What did I like as a kid?

[kirsten-mcg]

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This is such a good idea! Something I've been thinking about lately is how who we were as children is often the most authentic version of who we are. So I just had to put together my own mood board! It's funny looking back on everything I loved. My parents were anti-television, so mostly it's just books. (though I did occasionally watch movies at my grandma's house!)

[Robert Henderson]

@Kristen-Lango

I like this idea, it keeps inspired and on track plus it is just so much fun to muse through all the creative work.

Thanks for posting and have fun with your studies.

[Kristen Lango]

@Robert-Henderson @kirsten-mcg I'm glad you both like the idea! It's great to see what others were influenced by, thanks for sharing!

[LauraA]

@Kristen-Lango I love this idea! I don't know if I have time to do this exercise right now, but I'll just say that you guys could all be my kids!

As a kid I liked: The Snowy Day, Walter Farley, Garth Williams, Tasha Tudor, and Trina Schart Hyman. And anything that had folk costumes in it.

You can do the math if you want...

[Kristen Lango]

@LauraA thanks for sharing Laura! I'm totally with you on the folk costumes! I used to be involved with a polish folk dance group in Milwaukee, and my goodness the color and design inspiration from those folk dresses

I still revisit it in my work sometimes when I play with gouache

[PenAndrew]

@Kristen-Lango I really like this style.

[Kristen Lango]

@PenAndrew Thank you! I definitely want to do more full spread illustrations in just gouache

[Kristen Lango]

Here are some books I've recently rented for inspiration

[HeatherB]

This was a really fun little dive, I am still highly motivated by almost all of these lol

[Kim Rosenlof]

@Kristen-Lango I love the colors on the Wildfire and Mel Fell books. I haven't see the Wildfire book before, I will have to go look for it.

[Kristen Lango]

@HeatherB This was so awesome to see! I love that someone else shares my love of Fozzie Bear and Gonzo
Gonzo's mysterious identity is one of the things that really stuck in my mind as a kid... Is he a bird? Is he an ant eater? Probably he is neither and yet he is such a strong character

[Kristen Lango]

@Kim-Rosenlof Right? The Wildfire book is one I found strolling the stacks at my local library and it really is so striking, but has a nice balance at the same time, which we all know is incredibly difficult to do.

[HeatherB]

@Kristen-Lango yes! The first time I learned that sometimes the best of something is in the mystery of it was when they had that movie where Gonzo was supposed to be an alien. I don’t accept that as canon.

[Kristen Lango]

@HeatherB What a great lesson! And goodness I don't think I've seen that film, now I'll have to go watch it!

[PenAndrew]

@HeatherB I found I really love the muppet movies, much to my surprise, especially Muppets Christmas Carol.

[HeatherB]

@PenAndrew that’s a great one! I think the ones that let The shrimp or the rat go nuts are surprising great. I didn’t think my fav line of “a bear in his natural habitat, a studebaker” could be topped but Pepe the shrimp with “I like my women like I like my coffee- a latte” is just about there

[Kristen Lango]

@PenAndrew ahh yess! I love Muppets Christmas Carol - especially when the rats sing dressed in tropical clothing as a response to Scrooge not keeping the office warm enough

Also any fans of A Muppet Family Christmas?!

People in my home town thought I was so strange for liking them, but they weren't creatives haha

[PenAndrew]

@Kristen-Lango I think it only works because it has the crucial Jim Henson feeling, because it has FEELING. I met someone who worked for this company and they said it had a kind of family moto above the door, with the sentiment that they all created the thing together. Something like that- sorry it has been about 13 years!

[Kristen Lango]

@PenAndrew That is so neat! It's so cool you know someone who worked for them. I totally get what you mean about the "feeling" aspect of these films.

[ArtistErin]

@HeatherB You must be an 80s kid LOVE seeing this stuff, I've forgotten Pee Wee lol, He might have inspired and tormented me at the same time.