Christmas Book Gnomes

Not every gnome wears the same outfit. This guy is more fashion foreward.

Illustrations from my annual Christmas book to my children.

Christmas Gnomes

I'm into both Christmas and gnomes, so this was the inevitable result. Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!

Smug Boy with Gnome

He needn't look so smug. Catching supernatural creatures in the hope of magical gain almost never works out.

This was a bit of an experiment. My daughter asked if she could paint in my sketchbook, so she made a tie-dye pattern. She didn't like it, though, so I asked if I could paint over it instead. I've never tried painting over tie-dye before, I liked the randomness of the field I was working on.

Inktober Chapter 10: Pattern

He does this wizard thing just to prove he's not a gnome.

#inktober2019 #inktober #samvalentinoinktober2019

Gnome vs. Gnome!

How long are gnomes' legs? WE ARE A HOUSE DIVIDED!*

It all started when I did the painting of the gnome for my son. When I started to sketch it, I drew the gnome with long legs. My wife, horrified, asked me to make them short legs, so I complied (even though I knew it to be COMPLETELY WRONG. Objectively speaking, of course).

Later, as I was driving with my daughter, I mentioned that her mom erroneously asked me to draw a short-legged gnome. My daughter did not take my side. In fact, as soon as we got home, she ran into the house, hugged my wife, and cried, "Mom, you're right about everything! I'm sorry I ever doubted you!" I wish I were making that up.

Undaunted in my certainty, I decided to take this question to the internet. So I leave it up to you - do gnomes have long or short legs?

Which gnome is correct? The wholly erroneous one on the left, or the amazingly accurate one on the right? I ask you, in my TOTALLY UNBIASED fashion.

Short Legs: Evidence #1:  

The Gnomes book, illustrated by Rien Poortvliet.
A super-awesome illustrator to be sure, a classic of the genre, and he painted them with short legs. But Dali painted super awesome pictures of elephants with long, skinny, pointy legs, and that doesn't make it true either!

Short Legs: Evidence #2: 

Every garden gnome in existence
Oh sure, you've got the strength of numbers on this one. But think about it - do you think LONG SKINNY ceramic legs would hold up? That's why they don't have ceramic garden giraffes either!

Long Legs: Evidence #1: 

The Nomes in the Land of Oz
Okay, so he spelled them "nomes." But hey, John R. Neill drew them with long legs no matter how they were spelled. And who are we to argue with the Royal Illustrator of Oz?

Long Legs: Evidence #2:

Elsie and the Gnome
Sure, these pictures may be debunked, but people believed them at the time. And when people were trying to disprove them, you know what they didn't say? They didn't say, "Hey, that can't be a real gnome because its legs are too long!" Looked just fine to everybody. I rest my case!

* Unevenly divided, as it is four against one (me), but divided nonetheless. I STAND FIRM!

Dancing Gnome

My son is going to play Liszt's "Gnomenreigen" at a piano competition this weekend. To get him into the feel of little gnomes dancing, my wife asked me if I could make a quick sketch of one to give him the idea. He liked it!