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I'm not a fan of most children's shows, and I'll tell you why. Partly it's because I'm not a child, but that doesn't mean much, since I love shows like Spongebob Squarepants and Gargoyles. There's something those shows don't do that made them so popular.
They don't play down to kids.
It's that simple. They don't insult kids' intelligence. Kid are damn smart, and they hate being talked down to as much as the average adult does (Though most of us know there's plenty of adults out there that should be talked down to. And if you don't think that's true, then you're the dumbass who's intelligence we insult).
These kid's art pieces hopefully illustrate the level of thought and proficiency even the youngest children put into their crative works. Case in point:
Girafe au Miroir (Giraffe with a Mirror) - Lolita (age 9), Beaujolais, France
There's a lot here to praise. The unfortunate connotations of her name aside, Lolita has utilized some rather advanced art concepts.
Firstly, she started this drawing on a black background. I didn't start using colored backgrounds until high school.
This piece is wonderfully surrealist. Not shit surrealism like photoshopping an eye into the middle of a raincloud either. This is Magritte stuff right here. I love the idea here, where a giraffe wanders the dangerous african savannah at night and chances upon a mirror that reflects a brighter, more joyous world.
Or maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe the giraffe's just checking it's mascara. They do have beautiful eyelashes.
How have I mangled this poor child's art? See for yourself.
CLICK TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN (MAYBE NOT)
Next time, I won't be so serious.
Hey, and welcome to Kid-Inspired Illustration.
We've all seen children's drawings. Simple and clumsy, saturated with fluffy puppies and happily-ever-afters. Kids just don't seem to understand that art is pain: that it reveals the very depths of human torment and sadness. And their technique leaves a great deal to be desired. Just check these out. Depressing, huh?
Okay, I'm being an ass, but only to point out that it is not always the case. Some kid's art has a subtle spark of genius ready to be cultivated into a true work of art. We're talking Caravaggio shit here, people.
And that's the purpose of this blog. To take the wet, formless clay of adolescent scribbles and turn them into effective and enjoyable illustrations. I'll be attempting to do two of these things a week, but I'm serious when I tell you that some of these projects contain such copious amounts of awesome that I've constructed a conceptual levy system to rival the great sea walls of Holland just to confine it to the lowlands.
So here's the first entry: Ben R. (Age 7) of Maryland, USA, presents: Ultra Lightning Man
I picked good William's character because I could not help notice that he made two initial attempts at drawing Ultra Lighting Man's unique cowl. I can relate, Bill. I've been frustrated to the point of weeping by the minuscule intricacies of drawing a rat's nose.Bill found his stride, though, and produces an interesting character that caught my attention.I'd say Ultra Lightning Man has the feel of a Tokusatsu, more akin to Kamen Rider than Kal-El. And patriotic! As he appears to have the remains of the Netherlands flag trailing from his boots. What interests me about Ultra Lightning Man is that his costume and name are greatly at odds with his apparent powers, which seem to include flight and boiling a pot of hearty snert.So with the nature of his capacities in question, I need to believe he has some sort of real power, so I can only assume his big red wings are made of some sort of energy. Red electrical energy... that lets him fly....You know, it doesn't have to make sense, because it rocks! In the world of superheroes, function follows form.So what have I made of this poor little boy's roughly-hewn vigilante? I hope something cool. You decide:CLICK TO CONFIRM DELIVERY OF AWESOMENESSTune in Tuesday (hopefully) for a new illustration based on some kid's fridge ornament.
