I've been thinking about children's illustration and animals. I've been too chicken to try it. I know I need to for my portfolio. I'm drawing upon inspiration from Canadian children's book illustrator Renata Liwska for guidance.
I'm the type of illustrator that doesn't feel comfortable with anthropomorphism. Do I appreciate it when others can illustrate that way? Yes! But for me, I can't draw an animal fully dressed head to hoof standing upright. For me, it's confusing to draw an animal using human anatomy and make it seem real. Each animals anatomy is different; add that to showing emotion in a way that is natural to the animal but understandable to the viewer and I'm exhausted already. I just haven't had enough practice in this yet. I'll get there.
That's why I love Renata's work... there is a blend between what is true to her animals and the animals having human qualities. Plus her characters are adorable and I love that there isn't too much alteration from the original sketches to final illustration.
Inspired. Guided. Done. Time to illustrate.
Word.
Also, I do have some artwork to share, but I'm going to wait until the sequence is finished. Therefore, here are some quick links: I posted about Angela Fox recently on Pikaland and I am in love with her artwork so please check more of it out. PeculiarBliss has been poppin' lately, retweet it if you love it because that makes Vaughn happy. I just did an interview with Kathy Tran on LAND which was fun plus I like that site A LOT (art, music, design, culture). And at last...my cousin told me about The Internet's Rectum so that's probably going to hinder my illustration progress this week. Don't expect too much posting and artwork sharing.
I was really stuck and hated this image I made for The Witch of Blackbird Pond cover before I went away to France. I'm happy I stopped working on the concept because I would've never foreseen the fact that I would go away and come back inspired by the photographs of Erwin Blumenfeld and Man Ray.
Erwin Blumenfeld
He became one of the most renowned fashion photographers in the 1940's + 50's from working for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Most of his commercial work was in color but I'm really captivated by his personal black + white work he created in the 1930's in Paris.
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Man Ray
Man Ray was an American artist who mainly lived and worked in the Montparnasse section of Paris in the 1920's. He was a precursor and influence to Dada and Surrealism which according to my art language, were art movements about anti art (no, I'm NOT going to have people sit and pose, I'm gonna do it MY way), dreams, and other weird stuff which laid the foundation for what is now abstract art. I would love if the first image below was the cover for The Witch of Blackbird Pond but that's cheating...and copyright infringement. But how awesome would that be?
I just got back from Paris. I was intending to use this sketchbook to record the trip through drawings but considering there were 11 of us total, the freaks ran rampant among the city and the only thing I could do was accept it and leave my sketchbook in my hotel room.
I can't draw all the time, vacations included. I'm no machine, just a side show freak.
I did however soak up the city and collect tons of graphic design and typographic treats to tantalize your tiny eyes.
So come one, come all to La Cirque du Graphisme et Photographe!
First, we have to pay homage to the o.g. hand drawn typography found at the Louvre. The freaks did not like the Louvre. It was too big, too hot, too many tour groups, the Mona Lisa was too disappointing, and there wasn't a place to rest in sight.
I don't think this typography below was as old as Cuneiform, but it is a relative. I wonder if they kept diaries on stone slabs. Some lonely little girl of royal blood must of somewhere along the line made her slave carve her angst at some point. Maybe that's just my wishful thinking.
There was nice hand drawn typography sign-age inside Shakespeare & Co. Only a few freaks made into the small little building. Normally I enjoy the pleasures of the text, but that day I was too tired.
Four brave freaks saw the spectacle that was the Pompidou, Paris' contemporary art museum. Typography hanging from the ceiling in bright lights was superb, the audience was aghast in delight. Best show on Earth!
Everything was great until we entered a menagerie of feminist art. Imagine a scene where the main focal point was a nude crotch of a woman spinning a hoola hoop. That's when we fled. It was a bigger freak show than us.
Underground, the Paris Metro was safe and sound, and had great design.
