Anna Cooper Illustration

Krokodil Tears

2011-12-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you not up to date with intravenous drug use news, there are reports of a new drug epidemic in Russia. The drug? Krokodil, or "crocodile" in English, so called because one of the rather nasty after effects of continued use is the user's skin turning green and scaly due to the hydrochloric acid present in the drug. The drug literally eats you away from within, leaving severe skin deformities, brain damage, and sometimes amputations.

Seriously, don't do drugs, kids.

What God Wants?

2011-12-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Drawings from Life at the Science Museum (take 2)

2011-11-07T23:37:00.001-07:00

Please ignore the fact that it's November and that I haven't made a post since August. There are several reasons for this, one of them being that I've been trying to work on a personal project that I'm not quite ready to discuss openly since it's not a guarantee it will come to fruition. In the meantime I have sketches.

A couple of months ago I have some very good friends in from out of town and we decided to take a trip the the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I had been contemplating purchasing a membership there for a while since it would give me a place to do life drawing, and on this particular excursion I broke down and bought one. And I've loved it...and it's already paid for itself. I've been visiting almost every week since I bought it, and since I can go for free anytime I want it doesn't matter if I go in for just an hour and don't hit every exhibit since I can return whenever I want. This means that I can visit on the slower afternoons when all the school groups have left (when your day job involves working with kids you end up wanting to avoid all contact with children on your days off). I've really enjoyed going back to drawing from life, especially since I'm doing it for me and don't have to worry about art school professors grading what I've done. These are my favorites from the past few weeks.

These have all been drawn from reference in the museum's Wildlife Halls. At some point I'd like to draw some of the fossils in their dinosaur exhibit (as well as their temporary exhibit featuring a model of Sue the T-rex), but during my visits I haven't been able to well up the patience it takes to sit there and draw a full dinosaur skeleton. I have a little less than a year until my membership is up (and a new sketchbook to fill), so I'm sure I'll get to it sometime.

Anarchy in the UK

2011-08-29T21:56:00.000-06:00

This was something I meant to post a couple of weeks ago, but I was besieged by a visit from my sister (always welcome), then sickness (never welcome), and a constant feeling of "Wait...is this piece really finished?" (also not welcome). I decided that, yes, it was, because there are other things needing to be worked on.

Watching the riots that spread throughout England a few weeks ago was a truly heartbreaking experience for me. It hit a bit close to home since I have friends over there, and because it is a place that I have a deep love and connection to. The aftermath was just as difficult, since it meant seeing locals try to piece together what was left of their communities, as well as seeing the obvious disconnect between the British government (primarily from PM David Cameron) and the needs of its citizens. While it's very easy to lay blame on what politicians see as trouble making hoodlums, I think it's just as easy to understand that when you have a large number of young people that feel under served and unrepresented (while dealing with the same unemployment issues that we are here in the US), it only takes a spark to set them off. Is that an excuse for the looting and violence? No, of course it isn't. But I do feel that it is a perspective that should elicit change for the better, rather than a large scale blame game that provides nothing except sweeping the issues under the rug until they violently rear their heads again...and again...and again.

A long, drawn out trip... (pt. 2)

2011-06-16T23:03:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to do this post forever, and other things kept coming up. It's more on the personal side of things since it was a vacation...or, excuse me, holiday, but there was a bit of sketching involved, as well as a visit with an old friend.

Last month I went on a much anticipated trip to England. By "much anticipated" I mean saving/planning/looking forward to it since my last trip to England. It was an amazing experience, especially since it was the first trip I've ever taken completely by myself. I got my fill of great museums (and concerts) in London, and plenty of relaxing nature walks (and pints) in Cambridge. I had originally planned to sketch more, but after the first day I realized I was on vacation, so that went out the window.

Sketches from the Natural History Museum.

As some followers may recall from my last trip, one of the absolute highlights was getting to visit my favorite illustrator/hero at his home studio. I'm very happy to say that I got to do it again.

Getting to visit Gerald again was absolutely wonderful. He's still the amazingly nice person I met in Savannah three years ago, and still working in the business and loving what he does. An added bonus of the visit was the fact that, while I was in town I attended one of Roger Waters' Wall shows, so we got to have a chat about how far the show has come since it was originally done in the 80's. I also got to show him some of my more current work, as well as talk about what I've been up to since I last saw him, including some of the difficulties of freelancing. His response is something that will stick with me for a long time: "It's very difficult to be an artist...but we're very lucky to be artists." That is one of the things have I have always loved about Gerald; every time I have seen him I have never felt a separation between professional and novice, famous and not. He has always treated me as a fellow artist.

As always, England was wonderful and beautiful, and I'm already saving up for my next trip. Until then I'll be fondly dreaming of her green fields and fish and chips while completing my 2012 Sketchbook Project submission.

Denver Chalk Art Festival

2011-06-05T15:26:00.000-06:00

Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted any work, due mostly to my day job, as well as my much anticipated holiday to the UK (which I will post on later). I'm hoping to turn that around, and I'll start with my most recent venture, which was strictly for fun.

This weekend I helped participate in the Denver Chalk Art Festival downtown in Larimer Square. I helped lead a team of teens from Gold Crown Enrichment, where I volunteer as an art mentor; after the teachers over there learned I had participated in SCAD's Sidewalk Arts Festival, they figured I would be a good source of information on chalk art. I hadn't done the Denver festival before, and it is set up a bit differently than SCAD's competition, although most of the differences are for the better. The pros are you aren't limited to the chalk they give you; you either purchase extra pastel packs in addition to the one box they provide you with, or bring your own. They also feed you (their sponsors were Snooze, Qdoba, Panera Bread, and Mellow Mushroom), as well as provide free parking for participants. The festival spans two days, so you're also not as strapped for time. We could have easily finished our design on the first day, but instead decided to break it up, so we spent the mornings working on the art, and then left in the afternoon (when it started getting hot). The only real downside to the event is that you are not allowed to cover your artwork, even if it starts raining. Fortunately we had two days of full sun, so this was never an issue.

I worked with the kids for a couple of weeks on brainstorming and sketching out a design, which you had to submit with the submission form. The kids quickly came up with the idea of doing a piece on Conservation vs. Consumption.

Sketching the first morning. Unlike the "professional artists" that were situated directly on Larimer Square, we were on 14th street, so we were drawing directly on asphalt. I was worried we wouldn't be able to paint over the spray paint on the street, but after many a layer of chalk we succeeded. Our location also worked out for the better as the day went on as we were next to a sidewalk with a tree for shade.

"Painting" with chalk to lay down color, much like underpainting with oils.

The was about where we stopped on Day 1.

Start of Day 2. The guys in the front put in a fantastic city skyline.

Val (in the back with the red shirt) put in the amazing swirl detail in both the trees and in the smoke around the nuclear power plant.

All done!

Happy, accomplished artists.

I was very happy to be a part of the festival this year, especially since I got to help out a great, talented group of kids. They are already talking about trying to get two teams together for next year.

