Yes, it is true. I am Akbar's brother Grenouille. If you feel you must pronounce it, it is, "Gren-wee". Sure I have a French accent, even though I am not French. What of it? I went to a big, famous art school in France. That's close enough.

I called Akbar from my studio in Paris last night, and he told me that his business was booming thanks to the new Face Factory. Seems like he's been getting a whole lot of stuff from you guys and most of it looks really groovy. He says that the parts that sell the quickest are the pieces that are drawn carefully, with an eye for detail.

'Ere I am tanning my powerful pecs at the Eiffel Tower.

So, since I am an artist, I went in there and tried it myself. At first, it was a little hard to get used to... but with practice (along with the fact that I am classically trained in the art of body part making), I was able to create a masterpiece. Yes, it was beautiful. I have tears in my eyes just remembering the sheer perfection of that nose ring. Of course, I could not actually submit a body part of such exquisite beauty. It would have made all of you poor Whyvillians ...how shall I say...weep with the shame of your inability to make such a beautiful nose ring. Plus, my computer crashed before I could hit the submit button.

After I rebooted, I went into Akbar's and took a look at the parts for sale. Many parts were drawn very well but some of them could use a bit of constructive criticism. And, criticism just happens to be another thing that I am very good at.

First of all, I just think that a lot of you could slooooow down a little and draw things more carefully. Nobody wants to wear a messy ear or really sloppy hair buns around all day. Why not take your time and draw your part neatly? I have heard from a very reliable source that Akbar might be opening up a very elite boutique where he will showcase only the BEST of the best in body parts. You won't stand a chance if your parts are all whacked out.

So, do yourself a favor and be a little more careful. (That means erasing any stray pixels AND checking the reduced versions for "degeneration". When the picture gets smaller, it doesn't look as clear as it did when you first drew it. So you have to go in and clean it up by hand before you submit it. This is the number one reason why Akbar rejects items. Some of them just look El Stinko (that's French for "bad") when they get reduced. That's why it's your job to fix them.)

If you make a face part (hair, eyes, mouth etc.) make sure that you buy a big enough canvas to draw it on. Don't be cheap -- because if your part is too small, it will be rejected. The parts have to fit on a full size Whyhead. I, myself, would never purchase a puny eye to stick on my head. There's nothing good looking about that. How embarrassing. So be sure to make parts that fit a typical Whyvillian head. You can test it out on your own face right there in the Face Factory.

Last of all, remember to price your part and give it a name before you submit it. A lot of you are forgetting to do this. You can't make a living giving away free hairdo's... believe me I've tried.

Oh, wait, one last thing. Akbar says he's got a glut of face glitter. So, no more face glitter for a while, yes?

Bonjour my little Whyville people whom I will from now on call, "mes petits ??tudiants gluants d'art de Whyville".

-Grenouille