resplendent chaos

Epic Toupees: Straight Gleaming Lilac Over Curly Grey Scruff

You know how the windows of passing cars can blind you with a brilliant flash when the sun hits their windows at just the right angle?  That's how this toupee caught my eye.  When I first spotted him in the distance, I thought he was wearing a tinfoil hat, but as he got closer I could see it was indeed, the most bewitching toupee I had witnessed all day. Not only was it unnaturally shiny and stiff, it was LILAC!  I was instantly reminded of My Little Pony and wondered if his toupee came with a cute matching mini-comb accessory. Like most exquisitely bad toupees, this one fit poorly and was woefully inadequate at matching both the color and texture of his own natural hair.  I wondered why he looked so grumpy - I mean, if you've got the balls to to wear such a ridiculously fantastic shiny plastic candy-colored dome atop your head in public, you may as well own it and slap a big smile on your face. Medium: water color on paper, digital paint.

Epic Toupees: Wonder Woman Wig...or Woolly Mammoth?

When I first spotted him, I was impressed with his resourcefulness. Obviously, he had found his toupee in the discarded costumes bin at the thrift store. I imagined him spotting a shrunken Wonder Woman wig lying among the ruins and as his heart skipped a beat, he grabbed it, tore the glittering headband off, and placed it atop his head.  He might have asked a passing customer what they thought, and being polite, the customer maintained a straight face and told him he looked great. Thrilled, he marched to the counter and paid for his treasure, then waltzed out in the bright sun to show off his impressive new look.  Of course he could also be a batty scientist who found a woolly mammoth pelt on one of his artic expeditions and decided to glue a tuft over his bald spot.  I suppose I could spend hours speculating what this thing on his head could be, but it's probably best to let it remain a mystery.  Medium: graphite on paper, digital paint.

Epic Toupees: Crispy Curls Colored Burnt Orange

Bathed in the orange glow of the late afternoon sunshine, he sat alone on the park bench watching the ladies walk by.  His magnificent toupee served as a fiery beacon attracting sideways glances from both strolling pedestrians as well as bees.  It sat perched atop his head like a lady's bonnet, the crown fitting snugly, then giving way to an impressive ruffle of crispy see-thru curls tumbling down his forehead. Because he was so involved in eyeballing dames, I was able to snag a sketch of him without being noticed. Medium: graphite and watercolor on paper.

Epic Toupees: An Homage To Glorious Rugs of Absurdity

Last weekend I saw four A M A Z I N G toupees within one hour.  Unable to pry my gaze away from the mesmerizing vision of such captivating adornment, I decided to pay homage by lovingly recreating what I saw so it may be shared with the world. This week is EPIC TOUPEES week on Resplendent Chaos and each day will showcase a new toupee specimen to behold.  There are several types of bad toupees, but the one shown above is what I call a "Frightened Rabid Hedgehog".  The way it sits clumsily on the head, slipping down the forehead so the subject's real hair can be observed underneath is common in many toupees, but the gravity-defying, wild animal pelt quality of this one sets it apart from the rest. Medium: watercolor on paper, digital color.