Daedalus's contraption Picture

Daedalus of Crete was the ultimate inventor, tinkerer, and mad-scientist. According to legend, he invented the saw, the axe, the plumbline, the auger or gimlet, and glue. He invented the saw and the sail. He built wooden figures that moved and spoke, and even some statues so agile that they needed to be tied town to prevent them from running away. He created wings for himself and his son so that they could escape from imprisonment in a tower. He created a wooden cow to mate with a bull (long story, don't ask). Almost any intricate or well-crafted invention was, for a time, called "daidala": a work of Daedalus.

Of course, I'm sure not all of his experiments were useful. And there are plenty of myths that talk about inventions of his going awry. (The famous example of the wings and his son, Icharus, for one.)

They say that the most profound inventors were tinkerers first: experimenting with 100 failures for every success.

So I wonder what some of Daedalus's failures looked like? You know, the ones that we DON'T read about in mythology....

Technical Notes:

Drawn on a Wacom Tablet with Corel Painter 11 using: liquid ink, watercolor, oil paint (for Daedalus' skin tone), and a lot of layering and masking.
Commission WIP: Psifigirl
Daedalus's contraption
Ray Lounge
Peacock WIP Sketch