21 January 2009

The Swoon of Nimmy Nish




This is a rough idea of something I'm working on...a story that will be told in about 8 verses...or less, dunno. The illustrations will probably not even look like this...but I liked the way the blue looked, and had to play with it.

This is crop of the larger picture. As with most of my illustrations, just go ahead and click on the image to catch the details.

Comments, questions, and critique are welcome. I've got pieces of other verses done, but am not quite sure yet how to put them together.

As I put up each verse, an illustration will accompany...but that won't be for a few weeks. I have two cats I'm working on right now for my friend, Gypsy.

If you saw the words, Gni Gnis, would you pronounce them NeNeece, or would you try to say the G? I'm going to need to decide how to "spell" NeNeece/Gni Gnis.

11 comments:

Aaron said...

My first thought would be nee-neez. So my "preferred" spelling would be Nee Neece.

And I like the picture. The teapot submarine is great.

Unknown said...

Delightful! I'm looking forward to the complete work!

Of course I'd not pronounce the "g"! Think of what would happen to the poor gnus if people did that!

Mick said...

You will surely work this out although I'm curious as to the context of these words ... especially if they're to exist only within 8-verses or so. :)

Cindy said...

Wonderful stuff!!! I love the words and the way they sound when I say them out loud. It makes my mouth feel a bit like its underwater.

Ulb Elak ... ne neese....

My preference is to forego the g. The phonetic spelling encourages reading aloud. IMHO.

Marvelous!!

lissa said...

it's a start of a wonderful piece, I like the illustration

don't know much about pronunciation but if I were to read it, I wouldn't sound out the "g"

Renee said...

Honestly, I don't know what is wrong with me. When I read it I almost burst into tears.

To say I love it, would be an understatement.

Teapots, birds, fairy talk -- touched me so much.

Thank you again. I think you are incredible.

p.s. If I saw a G I would pronounce it with a Gaa sound.

Love Renee

Michelle said...

I read the G as I read your question, so that kind of answered it before I even knew it was a question!

I love the illustration, it's watery and bubbly and very charming.

Catnapping said...

thank you, guys, for helping me.

the vote is in, and i'd say it looks like ne neece is the better choice. i really prefer the look of gni gnis, but then it looks too french to fit with the simple, nimmy nish.

mick...i hope i can do it in 8, but if it takes more, i'll try it...i should see how long children's story poems usually go.

renee...i am a big believer in magic.

i'm blown away that mice talk to each other in wavelengths too high for us to hear...and giraffes, too low for us to hear. insects see in wavelengths we don't perceive, either...and it all makes me wonder, what else are we missing, and why do we still assume that it doesn't exist if we can't see it or hear it?

nick...you remind me that when we lived in japan our nanny pronounced the K in knife. ku ni fu (exept the u in ku was swallowed...k-nifu.) years later, my mother would still sometimes give those days a nod, and ask for a kunifu.

2nd verse will be up the week after next, i think. i've got other stuff that needs to go up first.

Unknown said...

Takia Nisahazawa, a Japanese pastor I met during my first year in seminary, also had some interesting ways of pronouncing English.

My favorite was his exchanging r's with l's, like when he'd order "flied lice" for "fried rice."

Sandy said...

Absolutely wonderful...this is so creative and breathtaking, Cat. I could sit and look at this for a very long time...forever? The blue...ahhh the blue...I love it.

The bubble around the birdie's head is such an original idea...brava!!!!

Which ever way you write the words IMO would be fine...I'd know not you pronounce the "G." You've created a gnew language.

Sandy

Fred Miller said...

I'm thinking William Carlos Williams, and others, might try something like "gNi gNis." Or even a subscript g.