Black and White

I never did post an entry for last week's Illustration Friday topic: black and white. I had a million ideas, but none of them were completed. Most involved the old gag "What's black and white and red all over?" Let' see: there was a picture involving a ladybug, one with a howler monkey, a skunk, a sheep's head fish, etc.

I finally decided to whip this doodle up. This is an illo of the "Wicked Witch of the East", obviously before the house landed on her. I imagined her taking a stroll through a field of poppies, minding her own business, then "WHAM!" a house fell one her. So sad!

Her stockings were black and white, and the shoes that ended up on Dorothy's feet were a striking ruby red. (Although, if you've read any of the Oz books or know any history of the movie-that's a fallacy. The magic shoes were originally silver. MGM changed the color to red to show off their new technicolor special effects!)

I always thought that those two wicked witches got a bad rap. I mean, did you see Glenda? I'd be in a bad mood too if she were the most popular witch for no good reason other than her looks! Oh, and have you read "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire? It's absolutely fabulous, and in case you've been living under a rock this last year: it's also been turned into a fantastic Broadway musical. I definitely recommend reading it, it gives a whole new perspective on the land of Oz.