Legacy Comics

Here's an odd little legacy from the printed comics page that many kids of our odlest's age probably isn't familiar with -- the name plate. That's what I call it, I'm sure it's got an official name but I don't know what it is. Anyway, it's just the artiste going all hooptedoodle with the name of the comic strip. Our oldest got his intro to comics by reading the comics page from his grampa's newspaper, so he's coming into the trade the old-fashioned way.

Constellation Man

In honor of us finally (maybe) breaking out our oldest's birthday telescope this weekend, I present for your delectation and delight an assortment of constellations. Enjoy.

Proto-Scooter

Here's a little blast from the past -- one of our oldest's first Scooter comic strips. It's interesting to see how his style has evolved -- for the good -- over the intervening months. That weird sense of humor is still there, though.

Once and a while, our oldest will start fretting (it's a family tradition; he comes form a long line of fretters) about what he'll do when he grows up. I always mention cartooning. Now he does, too. I like that.

Sugar and Spice

You know how little girls are supposed to draw stuff that's cute: teddy bears, unicorns, and stuff like that?

Well.

Not my kid.

Chalk and Photography

In all, I'd have to say it's a good likeness.

First, the subject: Our new dachshund Dottie.

Next, Dottie rendered in sidewalk chalk.

So glad I had our daughter take this picture. Both by her, by the way.

Pathos in Childrens' Art

The pathos displayed in this comic is the exact reason I enjoy childrens' art. They draw exactly what they see. Most of the time. That's what I want to preserve, before the truth-tellingness is sucked right out of them.

Follow the Butterflies

Every time I see a butterfly now, I think of poor Ron Weasley lamenting "Why can't it be follow the butterflies?" as he and Harry go off after the spiders.

These butterflies, I'd follow anywhere. And, yes, they're done by our daughter. The boys apparently don't draw butterflies. Not because we've told them they're not macho. But because they just don't draw them.

Spaceman Spiff

What kid art page would be complete without a homage to Calvin and Hobbes' "Spaceman Spiff?" Well, I suppose many kids' art pages, but not this one, brother.

I'm actually surprised, however, to see how uninfluenced our oldest, cartoon-drawingest kid is by Bill Watterson -- or Charles Schulz or Johnny Hart for that matter -- as there isn't a shortage of material by those artists in the house. It might be that our son's art fits in with what Scott Adams and Bill Amend (of Foxtrot fame) does. There's certainly a lot of Adams in this kid's art.