Patrick Hruby fans listen up. Patrick is back at Blik with the Imaginary Forest wall decal. We recently sat down with the LA-based illustrator for a quick conversation about the new graphic, growing up in a log cabin and his heroes. Like Imaginary Castle, the graphic is available in two sizes: small and large.
Blik: What inspired Imaginary Forest?
Patrick Hruby: I was born in Los Angeles, but I grew up in a log cabin on 20 acres of forest in Idaho. I did the forest scene for myself originally. It was self-medicating.
Blik: Why a forest?
PH: Drawing forests is peaceful for me. It’s one of the last places that’s still magical, beautiful and wild.
Blik: Who were your heroes growing up?
PH: Mary Blair and Kay Nielsen.
Thanks, Patrick for sharing with us!
IMAGINARY FOREST GIVEAWAY: Patrick’s imagination has taken him from the depths of the forest to Eastern European castles. Where will your imagination take you? Tell us your favorite imaginary animal by commenting below to win 1 of 5 small Imaginary Forest graphics. We’re partial to unicorns.
How to Win: Leave your comment below by 11:59pm on April 8, 2012. The five winners will be announced on April 10, 2012. Giveaway is open to US and Canada residents.
UPDATE: Congratulations Alison, Eunice, Jake, Tanya, and Sean! We loved your imaginary animals. Thanks to everyone who participated!
I have always loved Dragons. I would love one of these forests. Thank you so much.
This is so hard! I do like unicorns but I think gryphons are pretty awesome! I love Patrick’s work and so does my little one.
Once again, patrick does it well. I’d love to see this as a silk-screen as well.
I would love this imaginary world as part of my everyday environment to get creatively lost in the magical forest.
I would love to be taken away to the imaginary forest in my everyday environment.
The Pobble who hast no toes, from the rhyme by Edward Lear! I love Patrick Hruby, this decal would look amazing in my kids’ room – fingers crossed!
I really love Patrick’s work. My favorite imaginary/mythical animal is the chimera. Lion, goat and snake all in one package.
My all time favourite imaginary animal is the Filleflabb, it has 19 legs and 20 tails!
My favorite animal is the Phoenix. What a magical thing to be able to live your life, burn up and be reborn new and young and healthy to live all over again!
I went to high school with Patrick and have always admired his work. I would love to put this up in my daughters bedroom, so fingers crossed! Although, whether I win one or not, I will proly have to buy it!
my favorite imaginary animal is a pratgeon. its a hybrid animal created in a science lab in hopes to create the ultimate trash gorging animal, to help keep the streets of New York clean. Combined genetics of a rat and a pigeon.
Mermaids! My daughter adores them and I love their legend, the way they straddle two worlds and their tails.
It’s gotta be that creature that runs through our dreams, the Jackalope!
I must confess a deep-seated, longstanding love for Hayao Miyazaki and his fanciful cast of Totoro, the tree guardian fluff giants. They look best with umbrellas and ride a cat bus. That’s pretty hard to beat.
The jackalope… Fast as fast can be, you’ll never catch me!
Unicorns were my first love but then I found out about Pegasus! To me, a horse with wings is way better than a horse with a horn …
This imaginary forest is amazing!
Ninja Turtles
Dragons, specifically. the dragonriders of Pern had me completely in love when I was young…..
I wanted a dragon….
Minotaurs have long been a favorite of mine, next, Dragons!
Tock, the watchdog in The Phantom Tollbooth.
I like unicorns & werewolves
Hi, My name is Joey and Im 7 ….I love BLIK and I love dragons, they breathe fire and they are COOL!!!!
Zombies!
I like mermaids!
The one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple people eater!
I like dragons, and unicorns. I know odd combination lol
Gargoyles are my very favorite.
Just the word Liger makes me laugh but I found out they are real.
FALCOR!!!!!!
best imaginary animal ever!!!
Ewoks! I want a Ewok village in my back yard. I guess an Imaginary Forest on my wall is the next best thing!
My favourite has always been Pegasus – strong, beautiful, winged, and the creator of springs of pure water when he touches the earth.
hmm…. the Jabberwocky from Lewis Carols poems was always pretty exciting as a kid, but my favourite has to be the Scottish Kelpie, also one you would not want to meet on a dark night, pretty much the anti unicorn!
The Jabberwock / with eyes of flame! I love that poem, so the Jabberwock is my favorite imaginary animal.
Yes, without a doubt, The Luck Dragon, Never Ending Story. Everyones dream companion!
Sasquatch! Also known as Big Foot!
I’ve always dreamt of living in a midevil castle surrounded by a forest much like this one. Unicorns surrounding the castle living in the forest as my own pets. I even named my daughter Castle after this reoccuring dream. I love Blik and I especially love this design
Aloysius Snuffleupagus is cleeeearly the most amazing fantasy creature. EVERYONE knows who he is, but nobody knows just what he is! What’s not to love?
Basilisks, from ‘The Most Wonderful Animals that Never Were’. The ‘original’ version had poison breath in addition to killing you with a look, but I thought the idea of a monster that could kill you just as soon as look at you was chilling as a kid.
I see that the Totoro tree spirits have already been mentioned (Totoro is a favorite of mine!), so I’ll say… Nyan Cat.
I actually dressed up as Nyan Cat this Halloween.
And then there is the aromatic spikeastinkulator! An imaginary animal with spikes who is quite stinky!!
The cockatrice. Essentially a deadly chicken! I also have to throw a vote in there for the jackalope; one of my favorites.
Beautiful work Patrick!
why do you need an imaginary animal when there is such a thing as a platypus?
I would say Unicorn, yet I believe it has been used. So, the next best is..the JACKELOPE! I can see it hopping in that very forest
long live the unicorn!
UNICORNS, duh. It’s like a horse and a narwhal had a baby. Oh, also, in my world…unicorns can fly. I don’t care! I know only Pegasus can fly! so what!
I like the Cat-bus in the movie Totoro.
The selkie, by far. I always found them fascinating, but I think what I like best about them is the greater message they have to offer about human nature; the way people never seem to feel like they belong, like they are satisfied. We are always searching for something greater and more meaningful in our lives, the way the selkie constantly yearns for the sea. Yet should they return, they leave their family, their children, the spouse they have come to love. Perhaps we all live a half-life.
Dragons and griffins. I can’t choose between them!
I’m going to go with the centaur! Sigh.