Chubz's day at the Jersey Shore!

It’s been said that due to my lovely orange tan and big tuft of hair that I would fit in nicely at the Jersey Shore.   So I thought…why not give it a try!  Let me just say, they were right!  I loved it there!  I had my favorite food….PIZZA and enjoyed a chocolate covered frozen banana.  Yumm!

Next,  the beach…I mean shore.  I think I could just sit back and relax all day at the shore, feeling the warm sun on my fur and listening to the waves.  Although I should be careful, don’t want to become too orange!  It was a great time.

Where have you gone?  Do you have any stories and pictures?  I’d love to hear about the fun times you have had.

My New York City Adventure! - By Zizi

I had the best time this past Saturday in New York City!!!   I had never been there before and every experience was just as exciting as the one before.  

To get into NYC I took the Staten Island Ferry.  The ferry was a nice way to get into the city and we went right past the Statue of Liberty.  It was amazing!  

Next, I rode an escalator for the first time.  How cool is that?  Steps that move!  

The escalator took me to the Subway.  Now that is an experience!  It took me a few minutes to figure out which train I needed, but learning new things is always fun for me!  

Now for some entertainment.  I headed over to the theatre district and caught a show.  Wicked!  Words cannot describe how amazing that was!!! I LOVED it!!!  I would love to go see it again!  

After the show I headed over to Ellen’s Stardust Diner.  It has a 50’s theme to it and all the wait staff are aspiring actors or actresses hoping to make their big break onto Broadway.  So while you wait for your food they all take turns singing.  I even got my picture taken with Brandon Ellis, my waiter.  Someday we will see his name in light. Wow, entertainment and food, what next?  

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How about Times Square?  Great idea!  So I headed out and guess who I ran into?  Cookie Monster!!!  Well I had to get a picture with him, he’s great, and I do love cookies!  

Just a little further and there I was, right in the middle of Times Square!  It was incredible!!  There was so much to take in.  Tons of people, signs, lights, smells, music, cars….what an adventure!  

This trip was truly an awesome adventure for me, and I can’t wait to do it again or even try something new. Maybe some of my monster friends have been on fun trips too. If you have, send me some pictures. I always love to hear about new adventures!

 - Zizi

Murb Community Helper Contest!

Every town has many community helpers to help it run smoothly. The growing town of Murb has found that they need to have some community helpers too. So we are holding a contest to see what GREAT helpers you can create! Individuals, families, or classes can turn in their ideas! So, either work on your own, or get some friends together to come up with the best community helpers you can!
For this contest, you need to:

• Create a Community Helper Monster (doctor, bus driver, mail carrier, etc.)
• Design the Community Building for that monster (hospital, bus, post office, etc.)
• Write a story, "Why this Community Helper is Important for Murb"
• Be sure to read all of the Contest Rules below.

As always, be sure your monsters are fun, friendly, and unique! What kind of community helpers do you think Murb needs?

 Contest Rules

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• Email entries must be received by April 15, 2011.
• Mail entries must be postmarked no later than April 14, 2011.
• Entries will be judged based on originality, overall design, and creativity.
• Entries should be in color and include a story, "Why this Community Helper is Important to Murb".
• At least five winners will be selected to have their community helper monster placed in Murb.
• Classes, families, or just groups are encouraged to work together to come up with some great ideas. Just be sure to list who helped create which items on the entry form.
• By submitting an entry, the contestant agrees that they have parental consent to submit his/her work.
• The winner agrees to allow Fun4theBrain to publish his/her name (first name, last initial only) and artwork on the website and in games. Winner personal information will be kept confidential and will NOT be published.
• All materials received will become the property of Fun4theBrain and will not be returned. Fun4theBrain will be allowed to make additional styles of the artwork and media, including but not limited to, advertising, game characters, and toys.
• Ideal size of monster drawing is 8.5" x 11". Images that are too small to see detail will not be judged. Images that are too large to size down easily, will not be judged.
• Fun4theBrain will not accept any copyrighted images. It is up to the contestant to verify copyright status.
• All entries must be accompanied by the Contest Entry Form.
• All entries MUST have all three component to qualify for contest. If the character, his/her building, or their story is missing, the entry will be denied.
• Images emailed in must be in the .jpg or .png format and must be attached via email. Technical help is not provided by Fun4theBrain. Scans or Photographs are accepted.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Click here for your Contest Entry Form.

