Pippin paints a portrait
by Charlotte Mei

3 out of 5 stars

Pippin is a little dog trying to find his own artistic style. He decides to do a self-portrait, but he doesn’t want to just copy other artist’s styles. He has to figure out his own medium and his own artistic energy. His friends are all doing self-portrait’s too. They are all doing different styles like Picasso, Degas, Van Gogh, and Matisse. Can Pippin find his own way to make art even if his friends are all doing something else?

This is a cute book, but I didn’t like the art style, which is unfortunate in a book about art. The character designs didn’t look consistent. Sometimes Pippin has a mouth, and sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes his ears just blend into his head, and sometimes his ears are clearly defined. Some of Pippin’s friends are identifiable as animals, but a lot of the characters just looked like blobs with eyes.

I found the philosophy of art to be really weird. Pippin is exploring different ways to make art, but I didn’t relate to his struggle. The story felt sort of forced, instead of flowing naturally. The story is fine, but it’s not great.

Maybe as a creative person myself, who is always searching for the next step on my creative journey, I was expecting more from a book about art. Maybe I’m being too picky, but I’m a little disappointed in this book. It’s a nice little book, but I’ve seen better.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.