10 Spring Things And 4 Coke Bottles In One Illustration

Thanks to editor Jay Moye at Coca-Cola Journey, I’ve had a chance to illustrate a number of wild and wacky posts by writer Charles McNair. These posts usually have a number in them: The 10 Best, My 12 Favorite, etc.

Somewhere along the line I decided to make it a personal challenge to include or somehow reference all of the points in Mr. McNair’s posts: if he mentioned 10 things, I’d figure out a way to include all 10 in my illustration.

Here’s the latest example. The official title of the post is: 10 Things That Go Better With Coke (Spring Edition!), and you can read it here on the Coca-Cola Journey website.

At this point you’re thinking: What a minute. Is this the same Mark Armstrong who’s always extolling the virtues of white space, and warning against trying to squeeze too much into an illustration? Yup, same guy, that’s me.

However… it’s a curious fact that an illustration absolutely crammed with details can truly engage a reader. Anyone who’s seen a Where’s Waldo illustration knows this. Not a good strategy if you’re trying to make a serious point, but a very good strategy if you’re trying to entertain (and thereby attract followers).

Can you identify the 10 “spring things” in the illustration? I’ve numbered them below.

Important note: Do not spend too much time on it. Some of Mr. McNair’s things are rather playful. Answers at end of post.

Here are some larger detail images:

Answers:

1.  Bunnies (“Rub a lucky rabbit’s foot!… if you’re lucky, the rabbit won’t bite you!”)

2. Picnics Under Cherry Trees (“First, you need a cherry tree. If you live in Japan or Washington, D.C., you’re in the pink.”)

3. Kite-Flying (“Know why trees like spring? People feed them!… best of anything, trees like kites!”)

4. Bumblebees (“Take a length of sewing thread, throw your tiny lariat (around the bee, and watch him) happily zoom around and around…”

5. Spring Showers (“Like a big black bear that napped in a cave all winter, you’ve finally emerged from the house after football season… You need a spring shower!”)

6. Baseball & Softball (“Bound off the bench, race over the infield like a deer, and slide to a dusty stop in front of the concession stand…”)

7. Four-Leaf Clovers (“A shamrock anointed with one tiny amber drop of Coca-Cola will sprout a lucky green fourth leaf… that’s why leprechauns have pots of gold!”)

8. Spring Cleaning (“You found that corn chip you lost last July, $7.34 in coins, two melted (but edible) peppermints, plus Granny’s lost dentures!”)

9. Marshmallow Chicks (“What says spring like nibbling a marshmallow chick? Just make sure it’s marshmallow!”)

10. Dandelions (“Hey, hay fever zombie! Feel that next sneeze coming on?”)

    *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Any luck guessing the 10 Things? (I know: the shamrock was totally misleading– sorry!)

Anyone ever lose a kite in a tree?

Anyone ever lose a frisbee on a roof?? (I’m raising my hand.)

Hope you’ll leave a comment.

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