Friday, May 30, 2008

Schtroumpf

Did you know that the Smurfs are celebrating their 50th anniversary? NPR just did a great piece on the history of the little blue creatures who are three apples tall. Listen to their feature here. Like many kids of the 80's, I had my collection of Smurf figurines. But I took my Smurf fandom a step further. The evidence:

I had Smurf Colorforms...
A Smurf birthday cake...
I even had a Smurf Playhouse...

Not pictured - my Smurf Big Wheels, Smurf board game, Smurf guitar, Smurf drums... I was fanatical about the cartoon. I was lucky enough to have seen Smurfs on Ice and if you needed further proof, please note the below legal documentation.

Materialism aside, the Smurfs made a great impact on me creatively. Some of my earliest drawings are of Smurfs.

In 2001, my friend Kevin and I traveled to Italy. We had a blast. And because we're both artists, we saw museum after museum. Some of the greatest works of art on the planet were just inches in front of our faces. On our way home, we had a 7 hour layover in Brussels. After a long trip, we just wanted to get home. But then we came across a flyer in an Italian cafe...there was a cartooning museum in Brussels. And Belgium of course was home to Pey0 - creator of the Smurfs. In Italy, Smurfs are called "Puffis". In French, they are called "Schtroumpfs". When we landed in Brussels and got in the cab, we asked, "Comment obtenez-vous au musem de l'Schtroumpfs?" (It looks more elegant than it sounded.) While we weren't headed to a museum dedicated solely to Smurfs, The Belgian Center for Comic Strip Art had plenty of Smurf stuff. They had an exhibit set up of Smurf artifacts - as though the Smurfs had been an actual species that had since died off and this was what was left. And they had Smurf statues and lots of amazing artwork from Belgian cartoonists.


And now apparently there is a 3-D movie trilogy in the works. I'm there!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Strolling of the Heifers - next Saturday!

Mark your calendars. There will be hundreds of cows, me reading Punk Farm books and a punk band dressed like farm animals, rocking out.

Sat, June 7
Parade starts @ 10:00 AM
JJK reading/signing @ 1PM
Strolling of the Heifers
Brattleboro, VT
Reading, Signing and a Punk Farm cover band will perform

"Hood’s Livestock will be rockin’ with book-related activities for kids, including performances, readings, drawing lessons, and treasure hunts. Nationally acclaimed book authors and illustrators, Scott Nash, David Elliott, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Suzy Becker, Lori Korcheck and Marshall Taylor will be on hand to read to and greet their fans."

This event is being put together by Kristin Cappy of Curious City/Lunchbox fame, so it's sure to be killer.

Here are a few pics of previous "Strolls" found via the program's website.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I have spies Part 2

Friends are powerful allies to authors. They walk into book stores, ask for your book, and cause a raucous if the book isn't being carried.

Friends are also powerful allies because they humble you.

For instance, not too long ago my friend Justin called.

"You'll never believe this. I'm at a yard sale..."

"And they have your book."

"And it's signed..."

"And personalized. It was dated, too. And I realized I had been at that signing, the one in Portland. How crazy is that?!"

So did he buy it? Not at $2....

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

I have spies

It's one thing to have a friend walk into a library, find your book on prominent display and send you a picture.

It's a whole other thing to see that the library in question looks as cool as the Camarillo Public Library in California.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Sketchbook Saturday

Over the next few months, I'm going to be posting some watercolor paintings from my sketchbook. These are all from European travels between 2000 and 2002. Hope you enjoy them! And Happy Summer!


Venice

Friday, May 23, 2008

A study in art ala Baghead

These young Virginian artists sure know their art...and their Bagheads!

DalĂ­

Monet

Mondrian

Matisse

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Cow

Check out this excellent Cow.




If you have any drawings, I would love to see them. They can be
emailed to me via props@studiojjk.com or mailed to:
Jarrett J. Krosoczka
PO Box 60155
Florence, MA 01062

Monday, May 19, 2008

Chicken for a Monday

Here's an excellent drawing of Chicken to start off your new week.

Happy Monday!




If you have any drawings, I would love to see them. They can be
emailed to me via props@studiojjk.com or mailed to:
Jarrett J. Krosoczka
PO Box 60155
Florence, MA 01062

Friday, May 16, 2008

Baghead...the musical?

If there was a Baghead musical and Josh had a dream sequence, these ladies would come tap dancing along on the stage...

Thursday, May 15, 2008

door decorating contest

Hayes Elementary hosted a door decorating contest on a recent visit to their school. Here are a few pictures - everyone did a great job!



Thursday, May 01, 2008

Become PF fan on Facebook

Hey gang, now you can connect to Punk Farm via their Facebook fan page. Add 'em up! You can even add fan photos and fan videos!