I haven't been able to decide where I'm going with this one but here it is anyway. I don't know if something like it will get painted but the sheer silliness appealed to me on this last weekend of January. Are they passing a line of snarled traffic? Is it day? night? winter? summer? desert? beach? Does anyone remember the pogo stick? Nasty things designed for ridding the world of children as I remember.Sometimes the simplest things can be the most difficult. Is it Spring yet?
I love that picture and of course I remember the pogo stick! In fact, my granddaughter asked for one from Santa a few years back, it was the only thing she wanted.
ReplyDeleteI don't know...a beach might be hard to bounce with a pogo stick, you need a hard surface. I like the idea of a beautiful sunny Spring day, with the wind blowing and a few wispy clouds in the background. And bright green shoes for the ostrich, of course, because no ostrich with any fashion sense would wear red ones. ;-)
I know you're not going to like this, but children's book author/illustrator? Have you tried it?
ReplyDeletenunly - I wasn't sure they were still made so it's pretty cool to hear she wanted one.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that the beach is a bad idea. Besides, the kid is wearing a snow suit so I might have to continue with that in mind. Green might be a good color for ostrich sneakers :-)
lisa - Dammit girl, I can't write! The odd cute picture is one thing but I have no clue about developing a narrative for kids. Me and Sponge Bob don't relate.
An illustrator does not have to be the author as well. In fact, some of the best illustrations in kids books are from people who get the story and are told to illustrate it. Different illustrators do different things. I hear about this from the author's end mostly. They write the book but don't have any control over what the illustrations will look like. They could write a story about people but when the book is published it could illustrate hippos or ants or cats instead.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you can draw :)
As always, your art delights me! I think I may have asked you if you were an illustrator when I first 'met' you, and Bibliophilia says the rest for me! One of my artist friends has illustrated many books but doesn't write them.
ReplyDeleteReally - is it Spring yet? Geeze this winter has been long... I remember the pogo stick. I think one of my brothers received one for Christmas one year. I don't remember it getting too much use. Could they be in a parade?
ReplyDeleteThey are crossing a busy street or goofing around at a market....
ReplyDeletedamn if it's going to rain again... next we will fall off into the ocean, just watch me..
ReplyDeletethis is so cool, YOUR imagination is beyond mine and those shoes on that ostrich say more than anything else... did you know that? ;)
is it spring yet? tell me it's spring, please?
xoxoxox -- i know, it's worse there right?
maybe i will go write a story for your drawing-not that i relate to sponge but... we will make a ton of money and never have to worry about anything again... maybe lisa should write the story, a much better idea!
well, i will shut up now... too weird comments in a row is enough for the week.
bib - I know it's a rare thing to find a children's book author and illustrator in the same person - not many since Seuss, anyway. I do know an illustrator has to be known but I don't have any professional affiliations among publishers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by. I promise to reciprocate.
marja-leena - I'm just an illustrator of the things that appear in my imagination if that counts. My wage earning occupations have been far more prosaic - maybe because I don't manage well with being expected to draw particular subjects.
nancy - Yes, it's been a long winter but I'm glad it's just been a rainy one here rather than cold like last year.
I'm not sure I ever saw pogo sticks used very often :-)
zee - Could be :-)
linda - I just liked the idea of the ostrich wearing running shoes. It seemed logical :-)
Of course, the weather's worse here than there but it hasn't been as bad as it could have been.
I hate to tell you but I think one only makes a ton of money from writing and illustrating for children if one is already famous and has tons of money. It's fun but not profitable.
I love your comments as they are :-)
susan: you *must* go into the business of designing pogo sticks. honestly, if i saw that stick in a store, i'd buy it. even if i didn't pogo with it, i'd want it in my living room, next to the rocking horse.
ReplyDeleteas to your photo, it's obvious they are hurrying-- perhaps to save a falling star-- and the sky is blue, because who, pray tell, would pogo at night?
add: a falling yellow star against a blue sky.
sera - I just started putting the palette together this evening and the ostrich is beginning to gain a little color. There's a background taking shape in the small space that I think I'm going to like. It's not unlike what you've suggested :-)
ReplyDeleteI could design the pogo sticks but I know no pogo makers and am a danger to myself and others in a carpentry shop.
Susan
ReplyDeleteOn the pogo stick your happy wonderful character can keep up with the incredibly powerful and fast ostrich whose sporting those stylish running shoes !. what a funny but engaing picture !
Best wishes
I remember those, but really, they still make them? Betcha there's a pogo stick game on the Wii soon enough, pogo stick sold separately.
ReplyDeleteIt's summer and they are at a fair! :-)
ReplyDeletelindsay - It seemed like a good idea at the time and what a good way of keeping pace, eh?
ReplyDeleterandal - I think our neighbors already have one of those.
pagan sphinx - Good idea but I should have used a bigger piece of paper to do a fair justice ;-)
the simplest things are only difficult if you make them so.
ReplyDeletethe liability price of a pogo stick surely exceeds its cost.
i can't wait to see what you have planned. i *know* it will be special.
sera - Yes, but it's also easy to overcomplicate things once the monkey mind starts jumping. It's coming along but I'm not going to push anything that doesn't go smoothly. Now I'm thinking kangaroo :-)
ReplyDeletethats my problem. i always want to finish things. i don't have the patience you do.
ReplyDeletethe good thing about that is i get a lot of things done. but i feel backlogged. there is always the 'next thing' to do.
i wish i could sit by a sparkling pool with a kangaroo.
sera - Once upon a time I used to get more things done too. I can no longer remember how :-) Thank goodness we're all different.
ReplyDeleteI am very glad to see from these comments that this is getting painted. The visual echoes between the ostrich and the roundish child on the pogo-stick are wonderful. And they make me think there are more creatures and kids in line before and after these. I picture a whole promenade.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can hardly wait to see if the ostrich does end up with green shoes...
steve - Actually, I finished the main part today and will paint the border tomorrow. I read the other day that the ancestors of flightless birds landed permanently when the last of the big dinosaurs were gone. Then there was so much food available they got fat :-) A parade is always a good idea.
ReplyDelete