The balloon was by this time tugging hard at the rope that held it to the ground, for the air within it was hot, and this made it so much lighter in weight than the air without that it pulled hard to rise into the sky.
“Come, Dorothy!” cried the Wizard. “Hurry up, or the balloon will fly away.”
Dorothy tries to figure out what to do.
Architecture of Oz, from Munchkin, Winkie, and Quadling Countries, and from the Emerald City. Tried to keep them all distinct and consistent, but kind of “matching.”
Also I started a Patreon earlier today, did you see?
The morning after the balloon had gone up with Oz, the four travelers met in the Throne Room and talked matters over. The Scarecrow sat in the big throne and the others stood respectfully before him.
Chapter 18. Tried to use the same setting as 16 with a very different tone. Scarecrow is the boss now.
The Kickstarter for the book has LAUNCHED!
Illustrations for chapters 9 through 16 of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 1 through 8 are here. Eight more to go!!! Posting them here a couple of times a week.
Also did you see I put up a new sketchbook on Gumroad? This one has a bunch of Oz-related stuff. The full collection is available too.
(also I have exciting book-related things to say soon)
Ok bye!
“It is kind of you to like a Scarecrow,” he replied. “But surely you will think more of me when you hear the splendid thoughts my new brain is going to turn out." Then he said good-bye to them all in a cheerful voice and went to the Throne Room, where he rapped upon the door.
"Come in,” said Oz.
The Scarecrow went in and found the little man sitting down by the window, engaged in deep thought.
Chapter 16. This is the first time we see the Throne Room in full, and I thought it would be nice to have little Oz on a tiny folding chair as a counterpoint to the throne.
Thinking about cover treatments lately.
Some illustrations from the Flying Monkey’s story in chapter 14: the lineage of the Golden Cap, Gayelette & Quelala, and a monkey dropping Quelala in a river.
This is maybe the only point I’m making any reference to Oz continuity outside of this one book: the only country of Oz not featured in Wizard is the northern one, in which everything is purple, as it’s blue in Munchkin Country, yellow in Winkie Country, and red in Quadling Country. Gayelette and Quelala are said indistinctly to have lived somewhere in the north, so purple seems appropriate.
(There’s a map on the Wikipedia page if you’re interested)
Art I made for a possible cover (probably will be something different now), and a similar drawing I did way early on working out what the characters would look like.
You will remember there was no road–not even a pathway–between the castle of the Wicked Witch and the Emerald City. When the four travelers went in search of the Witch she had seen them coming, and so sent the Winged Monkeys to bring them to her. It was much harder to find their way back through the big fields of buttercups and yellow daisies than it was being carried. They knew, of course, they must go straight east, toward the rising sun; and they started off in the right way.
Always tricky to find something compositionally interesting to do with these “walking in a direction” chapters. Happy with this one though, and it’s the chronologically first time we’ll see everybody in their New Outfits. I like big meaningful costume changes and it’s something I pay a huge amount of attention to in my own work (or I guess the work that is more fully mine, let’s say).
I’m also working lately on some mockups for the cover of this thing. More as situation develops.