I brought my sketchbook to the Santa Gathering, Lancaster, PA. The 4-day Santa convention is an incredible event with over 100 professional Santas. There are vendors of custom suits, designer beards, belts, and buckles. I go to meet other Santas. Santa Ken is a charming fellow and one of several African-American Santas in attendance. He’sContinue reading “Santa’s Sketchbook”
Tag Archives: sketchbook
Veronica Lawlor’s Way of Seeing
Veronica Lawlor is an artist who draws to document what she sees. When everyone carries a camera 24/7, why bother drawing? The new 1.5-micron pixel iphone is, according to Apple, “the world’s most popular camera.” Has the iphone replaced pen and ink and human hand? It is worth recalling Robert McCloskey’s observation, “Hands do playContinue reading “Veronica Lawlor’s Way of Seeing”
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”
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”
The Man from The Thought Cloud Factory
We are all different, but Theo Ellsworth is more different. I met the artist at Pittsburgh’s Toonseum where his enchanting one-man show hangs through April 30. He calls his studio The Thought Cloud Factory. He came to Pittsburgh from his home in Montana to participate in PIX, the Pittsburgh indy press expo. Big Sky countryContinue reading “The Man from The Thought Cloud Factory”
Take a Line for a Walk
“Whereas Picasso, Matisse, even Mondrian and Kandinsky concentrated on abstracting from perceived reality, Klee began with a point, extended it into a line and famously took it for a walk wherever it wished to go.” Bridget Riley from an essay quoted here in the London Times Educational Supplement. Robin Landa, a design professor at KeanContinue reading “Take a Line for a Walk”
Grant Snider, Remarkable Cartoonist, and Future Orthodontist
Grant Snider is a talented young cartoonist. I think his work is brilliant, but you be the judge. He generously gave permission to share a selection of comics. I selected strips that should interest illustrators. More of his art can be seen at Incidental Comics. Grant is studying orthodontics. I find that mind-boggling. We didContinue reading “Grant Snider, Remarkable Cartoonist, and Future Orthodontist”
Jonathan Bean, local children’s book illustrator makes good
Once upon a time, a young man named Jonathan Bean stopped by KU’s beloved old Communication Design House. This must have been nearly a decade ago. He was a recent grad from Messiah College in central PA with a small portfolio and large ambitions. He was wondering about topping off his bachelor’s degree from MessiahContinue reading “Jonathan Bean, local children’s book illustrator makes good”
Things I Carried: Ipad & Sketchbook
Back in sleepy Kutztown after 6 weeks of traveling through the Yucatan and Belize. I carried a sketchbook and an Ipad. My most recent on-the-road blog entries were done on the Ipad. WordPress for IOS worked pretty well. It doesn’t have the full toolset or versatility of the computer version of WordPress. I couldn’t manageContinue reading “Things I Carried: Ipad & Sketchbook”
Catherwood, illustrator in the Yucatan
Above: Maya stela at Copan by Frederick Catherwood. Blogging on an Ipad on a bus racing through the Yucatan can be difficult. For one thing, I can’t insert links. Also, I haven’t been in WiFi range for a day. Last night I slept at the Hacienda Uxmal, the same hacienda where the great English illustratorContinue reading “Catherwood, illustrator in the Yucatan”
Illustration Concentration 