Introducing: "Hither" Crocodile Artisan Keycap

Hither is a new resin artisan keycap by yours truly at Mihi Mini Studio. This sculpt features the head of a crocodile in water. The name is derived from The Elephant’s Child (which is about how the elephant got his trunk), one of the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling:

“Come hither, Little One,” said the Crocodile, “for I am the Crocodile,” and he wept crocodile-tears to show it was quite true.
Then the Elephant’s Child grew all breathless, and panted, and kneeled down on the bank and said, ‘You are the very person I have been looking for all these long days. Will you please tell me what you have for dinner?’
“Come hither, Little One,” said the Crocodile, “and I’ll whisper.”
Then the Elephant’s Child put his head down close to the Crocodile’s musky, tusky mouth, and the Crocodile caught him by his little nose, which up to that very week, day, hour, and minute, had been no bigger than a boot, though much more useful.
“I think,” said the Crocodile—and he said it between his teeth, like this—”I think to-day I will begin with Elephant’s Child!”
The Elephant’s Child, from the “Just So” stories by Rudyard Kipling

Hither is a companion keycap to Limpopo, the Elephant’s Child.

Limpopo and Hither keycaps — “The Elephant’s Child” set includes Limpopo and Hither artisan keycaps

Artistic Style

Hither’s artistic style is realism mixed with caricaturized character creation. I really love the style of the characters in the animated movie Rango. My own animal art is often sort of an eerie mix of realistic features and textures juxtaposed with characterization that’s almost cartoonish — but not quite. Like Limpopo, Hither embodies my animal character style very strongly. Every detail — each scale and ridge — is intentional, but Hither’s features are somewhat exaggerated. This lends him his distinct personality. He swims a line between what’s real and what’s imagined, throwing you just a little bit off kilter as you regard him.

Launch Colorways

Hither launched in the following epoxy resin casting / colorway:

Hand-painted (cast in multiple mixed shades of colorshift resin, then the crocodile head primed and painted with Vallejo, Citadel, Army Painter model paints and washes, satin varnish)