Gold Crown Portfolio Night

2011-04-21T20:38:00.000-06:00

Back in February I volunteered to be part of a panel of professional, Denver-based artists to present portfolios and give critique to young artists at the Gold Crown Enrichment organization in Lakewood. I was very happy to be a part of the panel, especially since I not only got to offer advice to the students, but also meet some very talented artists in different fields. Gold Crown put together a little video of highlights from the night. You can see a couple of shots of me in the stills.

In addition to the portfolio night, I have also been volunteering at Gold Crown as an art mentor. I've mainly been working with middle-school aged girls during Gold Crown's "Girl's Night". When I first started the girls were putting together anti-bullying videos using scripts that they had written. They also edited the video on their own. I wanted to share the fruits of their efforts, as I'm really impressed with not only the amount of work the girls put in, but also the messages and insight that they share on bullying in schools.

I actually got to help film the first part of the "Fake Crush" skit that the girls wrote. It's kind of funny to watch since Grace and Maria, who play the bullies in the film, are actually the polar opposite of the characters; they are always willing to help and listen to the younger members at Gold Crown.

Fin

2011-04-19T21:48:00.000-06:00

So, I have a bit of a fascination with sharks. I think it all started when I was about 8 or 9 and saw Jaws for the first time. Ever since I've loved them, in all of their various shapes and sizes (in fact, it was a tiger shark tooth that sealed my decision to attend SCAD, but that's another story for another day).

Unfortunately the world shark population has been on the decline, much like many species of large fish, due to overfishing...specifically the shark finning trade. While limitations have been instigated by many countries, they are nearly impossible to regulate, leaving many sharks to be caught, finned, and then thrown back into the water only to sink to the bottom and die. The demand for fins comes mainly from China, where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy.

Drawings from Life at the Science Museum

2011-04-14T00:11:00.000-06:00

Today I decided to take a page from the great Paul Hostetler's book and venture out into the world for a bit of life drawing. Unlike Paul, however, I opted for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science rather than a coffee shop...and a pencil instead of a brush pen, meaning the work is far less spectacular. My excuse was to try out a new travel sketchbook: a Hand Book artist journal (I have the square one). They may be a bit small for some people, but I quite liked it. The paper has a good tooth, it's small enough to fit in my purse, and supposedly it takes light watercolor washes (though I have yet to try that out).

Gannets!

A perturbed guanaco!

Lolruses (lolri?) in search of their long lost bukkit!

And my personal favorite, an entelodont: a prehistoric pig-like creature about the size of a rhino.

Hold on to your butts...

2011-02-23T02:52:00.001-07:00

My submission for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "layer".

Plasticity

2011-02-10T01:19:00.001-07:00

Alright, first piece of the new year...

This piece was directly inspired by VBS TV's "Garbage Island" documentary from their TOXIC series on environmental issues. It definitely deserves a watch, though be warned that by the end of it you will feel guilty and disgusting for ever having used anything made out of plastic. For those of you that don't have an hour to kill, imagine tons of bits of unbiodegradable plastic culminating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean as a result of our over reliance on plastic.

P.S. Should you watch "Garbage Island" (and you should), I also highly recommend the "Vice Guide to North Korea" and "Swansea Love Story" (heads up: graphic content).

I can't believe I never posted these...

2011-01-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

So there has been decidedly not enough art being posted here lately, and for that I apologize. The main culprit has been my day job which, while giving me 3 days off per week, also leaves me absolutely exhausted the majority of the time, and that ends up having a negative effect on my art making (enough that I sadly did not work on my Sketchbook Project, and as such will not be participating in the exhibition). I am attempting to rectify the problem, but in the mean time I'm posting a couple of pieces I completed for Escape Artists some time ago, but completely forgot to post.

The piece was meant for their Interstellar site, specifically the site banner and newsletter. The general concept was Syd Barrett and mental health, which you think would be an absolute breeze for me to illustrate, but I got off to a rough start (I supposed I just wanted it too bad). However, after watching many an MST3K and flipping through several Storm Thorgerson books, I managed to get it together and paint this...

...as well as crop it for the newsletter format.

In the end it happened that some of the administration at EA found it "too dark" to use on the site (though it has been used for the newsletter). While I think most people would be upset that their work wasn't going to be used, I was so happy that my work was seen as "too dark" that I didn't mind it not being used on the site. I did end up doing one final image with a bit of a happier edge to it a bit along the lines of the illustrations I did for The Day Goes By.

That's it for now, but I am hoping to get new pieces completed soon.

Remembrance Day

2010-11-11T01:13:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T23:50:00.000-06:00

Or would it be Pigoween? Walloween? Happy Something-ween.

Publishing Tutorial Pt. 2: Night of the Living Dummy Book & Lulu.com Review

2010-10-25T15:44:00.000-06:00

Ah, yes…the infamous dummy book: the thing that’s such a pain to put together, but so important to include in your publishing packet. Everyone has their own way of doing it; this is just the way I’ve been approaching mine.

In general, your dummy doesn’t need to be completely composed of finished illustrations. You can do finished sketches of what the finals will look like, and include a couple of finished spreads so the publisher has an idea of how the rest of the book will look, as well as your approach to style. I’ve been including fully finished pieces in my dummies since the work is already done, and why not show that to a publisher when it has the potential to impress? However, if you’ve just got an idea going for a book, don’t feel like you have to go through and complete everything before sending it out. There’s a huge possibility that, if an editor decides to publish your book, he or she may want you to change some of the illustrations, resulting in a lot of extra work if you’ve completed everything already.

When I began sending out dummy books I was getting everything printed at Kinkos as double sided color copies on 11” x 17” paper, then cutting the excess paper off and stapling the copies together in book form. This was all fine and dandy, but rather expensive (about $30 per book, and that was because the employees usually forgot to charge me for a double sided copy rather than a single sided one). If you get the dummies sent back from the publisher, it’s fine, but since I’ve been sending most of my work to the UK I haven’t been getting it back (self addressed stamped envelopes don’t work for international mail, unfortunately). So I finally wised up and took the advice of the Amazing Ms. Jade Nellans who had used Lulu.com to produce dummy books for publishers. They’re much cheaper, plus they don’t look “too” published. The only downside has been that Lulu doesn’t support my book size, nor does it have something proportional (my book is 8” x 6”), so I set it up in its original size on 9”x 7” paper and cut off the excess. If you end up needing to cut off extra space it can be done without having to remove the staples---I have done it both with a Xacto knife and a pair of scissors. If you’re good with scissors I would suggest using those as it’s a bit easier to manage. When I attempted the Xacto I ended up cutting my finger (not badly), which was a first for me. I managed 3 years of art school with no Xacto based incidents only to be done in by a dummy book.

Dummy books: the original print from Lulu (with extra space) on the left, and the cropped version on the right.

Full spread of the Lulu dummy--the print quality is excellent.

