by Matthew | Sep 18, 2015 | Auction |
Hello, folks. For various reasons involving travel, fishing, writing things, drawing things, traveling some more, sleeping not enough, and then traveling, we put the art auction on hiatus for a few months. But now it has returned, along with a volley of blog posts dealing with the wondrous global phenomenon of weather balloons.
Inspired by a weather balloon she found on the tundra in Alaska this summer, Robbi has been telling their story. And it is such an interesting one.
Robbi has been so fascinated by weather balloons of late that she decided to paint one. And then another and another and another.
At this very moment, all over the earth, more than 1,000 balloons are floating up and up and up, doing their thing, letting us know how to plan for the weekend ahead.
Here is a scan of the whole shebang, a gods-eye sideways glance at the collective ascent above a grateful planet.
If you are so inspired, you may place your bid HERE. The auction ends at 9PM EST on Sunday, Sept. 20th. Which means you don’t have much time. So get to it. These suckers only stay in the air for so long.
by Matthew | Jun 15, 2015 | Auction, Drawing |
Here we are: another month, another painting up for auction.
The theme of the month is rockets, and so Robbi’s options were somewhat limited. Here’s what she came up with. I’m rather fond of it.
For those of you who do not live in the barn and are not, therefore, able to pick up the painting and peer at it closely, there are two figures in the painting, both dressed in green suits. One is looking (longingly?) out of the window of a rocketship. The other is blasting (gently?) through the vast recesses of empty space with the help of a jetpack.
There is some sort of dynamic in play, but I will leave it to each of you to draw your own conclusions as to what is going on.
Also, the painting features a planet. The planet is purple. It is riddled with various craters. This planet has had a rough go of it.
I told you I was going to let you decide for yourself what to make of this painting, but now I have changed my mind and am going to unload my theory on you after all. Robbi asked me to write a description of the painting, and it seems only fitting that I share it.
The wide, black universe their oyster, the newlyweds decide to settle near the lonely purple planet. While Stanley rocks his sweet new moves, Janet unwraps the salad spinner, lamenting that she had not instead registered for an additional jetpack.
Which is why the painting is called “Honeymoon.” Here it is in all its finished glory.
It can be yours, of course. Starting now and ending whenever someone splurges for the “Buy It Now” price of $1,000,000, the auction will otherwise roll on until next Sunday evening.
And click here to send lament-laden emails about how you have already been outbid.
by Matthew | May 19, 2015 | Auction, Drawing, Theme of the Month |
I bring you today the second installment of the recently relaunched original illustration auction—along with some process pics that show you how it came to be.
First, Robbi drew a sketch. I don’t have a picture of it. You’ll just have to take it on faith. Next she traced the sketch with pen and ink.
But she was not happy with the mermaid’s face. As much as it resembled the sketch, it did not inspire delight. Robbi demands to be inspired and delighted at least seven times a day, and I am capable of inspiring and/or delighting only six times daily. And so, taking matters into her own hands, she cranked out another drawing, this time with a more delightful face.
To this drawing, she added gouache skin tones. And rosy red lips.
And then she painted the arm/fin things, adding just a bit of blue.
And then the gorgeous green hair. And the shiny iridescent scales. I wish you were here in the barn at this moment to see them with your own eyes. The camera does not do them justice. They sparkle. It is delightful. And inspiring.
Then Robbi added some color to the water, to the rocks, to the seaweed and the kelp. She wondered if the scene were complete.
But then she remembered the eyes. Though tiny and seemingly insignificant, the eyes make all the difference. Just a dab of white (especially against a colored background as this is) cause the eyes to pop, inviting us into that window to a mermaid’s soul. A place you want to visit, I assure you.
And then, with some degree of trepidation and against all better judgment, Robbi painted in the watery background and painted in a wash of lighter sky. She worried it would ruin the piece.
But I don’t think it did. Not at all.
If you find yourself delighted and/or inspired, this piece is open for the bidding over on Ebay until 10:00pm on Sunday, May 24.
CLICK HERE TO LOSE YOUR MIND AND BID AWAY YOUR SAVINGS
Also, check out our new Activities Page and download a version to color in yourself!
by Matthew | Apr 15, 2015 | Auction |
Perhaps you have been discontent these past many months while the Bobbledy Books original illustration auctions have been dormant. Your long sad wait is over. The artist in question was recently inspired and has recommitted herself to producing one original painting or drawing or whatsuch each month, in keeping with the the current theme.
The current theme is rain, and so we give you this.
