I love the blog cephalopod tea party. I love it so much, it apparently seeps into my mind
subconsciously while drawing. Anyhow, I got to pick this weeks xtra pulp challenge, Tea Party!
Which, I’m pretty excited about. I am trying to work in my sketch book more, and rely less
on Photoshop, but in the end, I had to try out some color variants. Not sure which I like.
Thoughts?
More tea party fun coming soon on xtrapulp.
This weekend, I was browsing books and came across a real gem!
Song Of Robin Hood : A first edition copy, published in 1947.
The book design and illustrations by Virginia Lee Burton are absolutely lovely.
The ballad of Robin Hood is framed within her intricate illustrations and the includes sheet
music score as well, making it one of the more interesting books I have come across lately.
Here are just a few pages… Every page is completely covered in scratch board and pen and ink
drawings which are reproduced at 100%.
I was extra psyched to show Griffin this book, only to find out that he was well familiar with
the author and had a sentimental childhood attachment to several of her works- including, but
not limited to: The Little House, Katy and the Big Snow and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.
I haven’t been able to tear myself away from the book since I bought it yesterday, even though I
must confess that I haven’t read the story yet. If anything could convince me to read the
Ballad of Robin Hood though, this would be it. Even the table of contents and glossary are totally inspiring.
We took a bit of a hiatus from xtra pulp over the past few weeks…
But here is my belated landscape – tooth city.
More to come- with big news from two new time zones! Stay tuned!!
Griffin and I realized that it had been awhile since we took a holiday portrait to send
to our friends and families. We were totally going to go to the local Olan Mills Studio and
and get our very own awkward family photo made. But as luck would have it, a giant
blizzard swept in just in time to add that festive touch to our xmas photo shoot.
This is only a few meager inches into the 15 inches that we were pummeled with,
knocking out our electricity, cell phones and water. The lights aren’t back on yet,
but our spirits are festive- and hey, rainbow galoshes make everything OK!
This week we illustrated dark dreams that have been haunting our waking memories long after
the sun has risen. Ava is once again ruminating on sea creatures, and the unexpected consequences
of bringing them home.
Griffin diagrammed a recent dream about encountering a group of middle aged cannibals next to
his old high school. Check out the full post and descriptions here.
More challenge illustration next week!
For xtra pulp challenge 002, I got to pick the topic! (yay!)
I thought it would be fun to see what everyone looked like as their totem animals…
Here is me! :
And here is Griffin! :
See all the goodies over at xtra pulp
we have banded together with the talented folks over at xtrapulp once again to bring forth
a new weekly illustration theme challenge thing! our first challenge this week was to
make a quick drawing of what you think your last meal is going to look like. here are our
submissions!
Ava did this… delicious, but-oh-so-risky fugu sashimi.
Griffin did this… a bit more lowbrow, but still delicious and deadly nonetheless…
Also! Ava submitted her piece before anyone else so she now gets to choose what next week’s theme
will be. I haven’t the foggiest what it’s going to be so stay tuned.
answer? yes!!
Shady Glen in Manchester, CT is one of the best reasons to find yourself in the third smallest
state in the nation. Just in case you got sidetracked or hopelessly lost on your way to NYC,
Boston, or Delaware, we highly recommend that you take the backroads off of I-384 to this
quaint establishment. Establishment indeed! This place has been on the map since 1938 and
most likely 95% of the surrounding population, including griffin, has been frequenting it’s
atomic green bar stools and booths for pretty much as long as they can remember.
We were glad to stop by here after our two week NYC marathon. Yet one more cup of coffee
in our hands, but at last a moment’s repose.
Still reeling from the hustle and bustle of the city, a few minutes to unglaze your eyes and it’s time
to get down to business… Smile kid! You know what’s about to be served up next!
What makes this place truly special is that the cheeseburgers served here are like none other
on the face of the planet. Other burger joints have tried to improve on the age old recipe by
piling on more cheese but they are completely missing the point. It’s all about WHERE you
place the cheese. Allow me to diagram.
1. Start with your typical burger, sizzling away on the grill…
2. Pay attention closely because here is where the magic happens… The burger requires
4 slices of cheese, but placed just as seen below and not any other way ever.
That’s right, the cheese is left to bubble and crisp up directly on the grill. Timing is everything,
dont try to replicate at home, it’s pretty much impossible.
3. The cheese is then folded, origami crane style, up into the famous wings.
Then is served with two classy pickle slices. Crinkle cut of course…
All ice cream is made on the premises as well, yes you cannot leave without a dish or two
of this as well.
The place pretty much stays the same throughout the years, and that’s the way we like it.
Can’t beat the classics.
So, we were pleasantly suprised to find upon our first trip to the mailbox after returning
from NYC, this small, impeccably designed and packaged little number patiently waiting
for us. Our friends at Orange You Glad have once again outdone themselves with an
amazing Halloween treat. Check it out!
Truth be told, in the past, New York City was not really known as a town that made
a big deal out of celebrating All Hallow’s eve. But that all changed when Orange You
Glad came to town and started bringing Halloween cheer to the boroughs in a big way
on an annual basis. I mean, seriously, how can you ignore such true spirit!
We completely missed out on the festivities this time around, existing only in limbo
after our stint in the city. But we’ve just had it delivered to our doorstep. Thanks guys!!
