Teddy bear’s picnic again
I’m so sorry! One of the drawbacks of posting these silly illos for months in advance is that I don’t notice when we run out! The last silly ill, published nearly ONE MONTH AGO (I believe that’s about a DECADE in lockdown years) was the first Teddy Bear’s picnic illustration in a set of three.
This charming illo continues the story.
Starting from the right and working our way to the left, the first group of teddy bears are a joyful crowd, followed by a child with a skipping rope. A sign on a tree points the way. A bear pulls a heavy wagon, followed by a couple more bears carrying picnic items. Lastly, a bear carries a cake and gives a FILTHY look at the bear behind him, who is drooling over the cake. Because the cake is not a lie.
The backstory behind these bear-able silly illos
Ian Gunn, creator of these silly illos (illustrations), was an award-winning artist based in Melbourne, Australia. Cancer took him too soon. But his legacy includes numerous illustrations for zines, books and even school textbooks.
We’ve published a veritable museum of Ian’s Silly Illos here. Many of these illustrations are available for sale.
Victoria’s science fiction convention, Continuum, occasionally presents the Ian Gunn Memorial Award recognising the ‘unsung heroes’ of fandom. Recipients work in obscurity for years without recognition. This award commemorates Ian’s selfless efforts to reach out to others, encouraging others and thereby building the science fiction community.
K’rin Pender-Gunn, Ian’s widow, gave Dark Matter Zine permission to republish Ian’s artwork. Thanks, K’rin!