Setting up your dummy for Lulu can be a bit tricky if you’ve never done it before, so I’ll attempt to go through the process. The good news is that once it’s done correctly and you upload it, you never have to redo it! My friends that have used Lulu have all put their books together using InDesign, but since I’m a bit InDesign illiterate, I set each spread up in Photoshop, then saved it as PDF and combined all the files together in Acrobat to make one LARGE PDF document. There are two things to keep in mind when making your PDF: 1) you don’t need to include your cover art as Lulu has that set up separate, and 2) you have to include a single blank page at the beginning and end of the document (before and after the endpapers), otherwise the printing will be out of sequence. I made the mistake of not doing this the first time I got my dummy printed and all of the spreads were off. I changed the PDF file, reuploaded, reordered, and everything was peachy keen. And speaking of uploading, my file was so big I had to use an FTP client (I used FileZilla, which you can get here if you don't already have an FTP client) to get it on Lulu’s page, so be prepared to do the same.

Setup in Acrobat. I set everything as single page spreads because I was paranoid about how it would print if I did everything as double page spreads...better safe than sorry. The color mode is in CMYK for printing.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…with all this extra work, what’s the price for the new books? Are you really saving money? Well, my friends, yes I am. Through Lulu the books only cost about $10 each. Shipping has been around $14 when I have ordered 4 books. Even with that, they still cost less than what I was paying at Kinkos, and the quality has been much nicer. Turnaround is great, too; the last order took about a week to receive, and that’s including printing and shipping. Not too shabby, if you ask me…

Well, there you have it: my entire book process. I hope that someone has found it useful, and moreover, I’m hoping that soon all of this work will pay off.

Publishing Tutorial Pt. 1: Researching Publishers and What to Submit

2010-10-24T02:46:00.000-06:00

So with all my continued talk of my book and trying to get it published, I thought I should do a little overview of the process of sending it to publishers…you know, in the off chance someone out there may find the information helpful. There’s actually a lot that goes into submitting a project to a publisher, and while it’s a lot of work, it’s definitely worth while and a great learning experience. Since there’s so much info, I’m splitting it up into two posts. This will cover researching publishers/submitting your project, while the next will cover putting together your sample dummy book.

So, you’ve written and illustrated a book and you want to get it published… Before you submit your work to a publisher you have to have a publisher (or several) to actually submit it to. How do you go about this? Well, there are several avenues you can take. A couple of great resources I have found are the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market (US-based) and Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (UK-based). Both have a selection of children’s book publishers (as well as other markets for children’s illustration) as well as tips on what publishers look for, and how to write for the children’s market. Each give a rundown on what kind of books each publisher publishes, such as fiction, non-fiction, novelty books, young adult, etc. Both are valuable books to have in your illustration library, plus they’re reasonably priced and available from Amazon. However, if you want that whole “try before you buy” thing you can always head to Borders or Barnes and Noble and have a look through while enjoying a half double decaf decaffeinated half-caf (with a twist of lemon).

As you’re flipping through Market and/or Yearbook, look for publishers that would be interested in what you’re writing. For example, since my piece is a picture book for a younger audience, I wouldn’t send it to a publisher that only publishes education-based material. If you submit your work to a publisher that doesn’t publish your genre, it makes you look unprofessional--don’t waste your or the editor’s time. Just do your research. Another thing to look for in publishers are ones that are open to submissions. A lot of the big publishing houses do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or work that isn’t being submitted by a literary agent. Trust me, reading the phrase “we do not accept unsolicited submissions” will get to you, but just keep researching. There ARE publishers that love to get submissions from up and coming authors and illustrators, so don’t get caught up in the ones that won’t look at your book.

When you’ve come up with a list of publishers to submit to, it’s time to get your submission all together. You’ll want to write a cover letter outlining your book, the audience it’s best for, and your credentials as a writer/illustrator. It shouldn’t be more than a page, much like a cover letter you would submit to a potential employer. You’ll also want to include the manuscript of your book, and a dummy book to give the publisher an idea of the pacing and layout, as well as your illustration style (I’ll write more on the dummy book in my next post). If the publisher returns submissions (in the event they reject your submission), include a self addressed stamped envelope so you can get your dummy book back. Put everything in a nice, professional looking folder and package it so that it will arrive undamaged. I also recommend including a business card, promotional mailer, or both that the publisher can keep so they have your contact information on file. The presentation folders I have been using come with a space for you to put a business card on the front cover; I like them a lot because it means the publisher knows my name before opening the folder.

Once you’ve got all this together you’re ready to go! Pop it in the post and get ready to wait a minimum of 3 months for a response. Don’t be too surprised or disappointed if you get a rejection…it’s just the way the business works, and seemingly more so nowadays with the poor global economy. Just stick with it and give it your all…and good luck!

Up next I’ll have a post on putting together a dummy book using Lulu.com.

The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness

2010-09-07T11:20:00.001-06:00

It seems like it has been far too long since I have gotten any real artwork done, so it's with great pleasure that I post these two pieces for Escape Artists' September competition. Ironically the contest theme was "Loneliness" and I hadn't been getting to work on them because I was hardly ever alone---for the past month and a half I have had five---FIVE!---different people coming in to visit. I'm not used to that many guests in a small span of time, and while its great to spend time with the ones you love, it can be rather draining creatively when you're not getting a chance to work on what you want to be working on. I did manage to get a break here and there and--ta-da! Two new illustrations done.

For anyone still wanting to submit work for the competition, the due date has been extended to September 20th, so get working!

Call for Entries: Off Your Rocker Arts Campaign

2010-08-14T12:50:00.001-06:00

Apologies to those of you that follow me on Twitter and stalk me on Facebook as you've seen this plug already, but you know how it goes...if you love something, you tend to talk about it quite frequently (and let's face it, you could have it a lot worse).

My friends at Escape Artists are holding a series of art competitions as part of their Off Your Rocker arts campaign. The campaign is being held in conjunction with World Mental Health Day (October 10th) and seeks to promote social inclusion through the arts, specifically with themed competitions. The theme for September is "Loneliness" and you're welcome to submit anything you can send electronically---paintings, photos, songs, short films, stories, poems, etc. Winning entries will be featured in the campaign, and the deadline for the September theme submission is September 10th. They're also looking for personal experience stories on how the arts have helped mental well-being. If you're interested in submitting a story, you can send it to jen@escapeartists.co.uk.

For more information, you can visit Interstellar's "Off Your Rocker" arts page.

The Sketchbook Project

2010-07-28T09:58:00.000-06:00

Hello, all! Just wanted to put a plug in for Arthouse's latest project, the Sketchbook Project:

I actually signed up for it a few weeks ago, but I didn't want to do a post since I didn't have anything to show for it...and an illustration blog post without pictures is like a day without sunshine. Or some other overused cliche...

Anyway, the jist is that you pay $25, pick a theme, and they send you a sketchbook. You fill up the sketchbook with stuff along the theme, send it back, and they take it on a tour across the country. What's more, people who attend the shows can check out your sketchbook to read, much like they were at a library. The book becomes part of the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Art Library, and everyone is happy. Yay! Also, for an extra $20, the fine people at Arthouse will create a digital version of your sketchbook for people to view online. Even more yay!

