by Matthew | Jun 3, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
As we prepare to bid farewell to May’s Under the Sea theme (oh, how we shall miss thee!), I am delighted to share one final kid-submitted drawing, this one from Everett B.
This is what Everett had to say about his drawing:
“The Ornithocheirus [like a pterodactyl, beak protruding down from top of image] is trying to get the other fish. The yellow one is just a fish. The red one is a seahorse. The blue rock has sea cucumbers on it. And then there is an anemone with lots of colors.”
I appreciate Everett’s description. But not as much as I appreciate that lovely yellow fish. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to successfully draw a fish from that angle, pointing directly toward you, with its tail off to one side? Well, let me tell you, it is extremely hard. Even Robbi agrees, and she has an advanced degree in illustration.
Also, I love the composition here, and by “composition,” I mean the ways in which the various creatures are arranged. I love that we only see the beak of the menacing Ornithocherius, because the beak is the only part of the Orithocherius that matters to the yellow fish, who is clearly not happy about that beak entering his otherwise cozy space. I also love how the seahorse, anemone, and rock of sea cucumbers sort of clusters around the yellow fish, helping us get a sense of his environment.
But let there no doubt about it: this drawing is about the yellow fish and whether or not he is the next to be eaten.
Do you think he will be? We have no idea. And that is what makes the drawing so interesting.
Well done, Everett! More please! Perhaps you will send us another drawing? I have it on good authority that next month’s theme will be posted soon!
by Matthew | May 30, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
Those of you who frequent this blog will be, by now, well familiar with the work of Simon B., he whose imaginative emulation of the machines from Bobbledy title Benji McBean’s Amazing Machines is unending and ever-awesome.
Check out his latest contrivance (picking up on the current Under the Sea theme), The Thresher-Thudding, Hammerhead-Hitting, Silvertip-Splitting System.
While we appreciate Simon’s efforts to rid the seas of one of its chief predators, we feel it important to spend a few minutes in defense of the shark, and, in particular, to dispelling certain myths about the problems they cause.
For example:
In 1996, toilets injured 43,000 Americans a year. Sharks injured 13.
Further:
In 1996, buckets and pails injured almost 11,000 Americans. Sharks injured 13.
If you are not yet convinced:
In 1996, 2600 Americans were injured by room fresheners. Sharks injured 13.
Pretty compelling stuff, if you ask me. Although, we have no idea what has happened in the shark vs. toilet matchup since 1996. Perhaps there was a general shark pacifism movement afoot that year. Or maybe the factories were in the midst of producing truly lethal air fresheners. We may never know.
But perhaps Simon does?
by Robbi | May 27, 2015 | Giveaways, Reader Submitted |
We are pleased to announce that the winner of last month’s contributor trophy is Roan, for his excellent drawing of Sunset the Horse and his demanding cowboy rider! Check it out HERE.
Congratulations, Roan! You have won your choice of any book (or CD) from our catalog! Browse around HERE and then write me an email with your choice so I can put it in the mail for you!
We always love hearing from all of you out there. If any of the rest of you are interested in winning a free book or CD, send us something to post on the blog and you’re in the running! You’ve got 4 more days left to enter May’s giveaway – email us something or post it to the Bobbledy Facebook page.
by Matthew | May 22, 2015 | Fun Things to Do, Reader Submitted |
Last week, Robbi painted a mermaid.
The original is currently on the auction blocks, but the painting above was only a small part of Robbi’s intention when making this drawing. The other plan was to create a coloring sheet that kids could download, print out, and magnificently decorate.
The original, which may be downloaded here, hint, hint, looks like this:
But when placed in the expert hands of Bobbledy Club member Calli R., it looks like this.
We have a gallery of mermaids hanging in the hallway. Because, you see, you may download as many as you like. Why not make a mermaid army. A friendly one, of course. The sort of army that distributes attractive seashells by the shoreline on sunny afternoons.
