nuts and bolts for all

The MECA semester has begun! Things got off to a rousing start with our first guest speaker of the year, the honorable Charles Hively of 3 x 3 Magazine. I’ve been a fan of his magazine and was thrilled to finally meet such a passionate advocate of the powers of good illustration.

I drew a portrait for the above flyer before meeting him, and he’s more jovial than he appears here. His talk was informative and candid, and a good shot in the arm for illustrators of any age.

His background as an illustrator, an art director, and creative director gives him wisdom from all angles. He spelled out the concrete aspects of how an illustrator can impress art buyers with details from his Nuts and Bolts book and conference. Even as a 30 year veteran of the field, I had plenty to learn. Thanks to Charles for his incredible generosity!

Meanwhile, my class began by showing their summer sketchbooks, an assignment given to all majors in early May to keep their pencils and minds sharp.

They were asked to draw 4 things. The first category: plants.

Love these detailed lupines in a field of cut paper by Hana Firestone: