One of my heroes has been Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. Almost everything he wrote has been something that has influenced me. I find my drawing style has been influenced by Seuss, that and Robert Marble. As I look at my drawings I seem to see the influences, you may not. Somehow I remember reading Happy Birthday to You many times when growing up. I recall The Lorax making me rather anxious because of the ending, that wasn’t an ending… something I still don’t like very much. The story of Grinch… well, that’s an interesting thing, since I don’t recall which I experienced first- the book, or TV Special. Image my surprise when I found out that another hero of mine, Chuck Jones, worked on this. Many thanks to my in-laws for getting me Chuck Amuck– Chuck Jones Autobiography for Christmas years, and years ago. I use many things from that book when teaching drawing- aka cartooning.
As for Robert Marble, my parents were a big fan of this artist and bought a bunch… a lot, more than a lot. They bought enough of his stuff to have him drop by our house and arrange a very large wall of his artwork. As a kid, I had a few pieces in my bedroom- one was “How to Give a Elephant a Nose Job.” Robert Marble did a number of drawings of Rube Goldberg like devices with animals- “How to Stripe a Zebra” along with a bunch a rather amusing pieces with cartoon animals. When something sits on your bedroom wall for years, (“How to Give an Elephant an Nose Job”) it kinda influences you as an artist… I’ve been lucky enough to now have a couple of originals from my parents- they actually hang in my classroom.
Seuss, Jones, & Marble… I wonder what my life would be like if my parents had Albrecht Dürer, or Van Gogh on my walls. You’re a mean one… Mr. Grinch.
Mmmm… Gingerbread, a taste and smell of the season. Whether it be gingerbread houses, pepparkakor, hermits (my grandfather’s recipe), or whatever gingerbread seems to sneak its way into the stressful holidays. It’s there and for many it’s one of the things that make this time of year special.