** -For emailed entries - feel free to type the entry form information into the message of the email instead of scanning in the entry form.
*** - Special consideration given to earlier entries!

Announcement: New Contest Coming Very Soon!

Hey! Fun4theBrain has exciting news! A new contest is coming!!

So, dust off the thinking cap, and get ready to let your creativity flow. You will get to design a new feature for Murb. Stay tuned for more details in the next few days. Contest begins Tuesday, March 15th - one week from today!

How to Draw Lessons - Winter Vacation

Hello all! We have drawn almost all of the monsters that live in Murb. There are only a few left to go! However, the How To Draw lessons are taking a vacation while we figure the best way to do the last few monsters. Starting January 10, 2011, you will see more monsters and much more Murb fun here on the blog. Until then, enjoy drawing the other monsters and reading interesting news from around Murb!

How to Draw: Diamondhead

This week's monster is Diamondhead! Diamondhead loves diamonds. He is small, but strong and helps people a lot. His favorite colors are blue and red. He is the richest man in Murb and is always willing to help people out. Thanks to Ty P. from New Jersey for this cool monster!

How to Draw Diamondhead PDF

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Step 1: Draw a slightly curved triangle for Diamondhead's head.

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Step 2: Add more lines for the top of his head.

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Step 3: Draw the sections of the diamond.

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Step 4: Using straight lines, start drawing the braces for his head.

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Step 5: Continue drawing the braces.

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Step 6: Draw in the braces that are behind his head.

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Step 7: With lots of curved lines, draw Diamondhead's nose, smile, and eyebrows.

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Step 8: Add in his eyes.

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Step 9: Straight lines and rectangles make up his glasses.

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Step 10: Draw his shirt with some curved lines.

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Step 11: Using curved lines, draw his belt and the top of his shirt.

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Step 12: Finish drawing Diamondhead's shirt.

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Step 13: Using curved lines, draw in the rest of his jacket.

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Step 14: Add in his pants.

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Step 15: Drawing Diamondhead's arms should be easy with just a few curved lines.

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Step 16: His shoes are created with straight lines at angles to make kite-like shapes.

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Step 17: Add in the extras and color in Diamondhead!

How to Draw: Jelly Bean!

This week, our monster drawing lesson brings us a fun, athletic, candy-eating monster named Jelly Bean! Jelly Bean loves candy and playing football. Want to know a secret? Her mom just got her candy corn shoes and cotton candy. She always has candy for people in Murb. Thanks, Cassidy R. of Texas!

How to Draw Jelly Bean PDF

Step 1: Draw a square with rounded corners for Jelly Bean's body.

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Step 2: Draw three circles for her eyes and nose.

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Step 3: Add in her smile!

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Step 4: While this kinda looks like a hat, it is really ice cream! Draw a half circle with two curves at the bottom to draw the ice cream on Jelly Bean's head.

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Step 5: Draw a cherry on top!

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Step 6: Add all of the extras to finish Jelly Bean's face.

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Step 7: Draw Jelly Bean's legs with some straight and curved lines.

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Step 8: Draw straight lines coming out at angles from the legs to start Jelly Bean's feet.

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Step 9: Draw a straight line down from the top of her foot. Then connect that line to the other side of her foot. Do this step carefully as it really helps to make the feet look 3D.

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Step 10: Make 3 straight lines along the tops of Jelly Bean's shoes.

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Step 11: Now draw lines coming down from the lines in Step 10. This step completes the shoes, and makes them look 3D!

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Step 12: Draw a very bumpy line to start Jelly Bean's jelly bean arm.

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 Step 13: Finish off her bumpy arm.

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Step 14: Draw her other arm which is made of cotton candy. This arm is curvy, but not bumpy. 

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Step 15: Draw in the extras.

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Step 16: Color Jelly Bean!