Gonzo Sketching with the Great Ted Michalowski

You have seen Ted Michalowski’s art on TV. He’s done courtroom reporting for ABC, CBS, CNN, all the major networks. He is an energetic part of the Scranton, PA art scene. When I say he is a ringmaster, it is not a metaphor, he has worked with the circus. His is a 4-time winner of the ElectricContinue reading “Gonzo Sketching with the Great Ted Michalowski”

Viva Frank Viva!

  I love Frank Viva’s “Trip to the Bottom of the World with Little Mouse.”  It is drawn digitally in Adobe Illustrator, yet it has a retro feel. I got to meet the Canadian author/illustrator at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Boston. He flew down from Toronto where he heads an award-winning graphic design agency, VivaContinue reading “Viva Frank Viva!”

Heads Up: Colored Pencil Project

Scratchboard illustrations from my sophomore classes gained nearly 200 views on day one. So here’s a gallery of their colored pencil projects. Animal Head on Human Body I have been using this assignment for years, getting imaginative combinations. Back in the day, students found three different photos: a head, body and background. Lately I’ve seen students actually google theContinue reading “Heads Up: Colored Pencil Project”

Danny Gregory Sketches From Life

“Danny Gregory and his wife, Patti, hadn’t been married long. Their baby, Jack, was ten months old; life was pretty swell. And then Patti fell under a subway train and was paralyzed from the waist down. In a world where nothing seemed to have much meaning, Danny decided to teach himself to draw, and whatContinue reading “Danny Gregory Sketches From Life”

My Mexican Sketchbooks

In a few days I find out if I have enough students to run a sketchbook class in Oaxaca, Mexico. Info on the class can be found here. I’ve been looking through my Mexico sketchbooks. These pages remind me of the wonderful days I have spent in Mexico over the years. Sometimes my drawings are quickContinue reading “My Mexican Sketchbooks”

Citizen 13660: It happened in the U.S.A

  I picked up a sad old book for 50¢ at the Kutztown Library sale. The cover reminded me of Jean Charlot’s art. The pages were yellowed, torn in places, many illustrations were defaced with crude blue pencil marks. Even in this sorry state I found the book quite moving. Citizen 13660 is a graphicContinue reading “Citizen 13660: It happened in the U.S.A”

WATERCOLOR STORYTELLER Felix Scheinberger

Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color by German illustrator Felix Scheinberger.  What a wordy title! Maybe it’s all one word in the original German? – Something like, um,  –“AguaZityKunstenKolor.” * I found this book quite wonderful, though it might not be ideal for an absolute beginner. Scheinberger does provide how-to lessons onContinue reading “WATERCOLOR STORYTELLER Felix Scheinberger”

Gabby’s Dinosaurs: Not Based on Photos

Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Shelly, class of 2014, shared a coloring book available at Amazon. I asked Gabby to tell us a bit more about the project. Gabby: “Dino Day Out was created primarily for my Senior Illustration Seminar at Kutztown University with Prof. Denise Bosler. I created it for the class, but also kept in mind thatContinue reading “Gabby’s Dinosaurs: Not Based on Photos”

A Man of Few Words: DAVID WIESNER

The great children’s book illustrator Davis Wiesner (WEEZner) came to Kutztown to talk at the 16th annual KU Children’s Literature Conference. The 3-time Caldecott Award winner visited a Communication Design class to share his art and creative process. Oddly enough, he considered attending Kutztown University but was put off by our art test used inContinue reading “A Man of Few Words: DAVID WIESNER”

Get Down: BOX BROWN is on a roll

COME SEE BOX BROWN! “How to Make Comics Every Day and Still Be Alive” -Box Brown, Sept 17th Sharadin Arts Bldg. Kutztown U, Rm 120, 7pm. Free! This is the same talk he is giving at the Library of Congress earlier in the week. I met cartoonist Box Brown at MOCCA. He is the creatorContinue reading “Get Down: BOX BROWN is on a roll”