Because you are a the discerning sort, I know you want to have a closer look, so here you go.
And because you are interested in framing and scale, for purposes of gauging long term value as Robbi continues her march toward prominence and fame, I will show you this photo with a thumb thrown in for reference.
“But is it the thumb of a child or a giant?” you’re probably wondering. And although it is a reasonable question, I flatly refuse to answer.
What I will tell you that the reverse side of this painting contains various unfinished paintings of goldfish. Why? Because someone wasn’t paying much attention. And who could that be? I think you know.
If you are intrigued (of course you are intrigued), I invite you to place your bid. The auction ends on Sunday, April 17 at 10:00pm EST. Why? Because that’s what the leading industry research suggests is the best time to end an auction.
And do we always heed the advice of leading industry research?
We do.
by Robbi | Jan 7, 2014 | Auction, Drawing Prompts |
Hi everyone! So, Tuesdays are the day that we draw! And today we’ll be drawing beavers! (Actually, you can draw beavers any day this week and come back and post them here in the comments for everyone else to see).
So, after reading Matthew’s story about Rodney Beaver I thought it might be fun to draw a beaver party. What would beavers do at a beaver party? Dance the limbo, of course!!
Alright! So get drawing everyone! We can’t wait to see what you decide to draw. Just upload your picture to the comments below.
And, in case you’ve forgotten – on Friday we will pick our favorite reader-submitted thing (story, drawing, quiz answer, complaint, etc.) and award it a prize. So submit!
And parents – don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our NEW Parents’ roundtable!
(Oh, and also: if you like this drawing, head on over to ebay and put your bid in – the auction ends on Sunday at 12:30PM EST, same as it used to!)
by Matthew | Dec 17, 2013 | Auction, Writing Prompt |
This week’s prompt was to write a story about this house that Robbi drew. “Who lives there,” we asked? “And what are they up to?”
Kids, of course, had all sorts of ideas.
Tyler
Hotel Hojel Hodel…Hotomb
Inside the house there is a person. It’s supposed to be a sturdy hotel and it’s still sturdy. But there are no houses around it because it’s a really hot place there. Only grass and some stuff can grow. The guy’s name is called Cornfellow because he eats a lot of corn. Cornfellow actually really really really really really loves corn. He grows a lot of corn, but he’s eaten it all so there isn’t any more. Cornfellow is the only one left inside the city. Cornfellow doesn’t have any pajamas, so at night time he’s all naked. There are windows, but at night they are all shut. Also, he’s not potty trained yet!
I just love the idea of a naked, incontinent character named Cornfellow, and I might consider stealing it if Tyler weren’t a kid. But he is a kid. And stealing from kids is so mean. Darn it.
Spencer
The person who lives in this house is Michael John. He is about to go in the war. He has a shield and a sword. The house is really old, but the windows and fence are broken because he’s practicing fighting with his sword. He has lots of blankets so at night time he’s warm. The war is inside China so he’s going to take a boat to get there. Before he leaves, he’s going to blow up his house so nobody can live in it and no bad guys can go in it when he’s gone. When he comes home, he’s going to have to rent a new house!!
Wow, Spencer. This Michael John character of yours is a complex fellow. Not only is he so committed to his swordcraft that he ruins his fences in order to improve his skill, but he’s so dedicated to keeping bad guys from enjoying the cozy confines of his home that he’s willing to annihilate it. This is my kind of hero. I predict that my grandchildren will play with Michael John action figures made by Hasbro.
Alden
Butterflies and Ladybugs
Once upon a time, there was a butterfly house that had lots and lots of butterflies in it. It had a lot of ladybugs, and a lot of butterflies and ladybugs. They liked to play together and they went to the park together and they played on the playgrounds and they liked watching their lava lamp go. And they also liked watching their disco ball. And their house was rainbow sparkly with diamonds, and they had diamond dreidels. Nothing bad happened, and a lot of things good happened.
After reading Alden’s story, I can’t just tell whether or not there are a lot of butterflies in this house. Regardless, I would like to spend some time in this house. Between the lava lamp and disco ball, it sounds like a lot more fun than sitting here in my desk chair with my bowl of cold oatmeal.
Kato
Once upon a time, there was Kato and Alden living in a house and they were grownups, but they weren’t alone, because they were grownups. There was Papa and Mama there to take care of them, and Augie was still a baby. We played freeze tag all together. That’s all.
The logic in this story is unassailable. And so I will not attempt to assail it.
Travis
This is the home of a person which everyone in town is afraid of. Why? you may ask. The reason for this is the townspeople believe she is a witch.
