Introducing the Kids’ Gallery
To inspire all our readers to get their imaginations into gear, we’ve launched the Kids’ Gallery – a virtual space for creativity to run free, where rules can, and should, be forgotten!
OUR GALLERY IS GROWING ALL THE TIME,
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY WALL AND SEND US YOUR DRAWING TO ENTER THE COMPETITION
We’ve started off by displaying some brilliant contributions, provided by the young artists of Didsbury. These delightful drawings were inspired by the topic of: “The pet you would most like to have with you right now – imaginary animals welcome” and we’re pleased to present this range of curious and creative pets!
Even though many of the artists were inspired by creatures they could find in their homes and gardens, all of them decided that any existing pets would be better off with extra features, such as wings!
Cookie
We were really happy to welcome two flying dogs and a flying millipede to our Gallery. The dogs were introduced to us as Sparky (artist: Adela, age 8) and Cookie (artist: Anna, age 4) and of course they became friends in no time. They are flying together now but keep a safe distance of 2 meters. We think it’s allowed as we keep them in the same Gallery, which is virtually the same household.
Sparky
This millipede (artist: Henry, age 6) is a solitary creature it seems. He likes ants for his dinner (breakfast and lunch are no different for that matter) and ‘feels like a massage’, we were advised. And although it looks very quiet and well-behaved on this picture, the artist’s mum thinks he acts crazy most of the time.
Millipede
We’ve loved seeing all these drawings, and have appreciated all the extra information that was included. It’s really taken this project from Art to Zoology!
Mankey the Monkey and Tommy the Turtle are two totally believable inhabitants of our Gallery. One of them had us checking on Google to make sure there wasn’t a monkey with a 7 metre tail roaming around out there somewhere… No, there wasn’t. The closest we found was the long-tailed macaque from Southeast Asia, which has a tail longer than its body, typically 40–65 cm, which is used for balance when they jump distances up to 5 m. Pathetic isn’t it, bearing in mind that our monkey can go up to 115 m high and has a tail up to 10 m long? For more facts about Mankey see the picture below (artist: Eliot, age 10).
Mankey
Now, the scientific description of Tommy (artist: Aoife, age 11) actually rings true, even though the sad fact is that he is in the group of endangered species, but his looks put him firmly into the exciting world of our Gallery. We didn’t even need to Google it – only in our Gallery can turtles be this beautiful colour with their shell made out of tiny rainbow hearts! Or maybe we should have checked….
Tommy
All these lovely creatures are definitely a reminder to us cynics that reality is often improved by just a touch of imagination. And if you are not convinced yet, here is some pure magic for you. This mermaid (artist: Orla, age 9) may not be a pet, but she is definitely a very welcome addition to our collection of magical creatures. This enchanted beauty entered our kingdom with a few fairies in tow, as well as a castle. And of course she’s got a fish-like tale, as all mermaids do, but there is no doubt that she is a real princess.
Mermaid
Beyond the horizon and below the waterline – we are not sure any more which creatures are imaginary and which are real. Your guess is as good as mine. This drawing, from Mila, age 7, is called ‘Adventures under the sea’. And like any adventure it looks unimaginably real, really unimaginable, and definitely beautiful.
Adventures under the sea
If you have any budding artists keen to join in – we can’t wait to hear from you! Contributions to the Kids’ Gallery on this theme and beyond are welcomed. Who knows where our imaginations will take us next?
