By popular demand, I present to you actual cartoons drawn by Ella! OK, so nobody asked, but I think you’ll like them. Before we start, keep in mind that these were inspired by one free online cartoon drawing class we watched, where she listened to instructor for the first 10 minutes, tried a technique, then decided she wanted to “do it another way”.
Not long after that, she drew almost every cartoon you’re about to see, in rapid-fire fashion and said she was opening a cartoon store. You’ll find the names and descriptions of each, exactly as Ella described them in the impromptu interview I conducted during breakfast today.
One day this could be worth a lot of money, so you might want to print (or at least save).
MARSHMALLOW MAN
The body of a marshmallow and blue hair. He’s tired, yawning. Zoe asks, “Does he look so delicious that he wants to eat himself?” Answer: No.
GIRL WITH DOG
Curly hair and thin legs. Oh, and she has a peace sign. She’s walking a dog. What kind of dog? A bernedoodle, of course. NOTE: Ella’s dad really really wants a bernedoodle.
CHICKEN POX BOY (aka Boo-Boo)
Red shoes, and they’re different from one another. One has spots, and the other is tied. He’s upset because his clothes make him look square. Oh, and he has Chicken Pox.
BRAIN STAIN
Big shoe, little shoe. Why? Big foot, little foot. There are bones inside and brains inside everywhere. No good explanation for the third leg. We asked, but only once.
BLACK SPLAT
Shaggy hair and beard. He never brushes either. Long neck with pointy shoulders. He’s wearing purple, even on his face.
ECHO
Echo is walking an elephant. His eyes are like “Hmmmm, hi there, elephant can you do this for me?” Elephant is wearing a dress because he’s a servant. The dots on the forehead are for hair, not a unibrow (Zoe asked).
APART GUY
He’s “apart” (none of his lines touch, except the circles on his hands and feet). “I accidentally cut off his hand. But it’s OK.” He has a dotted moose-tache.
BOBBY
She has a messy bob. She’s sad because no one likes her hair. Her neck is blue (which is concerning to Zoe) because she’s trying to hide the blue lines on it (look closely).
I LIKE IT
One wing is different because she accidentally used permanent paint. Nobody likes it, but it’s OK because “I still have my happy home.”
PINKY PIE
This one was drawn to Zoe’s specifications. She has a “trendy topknot” and a stylish dress, which she felt a magnetic pull to put on.
HANNAH
She is wearing a warm neck scarf like Mommy wears. She has normal pants (does she?). She got Chicken Pox from her brother Boo-Boo (see above) but is apparently still happy.
WALK DEAD PERSON
He’s dead, but he’s alive. He’s yawning and can talk, like a rock ‘n’ roll Zombie, and he goes to the rock ‘n’ roll band. He really likes to party. He’s a Zombie!!
ESME (aka Esmerelda)
Half triangle, half square, half dead. The patch on her legs is a “heart lover”. You press the pink square to turn on the heart lover when you need her to love people.
BIRTHDAY CAKE
She’s dressed like Zoe with balloon necklaces and pink rings and bracelets and two kinds of earrings. When she goes to high school she gets married to her boyfriend even though he is not in high school and doesn’t even live in her country; he lives all the way in Las Vegas, but she lives her in LA with us.
And that’s that.
I was able to commission my own cartoon based on a photo of me and my sister as kids, as a birthday gift. I had to use the “but it’s my birthday” guilt trip when she was reluctant to open the store for Mom. I say that so you know that this store (and its headstrong owner) does not pride itself on customer service…
Below is the inspiration photo and the final product, an Ella-riginal:
One day this could be the largest collection of “early Ella” cartoon drawings. Imagine that. If there’s still a blog, or WordPress, or an Internet (or or or). But I won’t go there.
I’ll just remain thankful to have a cute little kid with a tremendous imagination and some talent (especially for a 5-year-old).
Happy Thursday! (We still have “days”, right?)
“He’s upset because his clothes make him look square.” Relatable.
These drawings and descriptions are awesome!
RIGHT?! Mine makes me look like Marshmallow Man. Equally upsetting.
love, love, love!! Such a great cartoonist😘 I especially like the butterfly she drew for Nina❣️💫Great Blog Susie!! Lots of love to all💕
Thanks, Mom! The butterfly is one of my favorites – and no wonder she wrote “I like it” on there! Love you, too!