a short Long studio visit
I love visiting illustrators’ studios. After the frenzy of the Holiday Sale and the magic of Willow the Wonder Pony, I marched my class down to visit MECA alum Liz Long in her studio. Not that long ago she was working in the MECA Illustration studios, when she created a whimsical body of work for her thesis last spring. Remember this dreamy installation at Longfellow Books? Liz and her classmates visited my studio before graduation, and I found this portrait of me that Liz left behind. I drew a portrait of her for my Portland zine, which I brought to ICON8, held in Portland, OR this...
Read Morewarm wishes
Perhaps I worked at Hallmark in another life. I love greeting cards. Making them, buying them, sending them. With the advent of e-cards, I’m even more determined to snail mail something that is handsomely crafted and lovingly decorated. While still pondering what this year’s holiday greeting might look like, I re-purposed some old postcards, with a circle cutter, a glue stick, and some fun handmade papers I bought. Paired with colorful envelopes and scraps of old wrapping paper, off they went to the Peaks Island Post Office. The arctic fox illustration is from A Warmer World by...
Read Morewillow the wonder pony
The Illustration Department at Maine College of Art believes in drawing, big time. This year (almost) every class began with observational studies during the first fifteen minutes. The arrival of Willow the Wonder Pony on Tuesday brought the semester to an epic finale, complete with hay. Meaghan Martin and illustration senior Molly Blyth-Olson brought their miniature pony from the Gorham Equestrian Center to a third floor drawing room via the freight elevator. Willow calmly munched while students drew from all angles. Molly said, “Willow’s 10 years old, and we rescued her from a...
Read MoreMECA elves
Once again, Maine College of Art is holding their annual Holiday Sale! My junior illustration majors have nimbly lept from working on Summer Ale packaging to the Holiday Sale project, in which they are making illustrated products to sell at the Illustration Showcase table, located on the 3rd floor, right outside the elevator. Taylor Mirabito has her lovely cards all wrapped up. And she’s busy assembling her Nutcracker ornaments. Jesenia Santana‘s got a series of playful cards. Ashley Palmer is adding final touches to delicate watercolors. Senior Dee Weigand is felting up some...
Read MoreMECA: Now With More Pulp!
Have you seen THE PULPS? This astounding exhibit of pulp fiction art from the collection of Robert Lesser is on view at the Portland Public Library until Dec. 26! The opening on First Friday in October was a gathering of the illustration tribe, and then some. The works glisten with dynamic compositions, exaggerated expression, and powerful painting chops. Is it curious that there’s a whole section of Ladies in Terror? The implied violence to women was good bait for the times. With the exhibit as inspiration, I asked my illustration juniors to create a pulp fiction cover in their own...
Read MoreHenrik Drescher workshop at MECA
The renowned illustrator Henrik Drescher gave a public lecture last week at the Portland Public Library, followed by a 3-day workshop at Maine College of Art, thanks to stellar advance work by our new Co-Chair of Illustration, Mary Anne Lloyd. As a long-time fan of Henrik’s quirky books, what a thrill to meet this charming and well-traveled artist. His talk centered around his recent book, China Days, a Visual Journal from China’s Wild West. Henrik’s been living in Dali, Yunnan with his wife/artist Wu Wing Yee for over a decade. In a province that borders Burma, Laos, and...
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