Gwelf: The Survival Guide: 1 (Gwelf, 1)

Product Information

Tragically, there have been some that have stayed, but not by choice. We, the council, fear that this has cast a negative light on our beauteous realm. Rest assured that should you follow the precautions outlined in our guide, you will be quite safe, as it is the council’s intention to provide this book as a resource so that future mishaps might be avoided . . . The Gwelf's most notable victim is a mean old farmer, known as Farmer Flubb. You see, one day, Farmer Flubb wanted to commit yet again other malefaction in the form of cutting down the treehouse of a squirrel. Unbeknownst to Flubb, the Gwelf was watching him! Flubb tried everything to get rid of the squirrel, but he could not, because his attention had been drawn to the Gwelf constantly. The Gwelf saved the squirrel by gluing Flubb's clothes to the roof of his own house. Subsequently, the Gwelf snatched his megaphone, and yelled, " YOU'VE BEEN GWELFED!". He then performed an abstruse ritual on top of Flubb's head. It is assumed by few that he might have been doing the Do the Wario dance. After that, news of the Gwelf had rised. He often became spotted regularly, though his whereabouts remained unknown. This event is known to this day as the "Farmer Flubb incident".

The guidebook goes on to tell you about all of Gwelf’s inhabitants. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. There are no humans. The animals are anthropomorphized. With the exception of beasts of burden such as ponies. They are the regular run of the mill four legged creatures. For me, the most fun part of the process is improvising. Painting into an area I have purposefully left vague and just letting the paint do what it does and see what happens. Make some marks and see what they look like, what they suggest to you. I compare it to looking at clouds and spotting fish or bird shapes in them. Some artists call it having a dialogue with your painting. You put something down, see what it looks like and the painting will tell you what to do next. What I love about this process is the potential for being surprised. If I can surprise myself then I know I’ve done something right. So conversely my least favourite part of the process is having to follow some kind of predetermined path to a predictable result. This will usually end badly for me. That is why I take very few commissions now. The artwork is all suitable for framing. Stunning. Amazing artwork. But none of us would take apart a book. We don’t treat our books like that.Larry MacDougall has done that thing—created a fantasy world that is completely believable, super charming, and more than a little bit dangerous. I love it so much. I want to wander around in it but wouldn'want to get caught alone in it after dark."

Alas I am currently a stay-at-home cat mom/former Accountant. So no books. But please feel free to continue reading my review at no charge.Artworks Artist of the Week Art of Animation Winners of the Challenge Challengers Spotlight Best of the Month

So, this is a fictional (or factual??) survival guide book to the fictional (or factual) magical land of Gwelf. This guide book is highly recommended for adventurers. Your adventure could be out in the wild with things that go bump in the night, or at an Inn drinking tea or ale, or at a book shop. You decide. We have a soft spot for hand-drawn animation, what is your opinion about the future of this art form? The Gwelf also enjoys eating turnip sandwiches, and carrying around an instrument he identifies as his "megaphone".

Transcript

The town has grown, as with many urban centres, out of necessity and not strategy. Our lovely Gwelf is unrefined in that it has grown organically over the decades since the rift between Sparrowkind and Ravenkind, owing much of its aesthetic and construction to the landscape on which it was built and to the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the Badger inhabitants here. The safety is overseen by the Sparrows and their Particle Magics, trust that, at least within the city limits, no harm should befall you.