I got my sketchbook a few weeks ago (it came about 10 days after I signed up) and have since been storyboarding and doing materials studies. There are about 39 full page spreads, so I'll be doing quite a bit of drawing. My theme is "I'm a Scavenger", and my idea is to do a "story" of several creatures in Africa (and a poacher), and how their lives end up interconnecting. We'll see where it goes...with art, everything has a tendency to change as you go. Since the sketchbook steps away from my media of choice, I had to do some materials studies. If I felt really up to it, I could rebind the book with a surface that would suit acrylics, but after hand-binding 7 copies of my book, I'm a little bookbinded out.

Left to right: ballpoint pen, pen & ink (with Winsor & Newton's nut brown ink), pencil, and colored pencil (using Prismacolor's dark umber)

What I'm looking for in materials: something that won't smudge, works with my drawing technique, and has minimal bleed-through on the paper. The sketchbooks provided by Arthouse are Moleskine cahier notebooks (popular with hipsters worldwide!), and the paper is much thinner than I am used to working with. Since my overall design will be using both sides of the paper, I want to draw with something that won't ruin the underside of the paper. Tricky stuff, let me tell you. To do practice studies, I went out and bought a pocket sized pack of cahier notebooks, that way I wouldn't mess up my official sketchbook.

Study #1, ballpoint pen: I'm not a ballpoint pen person, but some people can sketch up a storm with it. It has no bleed through, but it's also limiting in that there's only one size of point on it.

Study # 2, Winsor & Newton ink: I'm a big fan of the color, especially since I'm kind of going for an old, used travel journal look. But there's a lot of bleed through on the underside of the pages, and the ink would spread out from the nib a bit when I was drawing. Since I'm not a super pen and nib inker anyway (unlike some people I know), I passed on the medium.

Study #3, pencil: Finally, something I'm a little more comfortable with. However, it's a little boring, and has the tendency to smudge. Since I'm hoping my sketchbook will be flipped through by quite a lot of people, I want to minimize smudgy graphic thumbprints.

Study #4, colored pencil: Ah, now we're talking! Pencil technique without smudging. And I can get a variety of values through pressure instead of hatching (like I would have to do with pens). Plus no bleed through! Though just to be sure, I should probably do a bigger sketch...

Yep, I think this will do quite nicely.

If you're interested in signing up for the project, click the Sketchbook Project picture link above. There's still plenty of time to sign up, but if you're interested in a certain theme, sign up for it ASAP as they tend to fill up!

GotPrint, Overnight Prints, and iPrintfromhome: a Review

2010-07-23T21:18:00.002-06:00

I've been doing a lot of print-ordering lately in preparation for a new string of mailers, as well as getting up an online shop, and as such I have been using some different print companies. I just got my new set of mailers today, and, well...I'm not particularly ecstatic about the quality. Rather than whine I thought I would do an overall review of different companies I have used for comparison as I figure it might be helpful for those of you wondering what companies to use for all your illustrative printing needs.

Thus far I have used 3 different companies for various printing functions: GotPrint.net, OvernightPrints.com, and iPrintfromhome. GotPrint and Overnight Prints are both more for marketing purposes, whereas iPrintfromhome does professional-quality prints (they offer both photographic prints and giclee fine art prints). GotPrint I found when I was in school and it was the stand-by for my classmates and I for our mailers as they offered a pretty quick turnaround, plus good prices (you can get 100 4x6 single sided postcards for $23.36, and 100 single sided business cards for about $9). I have ordered two sets of mailers from them, as well as my business cards and have been thoroughly pleased with the quality.

However, for my current set of mailers I decided to go with Overnight Prints. My pal Jade posted a review over their products recently, and they had a few things that I wanted to take advantage of. One, they offer smaller postcard quantities in their "value" line of cards (printed on a digital press rather than an offset press, as with their "premium" quality cards). I've been planning on opening an online shop that will offer both prints of my work as well as card sets, and the smaller quantities would be perfect for the latter. ONP also frequently offers coupons for their products, to that kind of sealed the deal. I ordered 25 value cards to test the quality for sellable notecards, as well as 100 premium cards to be used as mailers. I have used ONP in the past for holiday cards, as well as for some business cards I designed for my stepdad, and both times I was happy with the quality. This time...not so much.

Original painting on the left, value card print on the right. The values are much, much darker.

There was a large discrepancy between the colors on the value cards and the original piece, although I will be the first to admit that may be due to monitor calibration and/or how the cards are printed. I ordered my Syd piece as a test print, and this piece is also featured on my new mailer. The values look fine on the mailer, but not on the value card. I know the image above isn't great, so I'm including a scan of the card, as well.

The values are waaaaay too dark, plus it also printed rather "cool". While I wasn't too happy about that, the value cards are pretty cheap, even without a coupon, so I figure it will be something I may just have to play around with on the digital file.

The 4x6 mailer. If you click on the image you can see the white dots along the left side of the card.

My mailers came out...okay. The cardstock and glossy coat on the front are fine, and the same quality as GotPrint, but the values aren't as dark as I wanted. The black background isn't "black" enough. It almost seems like a "light black", if that makes sense. I wanted a black-black. Plus to the left of the pig head there are a bunch of tiny, white dots. I thought it was maybe just on one, but no, it's on all 100 mailers. I'm also not super enthusiastic about ONP's packaging. While my 4x6 mailers came packaged in a form fitting box, the value cards were thrown in a cardboard envelope, leaving plenty of opportunity for their corners to get bent in the shipping process.

All in all, I'm not super happy about my ONP cards. I will probably give them another chance with the value cards (after all, I'm only out about $3.95 with the sale price...not a huge loss), but with the mailers I could have gotten exactly what I wanted from GotPrint for the same price.

**7/26: I emailed ONP customer service over the weekend about my disatisfaction, and they responded that day. As of today they offered to either reprint my cards or give me a refund, provided I send back defective cards. I will do another update once I receive my reprints, but for now kudos on the excellent and prompt communication.

**8/3: Received my reprinted mailers today and they look great---blacker blacks, and no white spots! Plus a super fast turnaround...just a little over a week! Thanks to Overnight Prints for great customer service and for taking care of my order.

