Last year Brian Martin got an amazing job, but had to keep it secret from even his close friends. Animation projects are kept hush-hush so other studios don’t get wind of a great idea. Now he can share that he’s been working on Steven Colbert’s Our Cartoon President. The half-hour cartoon show premieres Feb. 11 on Showtime. BrianContinue reading “Brian Martin and Our Cartoon President.”
Author Archives: illustrationclass
Angels & Demons in Red and Blue
Searching the web I came across this archive of mugshots taken by Australian police in the 1920’s. Love this dude’s rockabilly haircut.. I used his likeness for painting demos in my sophomore illustration class. I drew his likeness twice on gessoed masonite. Then I painted monochromatic studies using blue, black, and white and red, black,Continue reading “Angels & Demons in Red and Blue”
Illustrations Get Moving with Gifs
In Illustration 1 class, we added a bit of motion to our art using Photoshop gifs. Shout out to Prof. Dannell MacIlwraith for teaching me how to make a gif loop. Amanda Collins, artwork above, sits alongside Mia Clark, artwork below. Both focused on nostrils, oddly enough. Ashley Ferguson animated one of her 3 icons,Continue reading “Illustrations Get Moving with Gifs”
More Wild Animal Heads
Subject matter: Animals heads on human bodies. For this colored pencil project I suggest students use ordinary marker layout bond. Some prefer smooth bristol board. Recommended pencils brands are Prismacolor or Derwent. I have been on tour with my kid’s books, so I haven’t been posting much. These images speak for themselves. All done byContinue reading “More Wild Animal Heads”
The Weave. American Illustrator Robert Weaver.
I was lucky enough to study with this man.
Really Sharp Artists at The Pencil Factory
Kutztown illustration students went on a field trip to The Pencil Factory, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to visit a great illustrator, Paul Hoppe. Paul grew up in Germany and his name is pronounced something like “Powell Hopp-uh.” He is a graduate, like me, of the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program at SVA. He also teaches in SVA’s summerContinue reading “Really Sharp Artists at The Pencil Factory”
Ryan Lynn’s NFL Art.
Illustrator Ryan Lynn, 2006, BFA, Communication Design, is doing fine, thanks. I remember covering my ears when Ryan’s punk band, The Aurora, rocked the Trexlertown Grange, around 2005. His music career may have faded, but his artistic energy certainly hasn’t waned. He just completed the biggest illustration job of his career. His slightly-retro super-graphic style isContinue reading “Ryan Lynn’s NFL Art.”
Maestro Marshall Arisman’s Retrospective.
Marshall Arisman’s Retrospective is stunning. If you get to New York City, see it before it closes on Sept 16. If you can’t get there, watch this 10-minute video tour . I remember the day I met Marshall Arisman. It was 1984. I went to his office at School of Visual Arts after seeing anContinue reading “Maestro Marshall Arisman’s Retrospective.”
Kutztown, where seldom is heard a discouraging word…
As the semester begins, I warn new students that illustration is a very tough field. Like acting, -the world only needs so many movie stars. On the other hand, I should share success stories of grads doing great work in illustration. Here are a few stellar grads.Take 2017 grad Heather Fox, for example. She madeContinue reading “Kutztown, where seldom is heard a discouraging word…”
Greg Pizzoli -Printmaker Makes Good!
I tabled at ALA in Chicago to promote my new Toon book, Something’s Fishy. ALA is the American Library Association’s mega-convention. Over 10,000 librarians and hundreds of authors and illustrators roamed the aisles. Anchored to my table, I still managed to meet some superstar illustrators as they passed by. In front of my display, GregContinue reading “Greg Pizzoli -Printmaker Makes Good!”
Illustration Concentration 