myths and legends: annotated
All this miserable weather has made for some perfect studio days: drying off between soggy dog walks and getting dirty with charcoal. It’s certainly easier at this time of High Mud than last summer, when I was chained to my drawing table while tourists to my piece of Vacationland rode by on their bicycles. Here are some of the 26 illustrations I did last June and July for The Star Fruit Tree, a Vietnamese folk tale that appears in the Oxford University Press Myths and Legends series, recently published. It’s the tale of two brothers: one greedy and one good. This is the older...
Read Morefriending
This little hermit crab appears in “Nest, Nook and Cranny” more than once and serves as today’s mascot…he reminds me of the song in my head: I get by with a little help from my friends. I can thank friend and former teacher at the Institute for Children’s Literature for a great opportunity: Kirby Larson interviewed the author, Susan Blackaby, and I on her blog. Read it here. I love when friends resurface from another chapter, a distant beach. Good friend, Kathy arrived on stormy seas to play catch-up in the world of art, elder care, and mothering. Former Peaks...
Read Morelooking out looking in
I am excited to be part of a group show: Looking Out Looking in at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. Curated by Madeline Sorel, it is a tribute to both Women’s History Month and the art of portraiture by 25 women artists ranging in age from eight to eighty. My pastel of Amelia Earhart was done for a textbook story. She’s one of those heroines I can’t shake. I should see the movie, but not sure I want to. She can still keep flying in the clouds of my imagination. I did this drawing of Johnny Cash as a personal project. Ring of Fire plays in my head way too often....
Read Morecuriosity counts
Every now and then a good shindig comes along that brings my favorite people out of the woodwork. In this case, it was a surprise party for Kirsten Cappy, saucy diva of Curious City, who has celebrated children’s books far and wide, making fans galore in her wake. We were asked to create an interpretation of Kirsten for an instant show at Zero Station. Here’s mine, in which Her Loveliness sports a curious octopus ready to read. My daughter, Daisy, got into the act, too: Marty doesn’t usually do portraits, but his airbrush piece says it all: Here Kirsten shares her glee with...
Read Morego figure
I just finished reading “The Undressed Art: Why We Draw” by Peter Steinhart for the third time. It’s a book about life drawing, the rituals found in drawing groups, the artists and models who participate. I reread it from time to time when I am teaching, because it reinforces all the facets of this driving urge to draw the figure. In an illustration class, the nude figure is less necessary. Drawing people in clothing or costume is also a great challenge, especially with elaborate folds and details. I encourage students to bring in props, anything that will add intrigue. And...
Read Morelovey dovey
There’s nothin’ like a valentine to cheer me up. I love makin’ em, and I love gettin’ ’em. Don’t you? I dusted off the ole gocco machine for this year’s edition. I repurposed a little spot from a book that I illustrated for Storey. Added an embellishment from a chapter heading from Rickshaw Girl and voila. Always fun to try colors combos on different papers. Why stop there? I brought my handy dandy kit into class, where students were working on a Love Zine project. Here Devin applies the goopy ink like icing to his master. Presto: his “Love...
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