Oh man. I just spent like 20 minutes wrapping gifts for my friends’ kids. But I figure I’m giving Lucy what could be the entry point to a career, I figure it demands ceremony.
I wrapped a sketchbook. Then I put “The Explorer’s Guide To Drawing Mythical Creatures” on top of that, and wrapped that pile. Put “Dragonart” on top of that, and wrapped it. Finally, Hultgren’s book on drawing animals went on top of THAT, and I wrapped it all. No bows; each was just wrapped in two layers of similarly-but differently colored pieces of tissue paper. With, if course, a color gradient going on from one package to the next. I taped down the end flaps on the bottom of the packages; the front invites opening, by having a loose edge of the paper visible, with the second color poking out a little to create a decorative accent AND to draw your attention to where to rip.
I mean, I could have just bunged then all into one of the gift bags my mom has around and wadded up the tissue paper over it – but this way I create a bit of a narrative of increasing coolness with the books, that culminates with a blank sketchbook.
There’s also some markers and pens, hidden in the same gift bag, wrapped in the same purple tissue I have wads of protecting this delicate, crazy wrapping job.
I did the same with the two graphic novels I’m giving Clay – first he’ll find “King City”, then “RASL”, figuring “the new book by the dude who did that Bone thing I enjoyed” is cooler than this weird thing by a guy he hasn’t heard of – but really that’s just so he gets to share in the fun.
