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Published: 2019-07-05 19:27:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 1083; Favourites: 31; Downloads: 1
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Furry Animals
For children with lots of questions and grownups with no answers
GIMP 2. A few hours. Cover art for the guide book of my current exhibition. Written in the format of a children's textbook.
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Comments: 23
The truth is, I have no idea either -.o
The inspiration came from the sort of cover illustrations one finds on older (1970-1990) collections of children's stories, where it is implied they are reading the collection in question - although the book depicted rarely looks like the real thing. So possibly they are reading the guide book in a stylized format, but as depicted it is a general book.
The character concept is something halfway between Fraggle Rock and The Wind in the Willows, with Miss Fox (and friends) living in a forest sometime in the 70's or 80's. Miss Fox is either a spinster or a widow, living under a large tree with her best friend, the reclusive Miss Badger in the basement. They spend the days lounging around, making berry jam and playing with the neighbours' cubs.
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Ok, well... the content of this book will remain a mystery, though we've got a few hints then... x)
I believed those were actually her foster kids but now I'm figuring it's her friends
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That is a possibility. If the kids are living in a separate house, it would explain why in the sort of shows this is inspired by, where the kids spend a lot of time visiting the title character, you never see any parents...
Probably not the case here, though.
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THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
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Thank you <3 Tried working my best with short notice, so pretty happy with how it came out.
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Thank you <3 I'm glad to hear... and if you read the journal detailing the contents, I kind of figured it's give a giggle -.o
Part of the book is specifically intended for teachers (although preschool and 1st to 3rd grades, so way below your age range), since I recalled from childhood experience how most teachers are completely dumbfounded in art galleries when children start asking questions on the field trip. Especially when there are complicated or potentially disturbing subjects depicted, or when it isn't apparent what the picture is supposed to be at all.
To be fair, can't say I blame them. Remember the field trip to the gallery with preschool - coincidentally, the now demolished predecessor to the gallery I am now exhibiting in myself - and very vividly remember very symbolically inclined cubist-naivist paintings: One featuring a chaotic sea with a ship of fools packed with disturbing characters, including what was presumably an elephant fused with an accordion, and another that was presumably some kind of war scene featuring crying babies descending upside down in parachutes. Our poor teacher couldn't do much but agree that, well, that was probably an elephant, and those were probably babies.
Later in the day I imagined the babies descending and rampaging like the sort of inescapable monsters so common in children's fantasies, laughing maniacally and spewing lightning from their mittens. The phantasm was awfully similar to the actual published ending of Drakengard some fifteen years later; maybe Yoko Taro had a similar experience?
As it turns out, it was a lot easier to write than I imagined. So long as you get in the right mindset of keeping at once a very open and very limited frame of reference, a lot of difficult subjects can be rendered into the format of a children's lexicon.
And do believe this may be the only children's book ever to mention H.R. Giger o.O
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Lovely image and design -- It feels a bit like classic cover art from the Brothers Hildebrandt and other great illustrators of the 80s and early 90s.Β Great job!
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Thank you. Perhaps the Brothers Hildebrandt, Parkinson and Caldwell would have planned things a bit better ahead than squeezing it into a few hours the day before, but... -.o It was a good exercise improvising characters on short notice and working the composition into the typography and layout. Only had the fox in mind since before.
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Thank you. I'm glad to hear - indeed even a bit relieved, as it is my first attempt at children's illustration proper.
Had a talk on the forum sometime earlier in the year about what sort of show Fox & Friends would be if the name wasn't taken by a political talkshow. The name sounds more like some sort of adorable children's programme right out of Jim Henson's workshop. Miss Fox living under a tree with her friend mrs Badger, making jam and pickling chestnuts, reading books and drinking tea, and occasionally going on adventures with the neighbourhood children...
As it said in the journal entry there is no coherent story in the guide book, though, just a single page entry on each picture displayed.
Heinrich in his non-canon 1477 incarnation makes an appearance in the entry for Te Deum - Brothers in Arms - although localized as Te Deum - VapenbrΓΆder and "Henrik".
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So cool to have Heinrich seen out in the meatspace.
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His entry was a particularly fun challenge to write, as it dealt with the unglamorous organised chaos of medieval regional power and life on campaign - far removed from the knights and princesses that tend to populate children's stories. And it added an extra dimension how, from the perspective of a child, Heinrich is "somebody's dad".
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I really wish I could have gone somehow. With the little guidebook, I think I would have really enjoyed the exhibit.
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Now that you mention it, currently working on a major project (well - major by my standards), so do not have a lot of time to write longer entries. But when that is wrapped up, considering translating the guide book and uploading it.
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I would absolutely love that!
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Tackar sΓ₯ mycket! =^.^= Precis som tΓ€nkt.
In the introduction of the guidebook, related my experience visiting art exhibitions as a child with preschool and the likes - actually in the (now demolished) predecessor of the gallery I'm displaying in. Pretty much universally the art was weird as hell, frighting to a child not so much because it was frightening, but because there was no telling what was going on, and the teachers and caretakers despite their best efforts had no chance of possibly explaining. So when I first got the idea of writing a guidebook rather than just a catalogue sheet, it seemed natural writing it for children.
Considered writing a children's book on occasion, but never gotten around to it. Perhaps I should. This went over quite well. It was well received by children and adults alike - and a preschool teacher reading the introduction had a good laugh of recognition.
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Why, thank you <3 Painted in a tight spot where I had to move the computer around my parents' house and just had a couple of hours to work with, so had to settle for something a bit more rugged and splashy than usual high detail. But still, feel it came out quite well.
Actually (sort of) got the idea from Agent-Sarah a while ago, while discussing on the forums what sort of show would be more appropriate for a name like Fox and Friends. It really sounds like it would be some sort of adorable 80's Muppet show rather than a political talkshow.
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