Tag Archives: illustration

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”

Illustration Summer.

Illustration student? Want to advance you career?  If I was a young illustration student in college or high school here’s what I’d  do this summer. Make business cards. This cost very little. Identify yourself as an illustrator or illustrator/designer. Don’t think of yourself as a student of illustration, but as a beginning illustrator. Postcards don’t cost much moreContinue reading “Illustration Summer.”

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…”

$15,000 Advance for a Kid’s Comic by New Artist. Hey, you!

Graphix, the young adult and children’s comics imprint of Scholastic announced a contest at Comic-con. Some contests are scams; they charge high entry fees, or insist you give up rights to your characters at time of entry. This one looks wonderful. It is only for unpublished creators. The prize is publication and a $15,000 advance.Continue reading “$15,000 Advance for a Kid’s Comic by New Artist. Hey, you!”

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”

Not that Nathan Hale, Meet the Cartoonist.

Nathan Hale is a fitting name for a graphic novelist specializing in historical biographies. I ran into him at the American Library Association convention in San Francisco. I asked if he was named for the hero of the American Revolution. He wrote One Dead Spy, about that hero. “No, I am named for my grandfather,”Continue reading “Not that Nathan Hale, Meet the Cartoonist.”

Robin Tatlow-Lord: Roller Derby Artist on a Roll

Women’s roller derby was a national sensation in the 1950’s. Today roller derby is again a sporting and pop culture phenomenon. I met the Australian illustrator and roller derby athlete Robin Tatlow-Lord in San Francisco last week. Robin learned to skate in South Australia, with Adelaide Roller Derby and currently skates with the Bay AreaContinue reading “Robin Tatlow-Lord: Roller Derby Artist on a Roll”