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Illustration by Owen Schumacher

～PROFILE～

Painter / The Son of Man 

Mother committed suicide when he was thirteen

Friends with writer, André Breton 

Graphic style influenced Warhol and Pop art

Forged Picassos during lean post-WWII period 

René Magritte Wikipedia Bio

Little Red Riding Hood, oblivious to what is in store for her, skips through the forest to Grandma’s house.

Graphite

"Recently, a friend of mine asked me to give my two cents on how I compose a page for book illustration. I don't really consider myself an expert on art, design or composition but I figured I'd share my philosophies on the matter for those who may feel they can be a helpful start in illustrating for picture books.

First of all, I should discuss my influences. I learned everything by imitation. I think, for anyone who has started in art you begin by copying those things that interest you and you improve by repetition. For me, I grew up drawing Garfield and VINCENT from the old Disney movie "The Black Hole" (Don't ask) When it came to children's books my infatuation was with the work of William Joyce..."�DAN SANTAT

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to give my two cents on how I compose a page for book illustration. I don't really consider myself an expert on art, design or composition but I figured I'd share my philosophies on the matter for those who may feel they can be a helpful start in illustraitng for picture books.

First of all, I should discuss my infuences. I learned everything by imitaiton. I think, for anyone who has started in art you begin by copying those things that interst you and you improve by repetition. For me, I grew up drawing Garfield and VINCENT from the old Disney movie "The Black Hole" (Don't ask) When it came to children's books my infatuation was with the work of William Joyce...

Now in terms of referencing notes about composition, while in art school,  Joyce's work really spoke to me in a matter of grouping certain elements together and establishing a Foreground, Midground, and Background. This was something about his work that always impressed me and was one of the most important things I appropriated from his style which I wanted to depict in my own work. Santa Calls, in my opinion, is one of the best examples of his work that depicts this trait.

So how does one do that? Well, to be honest it was a skill that took years for me to get the hang of, and to this day I'm still trying to perfect it in my own craft. The first thign I can address is what they refered to in art school as, THE FIRST READ.

1.THE FIRST READ

Take the image from OH NO! at the top for example. There are many elements and colors and shapes which can easily get jumbled together if they are not grouped properly to make the brain process the information easily and efficiently.

The best way to approach composition is by simplifying the information so that it's easy for the brain to take in. The brain loves order. By organizing the visual information so that it becomes effortless for the brain to process then the more pleasing the image will be perceived to be.

The most common thing you hear in art school is 'squint at your work'. The reason why you do this is so that you can see if separate objects on a page are contrasted enough to separate in form. If I were to squint at the image I would separate the two major elements in this piece being the Foreground and Background. It would look something like this....

Now, the first read is the first thign your eye wants to be drawn to on a page. Folks like NC Wyeth were masters at this craft....

Take this Robin Hood piece for example. The firs thing you notice is Robin's face for several reasons. It's central to the piece, the face is well lit in comparison to a relatively mid to dark toned piece which is in tree shade and lastly, his head is framed

Two more little pieces done.

A Gala Apple ~

and a Red Pear ~

and both of them framed ~

A clever mash-up of Toy Story 3 visuals and dialogue from the upcoming Coen Brothers’ True Grit.

(Thanks, Gary Meyer)

Check out the gams on that couch! Phillip Fivel Nessen, also known as Sparrow v. Swallow,  is a Brooklyn based illustrator with a flair for abstracted forms and thoughtful color palettes. Reminiscent of early work by Push Pin Studios and Milton Glaser, Phillip’s illustrations are conceptually thought provoking, smart, and often humorous.

A man of many hats, Phillip also specializes in interactive and print design as well as awesome typography. He even recently wrote, produced, and designed the EP for Harlem based band Beautiful Flag, which I can’t stop listening to. To see more of his work, visit his site. Be sure to also follow his escapades on Twitter.

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For your viewing pleasure: Miguel Calatayud: 70s Comic Book Illustration

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Even though this illustration of a mosasaur had only about a six-day time window from start to finish, I spent the first two days making quick reference maquettes to help visualize the creatures in three dimensions. That investment of time made the final painting go much faster.

On the far left is an aluminum wire armature on a threaded bolt. The bolt is screwed into a pine base and bent to the side. The wire armature, loose as it is, fits within the measurements of the adjacent line drawing. It’s smeared with two-part quick-dry epoxy to hold it together.

To the right is the finished Sculpey maquette, painted with acrylic. The streams of water are represented by strips of flexible packaging foam hot glued to the fins.


I tried photographing the maquette in a variety of natural lighting conditions. Real outdoor light is almost always better than artificial illumination. The maquette is held in position on a C-stand, while I hold a white backdrop behind it. The digital SLR camera is mounted on a tripod, set for a small aperture to get maximum depth of field.