And now for something completely different...iPrintfromhome. Like I mentioned above, iPrint is for professional prints, so they are a bit of a different animal. I don't have scans of their stuff as a lot of it would be hard to register as a 2D picture on a computer monitor, so I will try my best to describe their work. I ordered a couple kinds of prints: fine giclee prints, lustre photographic prints, and metallic photographic prints. Since I wanted to see how a collection of my pieces looked on the different papers, I resized some of my pieces and formatted them on an 8.5" x 11" image so I could just order a few 8.5" x 11" prints on different papers. I also resized my "Which One's Pink?" series to ACEO-sized prints and ordered a 5 x 7 metallic print. Everything was good quality; I just preferred certain pieces on different papers. I found that some of my pieces (the Greyhound, Animal Farm, and Human Rights poster) looked better as lustre prints as the blacks looked "blacker", while others (my Drawgasmic and The End bomb) looked better as giclee prints as the values were too extreme as lustre prints. My Pink series looked good as both lustre and metallic, though I prefer the metallic as it gives a really nice sheen to the pieces that really makes some of the colors pop. I plan on ordering real prints as soon as I can afford them. Fortunately iPrint has really great prices! Photographic prints are very affordable, and the giclee prints are, too, especially considering they are archival, high quality prints. If you're thinking about ordering prints, I definitely suggest doing the test print route. And for first time customers, they will send you a monitor calibration kit that includes samples of their papers so you can see the difference between matte, lustre, glossy, metallic, and giclee prints. I highly recommend them!

Whew! Was that a long enough post for you? I promise to have real artwork up on here...sometime...soon. I plan on doing a post on the Sketchbook Project, which I signed up for, so definitely expect to see process work from that. Also, you may have noticed I broke down and joined Twitter. Feel free to follow me! I promise to attempt to keep it professional and avoid any "this is what I had for lunch today" posts, though I can't promise there won't be an occasional Floydgasm on there.

Drawgasmic!

2010-06-26T11:29:00.002-06:00

So my piece for Drawgasmic is finally up on their website. Sure, I put it up here, but you can actually BUY the piece on the website, if you feel so inclined (c'mon, you know you wanna...). You can click the link below to go directly to the page. Be sure to check out all the other awesome art that's being put up!

Also, if anyone that reads this blog happens to be in the London area on July 13th, you should totally check out the Interstellar gig at 93 Feet East. The event is benefitting the Syd Barrett Fund, and tickets are only £5. The lineup features Skinbat Scramble, All Schools Are Strange, and Department S. And for those of you that don't care to actually watch the bands play, you can peruse prints of my book illustrations which will be on display at the gig. For all the nitty gritty details, please visit the events page on Interstellar.

**Edit: Check out that sweet gig poster. Ohhhh, yeah!

Over The River

2010-06-23T22:02:00.000-06:00

So tonight I had a wonderful opportunity to see a lecture by, as the marquee says, the world-renowned artist Christo.

I found out about the lecture through work and managed to sign up in time to get a spot. As you can imagine, the lecture sold out. The lecture focused on Christo's proposed piece "Over The River"---a temporary work of in the same vein as Christo and Jeanne-Claude's previous works. The piece would involve 5.9 miles of silver fabric suspended over the Arkansas River between Salida and Canon City, Colorado.

I was very excited about getting to go to the lecture as I am a fan of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work. And really, how many times to you get to see an incredibly influential artist talking about his work?

If you want to read more about the project, or find out how to get involved, you can visit the official Over The River site.

Interstellar Overdrive

2010-06-15T18:29:00.001-06:00

For anyone that's been curious to see the illustrations for my book, I've got some good news...the pieces are now up online thanks to the wonderful folks at Escape Artists and the Syd Barrett Fund. They've been diligently working on creating a new interactive site for the Fund and it launched this weekend. I must say, I am very impressed with the result. In addition to being the new online home for the Fund, the site offers visitors the option to create their own profiles, share images and videos, and connect with other Syd/Pink Floyd fans. My book has its own page that features both illustrations and my proposal for the project.

I'm really happy we could get the illustrations online as up to this point they haven't been viewed by fans. I'm hoping it will generate more interest in the project and provide us with some great networking and marketing opportunities.

If you're a Syd/Floyd fan and want to stay in touch with what the Fund and Escape Artists are doing, I highly suggest making yourself a page! It's a great way to stay updated with a wonderful organization, as well as meet some like minded people. And all in the name of Syd! Just hop over to Interstellar.org.uk. And don't forget to friend me and my book.

Illustration Friday: Trail

2010-06-04T22:47:00.001-06:00

I'm kind of cheating a little bit on this one as I actually did this piece some time ago for another project that came to naught and it just happened to work with IF's theme this week. But I'm submitting it anyway.

P.S. I'm not anti-snake, just anti-ATV and the destruction their drivers cause when they off-road in prohibited areas.

A pig wearing a gas mask? Sure, why not?

2010-05-26T21:26:00.001-06:00

It's been a bit since my last update, but I do have a bit of art and a bit of news. First up, the color version of the Quiet Use poster.

Next up, I'm pleased to report that I got accepted into the Drawgasmic exhibition happening in July in St. Louis. My work will be up at the show, as well as in a coffee table book detailing the exhibition. My old art school pals Cassie Dixon, Pam Wishbow, and Mallory Hodgkin are also in the show. I got in a bit late in the game and had to get cracking on a piece since the exhibitors needed it by June 1st. I finished it up today and got it in the mail, but not before getting a scan of it for posterity.

New scanner!

2010-04-05T22:55:00.001-06:00

After a lot of waiting, I have finally managed to upgrade to a new scanner. I found it necessary to upgrade for two reasons: 1) as a budding professional illustrator, I need something than can take quality scans so I can send finished work to clients, and 2) Epson was no longer offering driver updates for my OLD Epson Perfection 1200U scanner, so when I obtained my new laptop back in July I couldn't use my scanner as it wasn't compatible with Windows Vista. Not having a scanner was driving me crazy as I use one not only for scanning in finished illustrations, but also to enlarge smaller thumbnails and drawings. Using a digital camera to take pictures of sketchbook work was just not cutting it. My new scanner arrived this morning and I was absolutely ecstatic to receive it.

I ordered a Epson Perfection V700 which was recommended by a very good friend and former professor, and I have to say I am very pleased. It has great scanning quality. The only downsides are it's expensive (though not as much as the Expression graphic arts scanners---whew!), and its maximum scan area is 8.5" x 11.7". I tend to work small, so it's not a huge drawback for me, plus with Photoshop's photomerge option, I can scan larger works in pieces and have the program put them together, so it shouldn't slow me down. I highly recommend getting one of these if you have the money---it's a lot up front, but it's an investment and well worth it if you're a professional illustrator.

And since I finally have access to a scanner again, I can prove I haven't been slacking on creating new work...

This is a piece I've been working on for the Quiet Use Coalition, based in Colorado. They promote "quiet use" recreation (such as hiking and biking) and work to protect public lands from illegal motorized recreation, which can destroy the serene mountain landscapes and upset wildlife through excess noise. The piece isn't completely done as I plan on adding a color to both the background and the text in Photoshop. I'll post the finished piece once I have it the way I like it.

It's here!

2010-04-01T17:45:00.001-06:00

It's April 1st, so you know what that means...the new issue of MOJO is here! I took a quick trip into downtown to grab a couple copies (and art supplies) so I could check out the mention of my book.

It's just a quick little blurb on page 15, but it's a start. I'm hoping it will get a bit of excitement going about the project, and The City Wakes, which is looking to be a fantastic exhibition.

It's an idea someday...

