Sunday, June 22, 2014

Egyptian crocodile pop-up card

This is a four-page pop up card for my brother's birthday. It was sent priority mail with tracking to his post office box but he reports not receiving it. And I wouldn't even know that if he hadn't asked me. His wife received her card a few months later and that provided James the opportunity to inquire. It's rather a difficult thing to ask, don't you think, "Hey, did you send me a birthday card?" Now these pages that describe the card in greater detail are all that he has. What a bummer.

The first page depicts a scene such as found on Egyptian tomb walls that depict everyday activity of the type confirming ancient Egyptian's love for life. They are showing what they hope to encounter in the afterlife forever. An idealized hunting scene packed with an overabundance of wildlife of the Nile delta. It is a family affair. It is a wall painting in 3-D


This shot is showing elements glued onto a series of parallel V-mechanisms that lift up and close flatly carrying content with them, arranged in a chevron pattern built standing up with the point following the central fold. It is a very common mechanism used in various ways. Pretty much the whole world of pop-uppery relies on this basic mechanism elaborated in variously.


A detail.


The second page is a crocodile eating a man.


The crocodile's body is drawn with some detail, you can see behind the crocodile my patience runs short for elaborate detail. The trees are all rapidly scribbled. 



The threat cannot stand, it must be neutralized so a separate hunting party sets out to kill the crocodile and take retribution. 



The last page is a fashion show featuring crocodile accessories with models arranged around a carousel. 




I'm hilarious. There is no such thing as these ridiculous fashion items.

The word for crocodile in ancient Egyptian is "sobek," at least that is the name of their crocodile god. When you see the word sobek you think "crocodile" or a crocodile-headed figure. I honestly did not know how to write the word properly so I made it up based on its sounds without checking first. What the heck. Who's to know? I made the cover page anyway without getting up and checking uncertain if I was actually right. It's how I roll. When I looked it up later after I was finished it turns out I was right. This really is how you write "Sobek" in hieroglyphics. Rather confident and bold, wouldn't you say? I do make mistakes all the time. It is the consonants s-b-k. 



Somebody at the P.O. in Concord California got themselves a nice little card that belongs to my brother. I have the tracking that shows the card made it that far. It was never sorted into his box and he didn't receive a ticket to ask for it. 

12 comments:

Synova said...

Oh no!

They don't try to send it through the machine sorters, do they?

It probably got eaten. :(

Synova said...

I also don't send anything important registered or anything like that because, IME, the post office knows how to deliver the normal stuff but they see something that needs special treatment and they do brilliant things like send it to Rochester, NY instead of Rochester, MN... And then send in circles for a week or so, and *maybe* get it headed the right direction.

I've never had anything go missing *except* when I tell them to watch it.

Chip Ahoy said...

It's possible my brother lost it. Hard to believe, but possible. After this happened I stopped sending to the P.O. box and have everything go directly to his house.

The Dude said...

A UPS employee once got a brand new Stihl 088 of mine - it went into their sorting center, never came out, at least in any way that could be tracked.

Luckily it was insured and I got another. But the manager of that facility got a bit huffy when I suggested that he employed a bunch of felons. Rightly so, as it might have only been one felon, not a bunch.

rhhardin said...

One year long ago I owed a lot of income tax.

So I sent the return insured, certified, registered, signature required, and anything else I could think of.

This delayed cashing the check for more than a month.

rhhardin said...

I give you now Professor Twist,
A conscientious scientist,
Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles!"
And sent him off to distant jungles.
Camped on a tropic riverside,
One day he missed his loving bride.
She had, the guide informed him later,
Been eaten by an alligator.
Professor Twist could not but smile.
"You mean," he said, "a crocodile."

Unknown said...

Just when I think you've reached the pinnacle of your pop-up card making ways. Wow - Chip. Impressive.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

What a shame that it got "lost". All that beautiful hard work.

The USPS sucks. Next time send it priority mail boxed in one of those flat rate boxes and insure it so when they "lose" it again, at least you get compensated for your time.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

They certainly got a nice card. It is a great pop up card.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Maybe you can do a new one for your brother on the guy in Louisiana who recently got bit trying to move an gator off the road.

Alcohol was a factor, for the guy, not the gator.

deborah said...

LOL genius on the crocodile fashion pieces.

Chip Ahoy said...

Thank you deb.