Robbi messed up her first attempt at making the pen and ink version of the mermaid for the auction, and so she started over, leaving one lucky kid with the ultimate drawing sheet.
Alden decided to take advantage of the opportunity. She is a patient artist, and a careful one.
Which is not to say she doesn’t enjoy herself in the process.
Here is her mermaid. Perhaps not quite as studied and precise as Robbi’s but still not bad, I think. If it were available for auction, I think I’d bid. But apparently, she’s keeping it for her private collection.
If you know a kid who might enjoy coloring a mermaid, here’s the download link again.
But keep in mind that there are other coloring pages and fun stuff to make and do on our ACTIVITIES page.
Download. Draw. And then let us see what you made. Making art is great. But the best part is sharing it with others.
by Matthew | May 21, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
The latest Bobbledy mailing contained a hot-off-the presses copy of the latest Bobbledy album, Absurd is the Bird. It also contained a drawing sheet inviting club members to imagine their own rock band and send it to us so that we might share it with all of you.
Here is the band imagined by Lilly M. G. (can you imagine a better name for a band leader?).
And can you imagine a more incredible band? Let’s start with the drummer. Not only is he keeping the beat to the electrifying sounds of PLP, PLOP, BAM, BOM, but he seems to be creating ACTUAL electricity in the form of a lightning storm. Move over Ringo.
The lead singer is belting songs of love so powerful and loud that his own hair is being blown back by the majesty of it all. THE HUMANITY!
The upright bass player seems to be channeling the extra electrons from the lightning storm. His hair is in a universe all its own.
The guitarist seems to be in a mellow groove. I can almost hear his feather fingers dance across the fretboard.
And there, in the background (no, not the goofball with the cowbell), but that guy who seems to be doing a hip-flexor-defying high kick while jumping over the fence—THAT guy is the heart and the soul of this band, the one without whom they would be merely excellent.
With him there on the stage, they are legendary.
Don’t you wish you could hear them now? I sure do. And in a way, I sort of can. Such is the power of a great drawing.
Thank you, Lilly for sharing your wonderful work with us. Rock on, we say. ROCK ON!
by Matthew | May 18, 2015 | Reader Submitted |
The theme of the month is Under the Sea. Given that 73 percent of the planet’s surface is covered by water, this is a VERY BIG THEME. Robbi could spend her whole life researching and writing posts about life beneath the waves and barely scratch (or is it splash) the surface. So, naturally, our hope is that kids will be inspired to jump into the fray and help us out a bit.
Thankfully, assistance came from beneath our very own roof the other day when Kato, with no prompting (usually Kato has to be prompted two or seven times to do ANYTHING) created this drawing of two undersea creatures, the first of which is a clam and the second of which is a rocketfish.
If you are not familiar, clams are shellfish. They are soft and delicious and everyone wants to eat them and so they hide inside of a shell that they close tight and refuse to open up, even when you knock really politely. Clams are smart like that.
As for rocket fish, I looked in the dictionary and could not find one. Kato swears they are 100% real. As the name suggests, they are regular fish with rocket engines where their tails should be. As hard as it is to eat a clam, I bet it’s even harder to eat a rocket fish, because first you’d have to catch one.
Joining Kato in the quest to document underwater life is Anna E., who sent along her excellent whale shark. Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen a better drawing of a whale shark. Now, admittedly, I can’t see any of you from my desk, but I’m pretty confident that you are all sitting there serenely with your hands folded in your lap because THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A FINER DRAWING OF A WHALE SHARK EVER!
I have it on good authority that Anna listened to Bobbledy album Absurd is the Bird while making this drawing, which probably helps explain its excellence just a little.
Thank you Kato and thank you Anna for sharing your various sea things with us. Surely some other kids out there have drawings or stories of the sea to send our way. Maybe a seahorse? Or a barnacle? Or a stingray? Or a clownfish? The options are as varied as the oceans are wide.
Can’t wait to see what you send our way!