illustrationclass

RIP Maestro Marshall Arisman

I’ve told this story before, but one thing Marshall Arisman taught me is that a good story deserves to be retold. In 1984, I was a bartender at the 8th Street Tavern in Hoboken and doing occasional illustrations for The New York Times and The Village Voice. I learned from an ad in the TimesContinue reading “RIP Maestro Marshall Arisman”

Tara Hannon’s ‘BIRTLE’ Graphic Novel for Kids

Tara Hannon, a Kutztown University grad, is celebrating publication of her first graphic novel for kids, Birtle. Supportive communities like SCBWI and 12×12 helped Tara refine her writing and led to her finding an agent. Despite initial rejections, Tara persisted and her novel Birtle, a story of belonging, is set to be published in 2024.

Ivan Brunetti is Himself

In 2019, in Seattle, I shared a table at a library conference with one of my heroes, the great Ivan Brunetti. He was there to promote his TOON book Comics Easy as ABC. I was there to promote Snails Are Just My Speed. Fantagraphics invited Ivan and me to an after party at a taproomContinue reading “Ivan Brunetti is Himself”

Procreate for Comics: My Learning Curve.

The Procreate iPad app is a great bargain. It cost $12.99 in the U.S. It was under $10 when I got it in 2020, half the price of my monthly Photoshop subscription. Procreate is intuitive. It comes with lots of crisp tutorials, but I wasn’t able to teach myself to the point that I wouldContinue reading “Procreate for Comics: My Learning Curve.”

The Ducky Mr. McCloskey

Mr. McCloskey’s Marvelous Mallards -The Making of Make Way for Ducklings is a sweet new children’s picture book by Emma Bland Smith with art by Becca Stadtlander. As a McCloskey, I find it fascinating. This is a great book to pair with a read-aloud of Robert McCloskey’s 1941 Caldecott winning book about ducks living inContinue reading “The Ducky Mr. McCloskey”

CLOUD TOWN, a Ripping Good Graphic Novel!

Daniel McCloskey, the creator of the new graphic novel Cloud Town, is my son. That’s my full disclosure. So, take what I say with a grain of salt. Daniel is a genius. I write kid’s books for TOON Books, so some might assume Daniel learned to make graphic novels from me. Not so. I taughtContinue reading “CLOUD TOWN, a Ripping Good Graphic Novel!”

Little Monarchs @ Artists’ Alley

I met Jonathan Case and his daughter Dorothy in Artists’ Alley at the American Library Association Annual Conference, Wash D.C. The conference was back in-person. Masks and vaccinations were required, so it it was a different Artists’ Alley. Odd, but felt safe and far better than a virtual conference. Artists can apply for a free Artist’s AlleyContinue reading “Little Monarchs @ Artists’ Alley”

AMAZONA

AMAZONA- a graphic novel, by Canizales Review by Kevin McCloskey 1/23/22 Translation to English by Sofía Huitrón MartínezU.S edition, Graphic Universe, Lerner, pub date: April, 2022 The graphic novel Amazona, like Disney’s animated musical Encanto, takes place in Colombia. Two stories of refugee families forced off their land by violence could not be more different.Continue reading “AMAZONA”

Albert & Lots of Other Things

Albert and the Whale: Albrecht Dürer and How Art Imagines Our World by Philip Hoare Pegasus Books, NY, 2021, 304 pages. There is some achingly beautiful writing here. I will read anything about Durer and the sections about Durer’s life and work are wonderful. Other parts seem to be very personal digressions. On several occasionsContinue reading “Albert & Lots of Other Things”

Omair Ali Makes His Marks

Omair, You landed a job as an illustrator. Congrats! Q: What exactly is is your job description? I’m an illustrator/designer with the in-house publishing department at American Reading Company. We create literacy curriculums for K-12 readers. I design and illustrate books about various subjects ranging from non-fiction (science and history) to fiction (fairytales and fantasy).Continue reading “Omair Ali Makes His Marks”