sketchbook project comes to town
At last, the traveling road show known as the Sketchbook Project is in town for a speed date with Portland. Since the venue is right down the street from MECA, it made for a relevant field trip for my illustration class. Since parting with my sketchbook back in January, I’ve been wondering how the whole thing works. 10,000 sketchbooks? How does that happen? We lined up for a Brooklyn Art Library card, then you choose from a huge category of themes, your card is scanned, and a friendly person finds 2 sketchbooks for you to look at. And there are a ton of sketchbooks. My students were to...
Read Morecollegial connections
We blasted to Danielson, CT last week to see our work in “12 New England Illustrators” at Quinebaug Valley Community College. The show was curated by Annie Gusman Joly, a fellow illustrator, educator, and colleague from many years ago at the Art Institute of Boston. She’s been a source of inspiration for decades, with her style, flair for color, and teaching experience. It was fun to see what’s in the works in her studio in nearby Putnam. The show includes illustrators working in very different methods and markets, from oils to scratchboard, and books to beer...
Read Moreforces of nature
The tsunami in Japan and it’s aftermath remain unfathomable. I walk around my little island and say prayers to the trees, for recovery, for renewal. The sump pump burbles incessantly in the basement, as the snow melt runs down to the sea. I’m happy to have more studio time, for illustrations for a book project. This week, oddly, everything was under water. First, a spread about coral. This is a detail. Next, four species of fish, affected by warmer temps: trout, salmon, bass, and carp. This is a detail of the bass and carp, plus their tags for labeling. Then I drew a loggerhead...
Read Morewelcoming guests at MECA
The little hive known as MECA was plenty busy during the first half of the spring semester. In Illustration 2, we welcomed some amazing guests. Last Thursday, just in from San Francisco, a dynamic pair of creators arrived to tell their story. Hugh D’Andrade and Mati McDonough frequently collaborate, as couples often do. Yet they have very different approaches to their work. They made a presentation first to the junior illustration majors. Hugh studied fine art at the California College of Art and after graduating, began doing free art for friends, for posters around San Francisco for...
Read Moredown the bay mitten tour
Last Friday was a gloriously frosty day to head down the bay for more Ice Harbor Mitten visits. I was feeling so hearty I even stayed on the upper deck of the Island Romance, my favorite little Casco Bay Lines vessel. The car ferry’s out of service for most of March, and commuters are happy to huddle in the lee. For those who can’t do without a car, here’s your alternative: the Lionel Plante barge. I no sooner arrived in Portland and then headed back out on the Aucocisco with author Robin Hansen and the gracious Patty Temple, Long Island’s children’s librarian,...
Read Moreboston blast
I’ve been digging in to my current project with all hands on deck. Drawing a multitude of animals, and taking lots of notes. I scavenged a plastic bear from my daughter’s neglected toy bin to help with shadows and form for the book jacket sketches. These two sketches (cropped here) were the favorites out of 8 variations. I did a color comp for the publisher’s jacket meeting. Again, here is just the bear. While awaiting feedback on cover issues, I resumed working on the interior illustrations. Just as I was about to tackle a complex page of penguins underwater eating...
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