably stay the inspiration for any of my hamster drawings yet to come.

This is the drawing that started it all. The "Plooshkin" hamster. I don't know how we (my bf and I) came up with the name, but it sounded so adorable, it had to stay. I tried and failed many a time to transfer the actual drawing into digital form and finally, the little golden hamster was born! Little B did not appreciate my art much, choosing to nibble on the paper instead :)

Though strictly vegan, this little guy did at times appear bloodthirsty. The poor apple core didn't stand a chance! One day, the hamster decides to take a nap, not in his nest, but in the middle of the cage. I almost had a coronary, thinking he had died. It turned out he was alive and well and just sleeping happily. This is when the Zombie Hamster arrived into my head ad had to be put on paper and subsequently, in Illustrator as well.