This is because it seemed as if she could speak with the dead, ghosts that only she could see.
Whenever she went into town, people hid in their houses and lock their doors. One day she had had enough. She went into town and knocked on a door. The butler came to the door and… literally shot up through the roof as he screamed. After that, she decided to go home.
That night, the townspeople gathered at the town hall. “What should we do about the witch?” said one. Another shrugged. “We could put a fence around town” said another. “That would take too long, “said the first. “We could get rid of her,” said another. “That wouldn’t be very nice “said the first.
“Why don’t we make friends?” suggested the second speaker. Everyone agreed.
They went to her door and asked her if she would join the town. She said yes, and day by day they moved her house. By the end of the week they had moved it into town.
She actually helped them a lot. For example, she taught them more about their ancestors by talking to their ancestors. And they lived happily ever after.
THE END
Am I the only one who is wondering about that poor butler and hoping that he has really good health coverage? All those splinters…
More to the point, Travis has shed light on the solution to the many problems that plague our contemporary world: we need more witches. In addition to restoring ancestor relations, they could amuse us by offering broom rides. And this awful shortage of black cats could be ended in a heartbeat. I smell a campaign platform for 2016. Who is with me?
Emiliano
The Tale of Nowhereseville
Once upon a time, there was a house. Its location is in the middle of Nowheresville. People say ghosts live there. But from what I’ve seen, it’s not deserted.
You might ask, “If other people say that nobody lives there, why do you say differently?” Well, I’ve seen an old creepy looking lady rocking back and forth in a rocking chair on the front porch. It was so creepy (which I think you figured out by know) I told everyone in town that I just saw a creepy old lady on the front porch of the deserted house! Everyone followed me to the “deserted” house. When they saw the front porch, they thought I went mad. They said there wasn’t anybody there, and that this whole scenario was like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Everyone left and gave me a dirty look.
Then, I thought to myself, what if I was just seeing things? Just when I was about to leave I turned and there she was! The old lady was right there, staring straight at me! She gave me a wicked wink (which was very creepy if you asked me). I ran towards her to see if she was real, but when I got there she had disappeared and the door creaked open. I felt like I was being sucked inside. I struggled to run away but before I knew it I was inside and the door slammed shut.
I ran to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. Then I ran back and whacked my shoulder into it, but I still couldn’t get it opened. It was very dark inside. I walked a couple of steps and then I tripped. I noticed that the thing I tripped on was a flashlight and I used it to guide my way (how convenient). I heard some wood creaking and started to think that if there were ghosts here, I was toast.
I decided to stop thinking about ghosts and focus on my main problem: the old creepy looking lady and how to get out of this place! “I wondered why she winked at me,” I thought to myself. What if there’s a reason? I was the only one who saw her. I found a room. The door was hard but I was able to open it. Inside it was pretty dusty so I sneezed a lot. Then there she was, sitting at a table and asking me to come over. I walked toward her.
“Have a seat young man, it’s time for tea”. Turns out her name is Susan Phillips. Her family used to spend the summers in this house a long time ago. I asked her why she was still here. She responded and said, “I am not alive anymore. I am a spirit.” I got goose bumps. Turns out she was lonely and just wanted some company. She said the house will disappear in a couple of months. I told her that if she was able to keep this house here I could come every other week to visit. She said it would take hard work but she would try to keep the house. Then we heard a rumbling. It was coming from outside. The townspeople of Nowheresville were coming with a crane that had a wrecking ball attached to it and were going to destroy the house! I asked her how we were going to stop them. She was very calm for some reason. Her response was, “They will never reach the house.” I looked out the window and when I thought they were about to come near the house, they only destroyed their vehicle and bent the fence. She giggled and we cheered with our cups of tea! From that day on, I came to the deserted house every other week because of the promise I made to her. And believe it or not we made a close bond.
THE END
Thank you, Emiliano, for such a well-crafted and interesting story. First you scared me, then you intrigued me, and then you made me care. You are a very capable narrator indeed. My favorite part of your story is when our hero and Susan Phillips cheer their good fortune over tea after thwarting the would-be wrecking ball crew. I love it when men bent on destruction are given their comeuppance (which means, in case you do not know “a well-deserved punishment or fate.”
If, after reading these rousing tales, any of you is thus inspired, Robbi’s painting is up for auction on Ebay. Bidding ends at noon on Sunday.
As a note of warning, though. There may be a witch inside. Or maybe a ghost. Or possibly butterflies and ladybugs.
No one knows for sure.
