large matted pippi print bookcase pic.jpg

unfettered pippi.

inspired by the pippi longstocking novels.

"unfettered pippi."

faerie tale feet painting inspired by the pippi longstocking novels by astrid lindgren.

i know the final looks like i put skittles in a food processor to make my own sprinkles. but i kind of like it. ;D

here’s the thing about pippi:

pippi won’t let tragedy keep her from adventure. inventive, if unstructured and ill-mannered for lack of tutelage, her creative solutions have been proven to save lives and enlighten livelihoods.

if you are wondering about any of the icons in the background, just ask. or better yet see the painting process below, and then i'll tell you what i threw in there from the slew of her many adventures!

my niece kathryn, modeling for pippi in my socks and shoes for that dramatic wrong-sized-shoe feel. i bought her ice cream {with sour gummi worms} as her modeling fee afterwards. :)

my niece kathryn, modeling for pippi in my socks and shoes for that dramatic wrong-sized-shoe feel. i bought her ice cream {with sour gummi worms} as her modeling fee afterwards. :)

pippi feet! a l’il more in action than my model reference photo, but just as much character.

pippi feet! a l’il more in action than my model reference photo, but just as much character.

the final background pattern with selected story icons ready to be transferred to illustration board.

the final background pattern with selected story icons ready to be transferred to illustration board.

me, slowly painting in that lemon chiffon yellow around all of the background icons until the piece is full…

me, slowly painting in that lemon chiffon yellow around all of the background icons until the piece is full…

beginning to fill in each icon shape with its own colours. i typically only do one colour per shape– as a pure silhouette. but for the sake of pippi, i mixed it up, and all the shapes got LOTS of colours. it got a little crazy.

beginning to fill in each icon shape with its own colours. i typically only do one colour per shape– as a pure silhouette. but for the sake of pippi, i mixed it up, and all the shapes got LOTS of colours. it got a little crazy.

detail of still building in all the colours for all the different shapes. {yes, yes, i know i struggle with editing and being subtle. alas.}

detail of still building in all the colours for all the different shapes. {yes, yes, i know i struggle with editing and being subtle. alas.}

background and story icon painting done… now comes {possibly} my favourite part… painting the shoes and feet!

background and story icon painting done… now comes {possibly} my favourite part… painting the shoes and feet!

lots of transparent paint layers went into these shoes {which were actually a gift from a friend who couldn’t pull them off!} ;) but i bet pippi would agree: you can wear anything with confidence! even if the shoes don’t fit. :)

lots of transparent paint layers went into these shoes {which were actually a gift from a friend who couldn’t pull them off!} ;) but i bet pippi would agree: you can wear anything with confidence! even if the shoes don’t fit. :)

included story iconography:

  • her father’s mustache (missed and loved, and of course not really lost at sea, but a cannibal king as she’d hoped and knew all along)

  • her horse (never named; i found that odd)

  • mr. nilsson (her pet african monkey/roommate in a straw hat)

  • her heart*shaped gingersnap cookies whose dough she’d roll out on the floor (um, ew?)

  • the oar from her shipwrecked adventure with neighbor children tommy & annika

  • a ladder from when she evaded the police who were to take her to a children’s home (she was a child & already had a home; no need, obviously)

  • a pillow (for she slept with her feet on the pillow and her head under the covers)

  • a message in a bottle (a rescue maneuver)

  • a rusty tin coffee pot from the secret hiding place tree

  • a coffee cup with a green ribbon (when she went to tommy & annika’s house for a fancy coffee party their mother was throwing, she put green ribbons on her shoes for the occasion)

  • the fire flame (a terrifying scene for me, but she did rescue two boys from a burning building with her wit and athleticism)

  • the famous kitchen-scrub-brushing mopping shoes

  • the blue bird whistles she bought for all the kids in town at the toy store with her gold coins

  • the pineapple and spear from her adventures as an island cannibal princess

  • the pirate flag she and her father sailed under

  • her enigmatic red*haired straight*out braided silhouette complete with freckles

well done, pippi. i applaud both your charisma, bravery, optimism, quick-thinking, and utter hopefulness at life’s greatest adventure: every day.

“i’m actually quite shy, so if i don’t issue commands to myself, i’d just stand in the hall, quite stubborn, and not sure to come in.”

the original framed painting is available for collecting, $620 + $40 for safe US shipping. contact me!  (painting is 11x11” framed in a soft black handmade wooden frame to 19” square.)