2010-03-20T14:43:00.002-06:00

I’ve been keeping rather quiet about my book on here (though people that know me personally know all about it) because it’s a bit of a bigger project than “I wrote a book and I’m trying to publish it”. I got a bit of good news regarding the project last week, so I figured it might be time to actually talk about it in a more public forum.

About two years ago I took a class on book illustration as part of my degree requirements at SCAD. I decided to illustrate a children’s story I had written about Syd Barrett. When I completed the project I decided to try and get in touch with Syd’s sister, Rosemary, in order to send her a copy of the book to see if she liked it. If she did, I planned to suggest we try and get the book published to benefit the Syd Barrett Fund, a charitable fund she set up after Syd passed away in 2007 to help the London-based organization Escape Artists. I was very pleased to hear that Rosemary loved the book and was interested in using it to help the Fund.

Shortly before visiting England last November, I contacted Rosemary to see if she would be interested in getting together while I was in Cambridge. She not only agreed to a meeting, but put me in contact with Simon Webb, one of the fundraising managers for Escape Artists.

Yay Rosemary!

While in London I visited the Escape Artists’ office so we could discuss the book and how to get it published. Last week I received a bit of exciting news from Escape Artists: MOJO magazine would be running a short news piece on EA in their April issue as a follow up to their Syd-themed March issue honoring the 40th anniversary of the release of Syd’s The Madcap Laughs album. In the piece they would be mentioning how we’re trying to find a publisher for my book!

I was extremely excited to hear the news as not only could it mean a big step forward in trying to find a publisher (MOJO has a readership of over 98,000), but also because MOJO is one of my favorite magazines. I never figured on being mentioned in it as I’m not a big, famous rock star or anything (at least not last time I checked).

The article isn’t available yet, but there is an update on the Fund’s blog about it. The article also reports a bit on the second City Wakes program Escape Artists is getting together, which will feature Syd’s paintings. We’re hoping to feature some or all of my illustrations from the book as part of the exhibition. The exhibition will be the second or third week of November, and I definitely plan on being there. I can’t wait!

Cold comfort for change

2010-03-20T14:26:00.000-06:00

Alright, I know it's been a long time since my last post. I didn't fall off a cliff or anything. Rather I was making a big life change: a move from Savannah to Denver, CO. So rather than painting I was focusing on packing and spending time with all the wonderful people I would miss so much once I left Georgia. I've now completed the move, and am working on getting my office/studio space up and running so I can start illustrating again. I'm also trying to transition to the Colorado weather---yesterday I got to watch my car transform into a giant snow cone, while the previous day it was in the mid 60's. Talk about a climate change!

Even though I've been moving rather than painting, don't think it means I haven't been working on illustration-related stuff. I've got news on that front that will be getting its own post. I also have some works-in-progress that I hope to finish soon, and I should be getting a new scanner so I can actually post pieces again.

Happy (belated) New Year!

2010-01-03T15:36:00.006-07:00

I can't believe it's 2010. If it's a new year, that means new goals. I don't do the resolution thing as those tend not to be kept. But if it's a goal, well, somehow that makes it easier to accomplish.

Just a bit before New Year's I was going through old papers and pitching things I didn't need anymore when I came across a copy of my admission application to SCAD. I read through my statement of purpose essay and had quite a time looking back on the "old" me that wrote the essay. My handwriting is the same, but I have to say I've come a ways since then. It helped me put my accomplishments in perspective. I especially had a good time reading this part:

"In addition to artistic goals, I have academic goals as a student of the Savannah College of Art and Design. I plan to maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher during the course of my studies, and obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration.

After obtaining my degree, I have several career goals that I plan to fulfill. I want to enter the competitive art field as an illustrator for a book or magazine company. While working in that career field, I also wish to write and illustrate my own children’s books, either in a series or on a single book basis. I have always been inspired by the work of children’s book authors and I wish to inspire other children through my work as a writer and artist."

While I didn't meet my goal of moving swiftly from college and straight into being an illustrator for books and magazines (but who does, really?), I can say I met everything else. I graduated Summa Cum Laude (I was not expecting that when I applied to SCAD), and I've already written and illustrated a children's book, it just hasn't been published...YET. But it is on my list of goals for 2010:

~~Get a "real" job so I can start paying my own real bills.~~ Mission accomplished.
~~Move away from Savannah. Don't get me wrong, I love it, and it's been great, but I think it's about time I was hitting that dusty trail.~~ Mission accomplished.
Find a publisher for my children's book. I know it's easier said than done, but I'd like to think that it helps that I have a bit of support with the project.
~~Get back to England! I already have enough saved for a plane ticket...I just need to worry about food, shelter, and Travelcards.~~ Postponed to May 2011--but with good reason.

A long, drawn out trip...

2009-11-17T19:41:00.005-07:00

I know it’s been a while since my last update, but I have a good excuse--I was on my highly anticipated college graduation trip to England. Normally I keep personal occurrences off the blog, but seeing as how some of the the highlights of the trip relate to illustration, I figured I’d mention at least one. So, gentle readers, grab some cookies and milk--or should I say biscuits and tea, since we’re talking Britain here--and get ready for Anna’s inspirational story of the day.

As anyone who knows me moderately well will tell you, my favorite illustrator is Gerald Scarfe. I absolutely love his work, and as well as his ability to make it work successfully in so many different markets. Editorial illustration, political cartoons, character design, animation, set design--Gerald has done it all, and done it all very well. He is a true inspiration to me. And, weirdly enough, we both felt pressure not to pursue art by our fathers. He was talked into banking, and for me it was forensic science--both were horrible ideas. In Gerald’s case he failed his interviews and ended up as a graphic designer at an advertising studio. While it taught him to draw everything under the sun, he was upset at the idea of drawing everything in an idealized way when he really wanted to tell the truth. He wanted to break away from commercial art and go back to the cartoons he had drawn as a child and a teenager. Unsure of how to go about it, he planned on getting advice from his favorite (and rather prolific) illustrator, Ronald Searle.

So Gerald would ride his bike to Searle’s house, all the time thinking of what to say as he was riding. He would finally arrive at the house to be met at the gate by an ominous doorbell which, by that time, he wouldn’t have the courage to ring. After riding around in circles for a bit he would finally return home. Many years later Gerald’s wonderful wife Jane set up a surprise birthday meeting between Gerald and Ronald Searle and his wife. When Gerald arrived there was a small package on his plate. He opened it to find a doorbell mounted on a small block of marble with a note attached: “Gerry Scarfe, Please ring--anytime. RS” How do I know this story? Well, several ways. One, because I read it in Gerald’s book, Drawing Blood (which I highly recommend), and two, from Gerald himself.

