Day 28.
This is Dog Beach.
Twenty-eight days ago I introduced you to Pico. Today I give you this.
Every dog on this beach is hand-drawn. The surfers, the swimmers, the chess players, the poodle under the umbrella, the Doberman who clearly owns this stretch of sand, the dachshund — yes, that dachshund — still digging her hole in the lower right. The biplane. The lifeguard stand. The fire hydrant, which is there for obvious reasons.
I drew this in the style of P.D. Eastman because there is no other style for Dog Beach. Go, Dog. Go. Big dogs, little dogs. Red dogs, blue dogs. Dogs on waves. Dogs playing cards. Dogs tanning on towels, which I did not think dogs did until I went to Dog Beach and watched them do it.
Dog Beach is one of the oldest off-leash beaches in the country. It sits at the north end of Ocean Beach, right where the San Diego River meets the Pacific. On any given morning it is the happiest place in San Diego. Possibly in California. I have never seen a bad day at Dog Beach. I am not sure one has ever occurred.
Pico knows this beach. He knows every dog on it. He would tell you he is their mascot, which the dogs have neither confirmed nor denied.
This image will be a 30″x10″ print. It will be one of the most San Diego things I have ever made. I am proud of every single dog in it.
That is twenty-eight days. Twenty-eight illustrations, characters, stories, and moments from the world of Pico the Parrot. Thank you for following along. Thank you for backing the campaign. Thank you for caring about a loud green bird from Ocean Beach who is very certain he matters.
He does.
— Stooge