Baby Art 101

Douglas Florian - The Monster Motel

I have had way too much time (read: years) to think about and plan baby's room. Not knowing, at first, whether we'd have a little boy or a girl, we painted the walls a creamy white with bright white trim. So we needed some gender-neutral color accents. As a primary-age teacher I knew I wanted to incorporate the art/illustration from children's books I have amassed over the years. The frieze of animal block prints over baby's crib (see previous post) were made from pages of the beautiful book Teeth, Tails & Tentacles by Christopher Wormell, cut to fit

square Ribba frames from Ikea. The vibrant colors - turquoise, orange, spring green, brown - are a beautiful contrast to both the stark black of the woodcut outlines and the paleness of the wall.

Another favorite children's author/illustrator of mine is Douglas Florian. His paintings and poems are so inviting and fun for kids (and grown-ups). He has published more than 30 wonderful books.