You won’t look at an alpaca the same way again.
Master Tingus is an animal lover with a truly bizarre sense of humor. In his animations, giraffes grow out of flower pots, hippos launch rocket-eggs, and silly imps dance on the backs of cows. (You have to see it to believe it.) We couldn’t be happier that the artist brought his zany humor to our #ConnectedByLemonade project, combining Lemonade’s signature pink drip with one very uncommon kitty cat.
Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration for your Lemonade animation, and how you worked in the idea of a ‘pink drip’?
The drip itself was quite a surreal concept already, so I thought it would be interesting to up the ante. I was thinking of a few potential animals that could extend themselves to the bottom of the screen. A very long cat was one of them, inspired by the famous “longcat” internet sensation. I also had an idea of a random manatee that turns into whipped cream. So in the end I combined those two ideas together: a long cat, with a creamy texture.
Much of your work looks adorable at first: cute animals, doing silly things! But then it all starts to get a little…strange, and even grotesque.
I make sure the general vibe is happy, first and foremost. It sometimes does get too dark and disturbing, and if that’s the case, I add a smile or something positive at the end to make sure all is well!
What’s your own relationship to animals? Do you have pets?
I love animals. They’re awesome, and I think many of them are smarter than we take for granted. I’m also amazed at how weird and interesting they can be.
I have a dog. All he thinks about is food. He also stares at you all times during the week. Like this: O — O
I also used to keep stick insects as pets.
Who are some of your creative heroes?
My friends and family have inspired me a lot, to be honest. Besides that, Cyriak Harris, David Firth, and Joan Cornellà have been my all time creative heroes. The craziness of Cyriak, the darkness of David Firth, and the sheer absurdism of Joan Cornella’s comics. They will stick with me forever.
What specific advice would you offer to a young artist, just starting out?
Goof around more. Ideas come out better when you’re having fun with it. Also, constantly put your stuff out there for people to see. That is super important.
Most of your work is about transformations. If you could transform into something else yourself, what would you choose ?
I would transform myself into a dolphin and find out once in for all what they’re actually planning, where their secret underwater civilization is, etc. I’d have to rise up from the ranks and climb up the dolphin social ladder, but it would be worth it.
Check out more of Master Tingus’s work here, and don’t forget to follow #ConnectedByLemonade!