My first year at SCAD I was required to conduct an interview with a working illustrator as part of an assignment in one of my illustration courses. I emailed Gerald, fully expecting to never receive a response because, hey, he’s a pretty busy guy. I was pleasantly surprised to get an email back answering all of my questions and wishing me luck with my career. My department got very excited that Gerald had responded to one of their students and sought to try to bring him out to SCAD for a lecture. He came the next April, and because I had been responsible for initiating contact, I was allowed to accompany him, his wife, and several of my professors to dinner. While there Gerald related his story about going to visit Ronald Searle, with one little addition--when he reached the part about arriving at his house he said, while putting his hand on my shoulder, “…and unlike Anna, I didn’t have the courage to ring the doorbell.” That was about the best moment of my life…until my trip out to England.

Thank you, Gerald, for making my ridiculous tuition payments worth it...

Since I was going to be in the neighborhood, I decided to email Gerald to see if there was the possibility of meeting up for another visit. As luck would have it, Gerald was able to spare a bit of time to see me. Even better, I got to visit him in his home studio. Meaning I had to ring the bell when I arrived, of course…

Gerald has a great in-home studio. It’s large with lots of natural light, and plenty of wall space for posting up mock ups of drawings and such. It was actually pretty distracting for me since I was surrounded by work I respect and love so much, in addition to the person that produced it. I could turn to my left and see a model for one of the masks from the Los Angeles Opera’s stage version of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and then look to my right and see a mask from the film version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Gerald told me about his upcoming projects--two separate shows in Germany, plus he’s helping to curate an exhibition at the Tate Britain next year, and is in talks with Pink Floyd for putting together a book of all the illustration work he’s done for them. I also got to show him my portfolio, as well as the children’s book I’m working on getting published.

So the moral of the story, kids, is to never be afraid to ring the doorbell because you never know what might happen.

"HIPnotize" opening reception

2009-10-17T17:05:00.006-06:00

Last night was the opening reception for the HIPnotize show, and I'm very pleased to report it went exceedingly well. There was a plethora of food (and wine!), fantastic art, and amazing dancing performances. Everyone had a wonderful time.

The very talented Nicole Edge and Christa Rosenkranz from Cairo on the Coast. We had originally planned to have the dance performances outside, but the Savannah weather decided it didn't want to cooperate (it was a bit chilly and rainy), so we moved the dancers into the gallery. It was a bit cramped, but I am glad we had them inside as the work provided a great backdrop and really brought everything together.

Razi from the troupe Mei'attah Raqs.

Alexandra Clotfelter, who contributed some beautiful posters to the show as well as dancing.

Carrie Padgett's beautiful painting.

Christa's posters, which are available for sale for $15 each.

Mary Larsen's watercolor dancers with Carrie's wonderful abstract dancer paintings.

Details of Mary's paintings. The dancers on either end are my favorites, but I love them all!

Details of Carrie's abstract paintings.

Christa's large dancer paintings.

Alexandra's posters.

Very happy artists...

...and equally happy dancers.

I want to say thank you to everyone that made it out to the show, and extend an extra special thank you to my fellow HIPnotize artists. I couldn't ask for a better group of artists to exhibit with, or a better group of friends.

Also, if you missed the opening you can view some videos of the dancer performances here. The work will be up until Wednesday, October 23rd, and the gallery is open from 2-5pm. All the work is available for purchase. If you can't make it to the gallery but are interested in purchasing one of the pieces (or a print of one of the pieces), just send me an email and I can put you in touch with the artist.

And the award goes to...

2009-10-10T14:35:00.005-06:00

...wait, what?

Like most people I was incredibly surprised when it was announced that President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And like most people I think it's very premature. BUT (and a mighty big "but" it is, as my dad would say) I don't think that means that the honor should be discounted entirely. It's a symbol of the 180° turn the US has made in the eyes of the international community, and considering how the world viewed the last administration, it's incredibly refreshing. Has Obama fully earned the award yet? I don't think so, and neither does he from listening to his acceptance conference from yesterday. He has, however, set things in motion for working to create a better country, and a better world. And I think everyone can agree that that means something.

Help, I'm a rock!

2009-10-06T01:45:00.007-06:00

Wow, man, it's a drag being a rock. I wish I was anything but a rock. Heck, I'd even like to be a policeman...

Er, sorry...momentary freak out. This is my other contribution to the HIPnotize show. I wanted to focus on the geological history of the region where belly dancing originated---the Middle East. The dancer's belt features a pattern of oil drills while her skirt design turns into layers of rock...complete with Babylonian artifacts and fossils from the early Oligocene and late Cretaceous.

We're gonna need a bigger veil...

2009-10-01T19:18:00.005-06:00

One of my pieces for the show I mentioned in my last post. And also my submission for Illustration Friday!

The show is entitled HIPnotize and will be featuring work inspired by belly dancing, as well as live belly dance performances. The opening reception will be held on Friday, October 16th from 6 to 9pm at the Truspace Gallery in Desotorow, 2427 De Soto Ave. If you're in Savannah, please come by! There will be artwork by the talented Mary Larsen, and Christa Rosenkranz (who will be dancing, as well).

Mural Painting, a Call for Entries, and other news

2009-09-24T18:11:00.006-06:00

I know it has been far too long since my last post, and I apologize. I've been very busy. I designed and sent out a new, more focused set of promotional mailers, and have also been working on new illustrations as well as getting a show together with some friends (details to come). But it hasn't been all work and no play--I've also been excitedly planning my graduation trip (compliments of my mother and a great family friend) to the UK! I promise pictures and travel sketches.

This week has been particularly engaging as I helped paint a large mural in Savannah's Jepson Center for the Arts in preparation for their upcoming Dutch Utopia exhibition. It's looking to be a really fantastic show and everyone at the museum is very excited about it. We used paintings featured in the exhibition as inspiration for the mural. The painting is on the top floor of the Jepson Center and can be seen from the bottom of the stairs, as well as from Telfair Square. The work was fun, but exhausting. I've spent 31 hours working on it since last Friday and am very glad to have it finished!

Also, Creative Quarterly is holding another call for entries for their next CQ issue. Details can be found on their site.

Psychedelia, Typography, and Human Rights (oh my?)

2009-08-12T23:25:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted---I've been a bit preoccupied with the post-grad job search, as well as trying to have a bit of fun. I recently got a chance to visit the Denver Art Museum and see their temporary Psychedelic Experience exhibition. It. Was. Amaaaaazing. I've been to some pretty nice exhibits before, but never one that nearly melted my face off with its awesomeness (those are very technical art terms, if you couldn't tell). Between the typography, colors, and actual drawings/graphics, I went into sensory overload. Especially taking into account that all of the posters were created before the advent of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and daFont.com. Back in the day, illustrators had to do all of that stuff freehand (while walking 12 miles to school in the snow, and it was up hill both ways!). I think the great use of typography in the exhibition lent itself a bit in my newest piece...

All hand-lettered text in acrylic, with the orange background added in Photoshop. I think the message speaks for itself.

I dreamed there was no war...

2009-07-01T16:06:00.005-06:00

This was an idea I had for my promotional mailer, but I ended up not using it. Partly because one of my professors felt that nuclear weapons "weren't a big news story anymore". I completely disagree, but the image isn't really about nuclear weapons, anyway. It's more about how while it takes the effort of so many in order to maintain peace, it only take one person to start a war.