I also made a 2D-3D maquette of the Pteranodons, which made the foreshortening a lot easier to imagine. A little maquette like this, since it has bones made of aluminum wire, can be reused and repositioned many times for future illustrations.

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Sea Monster, Part 2
Sea Monster, Part 1

Like most kids, my daughter just adores coloring. I’ve found most coloring books to be pretty uninspired… Until I came across this. I think it’s super cool with interesting prompts, fun ideas and nice bold visuals. Little kids might need help from parents, but it’d be fun for big kids (ahem, yourself) too.

is not so much work when it's at a place like this. It was 3 days work this weekend that I chauffeured a wedding party at this seaside home, and was reunited with my beloved 15 passenger Festival van. The weather and the views were paradise. The people were really nice. The coffee breaks overlooking the regatta marvelous.

Zoe Toft of Playing by the book has two exciting initiatives happening on her blog that you may be interested in:

1. A Children’s Literature Tour of the UK – Part 1 and Part 2

A Children’s Literature Tour of the UK got it’s start when Zoe decided to compile a list of the various museums and centres for children’s literature around the world. “The part of the world I know best is the UK and then I got excited with the idea of a tour around the UK for lovers of children’s literature and illustration,” she says. “There’s quite an industry dedicated to literary tours but apart from one or two focusing on Harry Potter, I couldn’t find one dedicated to children’s books and so this post was born. Join me as we tour some of the best museums, centres, galleries and bookshops in the UK for children’s literature by clicking here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.”

“Here’s the google map to the European tour I’m currently working on and then I will eventually move on to a US tour and a rest of the world tour (will have to come up with a better name). Any suggestions (museums, galleries, bookshops, activity parks etc) would be most appreciated.”

2. Perfect Picture Books by Post

” This is all about sending and receiving wonderful, indeed brilliant children’s picture books.” says Zoe. ” It will be a way for you to spread the word about a picture book you are passionate about, and to discover another equally amazing book through a gift from someone else. Anyone can sign up (whether or not you have a blog, whether or not you have children) but when you sign up you’re agreeing to purchase and post a lovely picture book (something that in your mind is the ‘best of the best’) to your partner. You in return will receive a lovely gift of a book back.” Interested in signing up? Click here  for the details.

Despite the weekly strip being late, T.J. Kirsch included a short description of his process drawing comics. 

“She Died In Terrebonne is a year-long mystery set in rural Oregon in the 1970s. It updates every Thursday at noon. It’s written by Kevin Church and drawn by T.J. Kirsch.” (via She Died In Terrebonne)

Part IIIllustration by Nickelas Johnson

Thursday, October 14, 2010
My dreamy neighbor who plays obscenely loud music
- w4m - (Greenpoint)

Sometimes when you have played music late into the night or come home in the wee hours and turn it on, I knock on our shared wall or scold you the next day, but all along I am thinking how dreamy you are and how I just want to make love to you.

Be There Bedtime Stories
Animal Mix-up, Bradybug and Sister Exchange are now available in a special way.
For Immediate Release

Contact: Lynda S. Burch, Publisher www.guardianangelpublishing.com


Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. teams with Be There Bedtime Stories’ new technology to bring families together from around the globe.

St. Louis, MO, USA: In a time where families are spread further apart than ever before ‘Be There Bedtime Stories’ is a technology that puts video of a Storyteller onto the page of a children’s book, to be displayed on a computer and read to your children. http://www.betherebedtimestories.com/

“We are very excited with this new adventure,” said GAP President and CEO Lynda Burch. “Our partnership with Be There Bedtime Stories will allow for an unprecedented availability of family sharing reading time with kids and grandkids around the globe. What a wonderful way to “Be There” for your kids whether on assignment out of the country, traveling for work, or just wanting to participate daily in your children’s reading habits; encouraging reading skills that will last a lifetime. It increases literacy awareness and wellness and strengthens family bonds.”

The Sedona International Film Festival, Tuesday night cinema film series displayed the concept, with 5 local leaders, including the Mayor of Sedona. They recorded a bedtime story for presentation that was made to the audience of nearly 500 patrons, right on the big screen of a movie theatre!





For more information on Guardian Angel Publishing or to schedule an interview with the publisher, email Lynda S. Burch at [email protected].

Feelings screenprint by juliananeufeld

Gorgeous Typographic Posters by Tom Davie. Hard to choose just one to share here. Go look! Go!

In case you missed this video a few years back, here's a super-awesome vid from Holland Hall Primary School in Tulsa. The kids did a superb job of staging Annie Was Warned! The costumes! The sets! The acting! BRAVO!