Painting for Baby Ellaria

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

acrylic painting on 16x20 canvas

When I was having my first baby, I made him a painting of one of my favorite children's books:

My Father's Dragon. 

I loved books as a kid.  Total bookworm nerd.  My older brother would tease me that I didn't have friends, just books.  I actually do remember reading Matilda while the neighborhood was playing soccer outside my window, I was just to into the story to go play.

Anyway, books were magical and amazing to me as a kid.  I'm excited as a mom to share the stories I love and re-experience all my favorites again with my own kids.

So I guess with the first baby, I started a tradition of making each kid a painting of my favorite children's books.  I hope I can keep it up, so far 2 for 2.  This was high on my "projects before baby born" list because I knew if it wasn't done by the time she's born, it might not ever get done.

With the first painting, it worked well because his room was animal themed.  

Not that it has to match, but I'd picked red and turquoise for this baby and was thinking of red in books when I remembered this favorite:

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

written and illustrated by Don & Audrey Wood

It was published in 1984, and I first read it in kindergarten.  Or rather, my teacher Mrs. Bingham read it to us.  I have a vivid memory of Mrs. Bingham slowly saying: "red...ripe...strawberry" each time, looking over the top of her glasses at us.  It was intense and I loved it.

I also thought this would be a cute story for a little girl with the mouse and strawberry. 

So here's the beginning: 

I'm so slow, it took me an entire watching of Avatar to do the strawberry plant one night.

(Avatar seems a lot cheesier the second time you watch.  Kind of like Dances With Wolves meets Furngully... I still liked it)

In the few paintings I've made, I usually have a major problem with proportion.  This time it was the mouse door.  It is way too small for the rest of the painting.  I guess the mouse will have to crawl on its belly to get in there.  I did change the color of the door.  It was kind of orange in the book, but I made mine turquoise to match the baby stuff.

One of my favorite things about this book are all the cute expressions in the mouse's face.  I chose one that seemed easier to try to copy.

This is the progress of her little corner.  I have a few more things planned to go on her shelf.

If you have little kids, you may want to check out this book.  My little boy really likes it.