Naked Rat Man
Pen, Colored Pencil, Marker
The Naked Rat Man is a hybrid zombie Mole Rat species that came into existence by eating infected flesh. Naked mole rats have an unusually long life span for rodents and live in colonies. Also unusual for rodents, naked mole rats have one breeding female and worker rats who are both genders. Naked mole rats live mostly underground and are virtually blind.
The Story of The Naked Rat Man:
The Naked Rat man was once a regular worker, just one piece of the colony he belonged to. His individuality had no meaning except for the part it played in the whole. However, he always knew he was different. He often yearned for exploration and discovery and as he grew older, he developed a scandalous curiosity. Living in almost complete darkness his whole life and surviving by feeling and smell, he began to dig his tunnels outside of the colony boundaries, and sometimes he would even venture above the surface. One day he discovered something he had never smelled before, and being a long way from home he had not had something to eat in quite a while. He gorged himself on the mysterious object that lay before him until he was satisfied. Once he was full he grew tired and made his way back home to his burrow.
The next morning, he felt his body changing. His eyes quadrupled in size and his teeth grew smaller. His fingers became more nimble and less tactile. He’s freaking out; he runs to the surface to hide from his fellow mole rats. Once he makes it to the surface he experiences something he has never seen before, and that is anything at all. He has never seen anything before. Overwhelmed by the colors and the lights he spends the day exploring a whole new world he never knew existed. He skipped and ran through the meadows. Unbeknownst to him, he had also developed a greater intelligence, and with this came a stronger sense of morals. He started questioning himself, what is the meaning of life, what am I doing here, what is my worth; that type of thing. Spending the day thinking under the glowing sunset, he decided that he must make his own purpose in the world. And when he came back to the colony, unrecognizable to any of his friends and fellow workers, he assumed the role of vigilante.
Whispers started spreading of a mole rat who seemed to have acquired some super abilities, and was dropping in and out where he was needed. Crime was no stranger in the mole rat community, their queen had been negligent and dismissive of her citizens and in the vacancy a criminal underworld had grown into power. The Naked Rat Man made it his responsibility to protect and serve the innocents left.
The Concept:
The Naked Rat Man is the result of many bad ideas, and a random quick sketch that developed into who he is today. I decided I wanted my piece to contain a sort of comic book-like feel, seeing as it embodies a story. I chose an analogous color theme of purple red and orange, and used a lighter tint to combat the harshness of the black lines I used. I felt that using strong line work and limited colors would give the piece a more illustrative feel. I think that the text on the piece shows a narrative or character like aspect of the Naked Rat Man.