The Iranian Protester

2009-06-22T00:13:00.006-06:00

Graduation, Website Launch, & a call for entries

2009-06-16T22:46:00.003-06:00

Well, I did it...I graduated from college. About 2 and a half weeks ago. Hey, give me a break on the announcement, I needed a bit of a vacation! Anyway, I graduated and sent out my first batch of promo cards, so I feel like a "real" illustrator now. Though I think I'll feel more like one when I get my first job.

Though speaking of promo, I got my official portfolio site up and running, and although I'm not a web design guru, I'm pretty happy with it. Feel free to visit and link to me if you wish:

www.anna-cooper.com

I also wanted to give my fellow artists a heads up and announce that Creative Quarterly (sister publication to 3x3 Magazine) is having a call for entries. The deadline is July 31st and there's only a $10 per entry fee. There's no maximum limit for the number of entries, and it isn't limited to just illustration. You can also submit fine art, graphic design, and photography. There are also separate sections for student and professional work. You can get more information from their website.

Borderline show

2009-05-25T23:06:00.005-06:00

Saturday marked the opening reception for my Drawing on a Theme class' Borderline show. We paired up with the Foundations Department's Non-Objective Drawing class to put on an exhibit of student work from both classes. I think the show was a big success---we had a pretty good turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy the work. I thought I'd post some pictures of the exhibition.

Carrie from Non-Objective Drawing was nice enough to get the gallery plans and map out where everyone's work was going. I lucked out and got a great spot---right at the opening of the gallery!

My friend Sarah's Theme drawings. She portrayed characters from her favorite classic novels. She has Jane Eyre, Cathy and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, Edmond Dantès from The Count of Monte Cristo, and Alexandra from O Pioneers!.

Classmate Ben did his Theme over awkward moments. Each of the pieces are charcoal and pastel on toned paper. I thought they came out beautifully!

Here are Carrie's pieces from Non-Objective Drawing. Unfortunately the photo does not do her pieces justice. The colors are much more beautiful in person.

Meredith Lear's Theme project. Meredith is originally from Kentucky and her project dealt with the long drive she would take between her hometown and Savannah, GA. The piece was inspired by the boring billboards she would see as she was traveling between her two "homes". Each piece is done in charcoal with a bit of acrylic paint here and there.

This is one of my friend Brittany's pieces from Non-Objective Drawing. She had four pieces that were all about 2" x 12" dealing with portraying a dance non-objectively. She drew all of her pieces on illustration board with pencil and ballpoint pen. They are so brilliant and detailed, and really remind me of Roger Dean's work.

This was done by my classmate Jess. She had two other large drawings, but unfortunately one of them got pulled from the show due to censorship (the piece was a bit explicit and we were having the venue at a church). It was too bad since it was an absolutely stunning piece and my favorite from her series.

These were done by my classmate Chris. He portrayed his favorite authors along with characters from their books. From left to right, H.G. Wells, Jules Vern, and Rudyard Kipling.

I loved my classmate Lauren's work. She decided to make handmade journals portraying the Bohemian ideals of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love. For the exhibition she displayed her journals in a vintage suitcase along with things a Bohemian would most likely take while traveling.

And finally, me with the boys!

And if anyone is in Savannah, GA and free this Friday evening, please come to the SCAD Illustration Senior show! It's being held at the Illustration gallery in Savannah Mall from 5-7 pm. You can check out the Facebook page for more info.

The Five Elements: The Void - Syd Barrett

2009-05-21T17:58:00.005-06:00

"Astronomy Domine" - acrylic - 9" x 12"

The Void (Syd Barrett, guitarist/songwriter): The Void is associated with creative energy, spontaneity, and inventiveness. It is also considered the highest of the elements as it gives birth to Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. Syd is the quintessential Void: he created the Floyd, as well as provided them with a powerful creative and inventive force. He also all but disappeared into a void (choosing to live as a near recluse for most of his life post-Floyd), as well as created a void within the band with his departure. This absence provided the inspiration for the album Wish You Were Here. Syd is still a formidable creative force, inspiring many famous musicians and artists, such as David Bowie and Robyn Hitchcock. And me, of course.

The Five Elements: Fire - Roger Waters

2009-05-21T17:49:00.005-06:00

"Burning Bridges" - acrylic - 9" x 12"

Fire (Roger Waters, bassist/songwriter): The element of fire is associated with passion, drive, and motivation. It could be well argued that Roger was the most passionate member of Pink Floyd. He kept the band moving after Syd Barrett's departure as head songwriter in 1968. He also penned the lyrics to the band's most famous albums: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. However, too much fire can be destructive, as evidenced by Roger's tumultuous post-Floyd relationship with David Gilmour. Fortunately Roger (and David) was able to cool off for a reunion gig at Live 8.

The Five Elements: Earth - David Gilmour

2009-05-21T17:37:00.006-06:00

"Grantchester Meadows" - acrylic - 9" x 12"

Earth (David Gilmour, guitarist): Earth is an element associated with stubbornness and stability. David has aspects of both in his personality. When he joined the band, he provided a stable alternative to Syd Barrett as a guitarist. In the 80's his stubborn nature kicked in when he refused acquiesce to Roger's wish that the group disband after Roger's departure. Even David's way of playing resembles the earth; rather than writhe around on stage like many guitarists during mind bending solos, David stands very solid and natural on stage, focusing intently on playing his signature black Stratocaster.

The Five Elements: Water - Richard Wright

2009-05-21T17:27:00.005-06:00

"Rain in the Country" - acrylic - 9" x 12"

Water (Richard Wright, keyboardist): Water is an element associated with adaptability, flexibility, and magnetism. Rick's playing has always reminded me a bit of water--fluid and beautiful, and quite necessary to the life of the music. When paired with David Gilmour's (Earth) guitar playing, the two form a harmonious bond each other, like each piece was specifically created for the other.

The Five Elements: Air - Nick Mason

2009-05-21T17:04:00.006-06:00

For the past 9 weeks I have been hard at work on creating paintings for my Drawing on a Theme class. Each student had to propose a theme (connected by subject, materials, or both) and create a number of works based around the theme. I decided I wanted to do a series of portraits for my theme as had no figures in my illustration portfolio. I came up with the concept of portraying the members of Pink Floyd as the five elements, something inspired by Storm Thorgerson's wonderful photographs for the Wish You Were Here album cover. I matched each individual with an element that best represented their personality. So, without further ado, I give you the first painting in the series...

"A Pillow of Winds" - acrylic - 9" x 12"

Air (Nick Mason, drummer): Air is associated with movement, benevolence, and communication. These all perfectly describe Nick. His instrument of choice requires a significant amount of movement to play. Nick has also acted as a communication medium between other members of the band, especially in some of the more tumultuous times. With the aid of Bob Geldof, he managed to help put together the Floyd's famous reunion at Live 8 in 2005.

Promotional mailers

2009-05-14T12:57:00.006-06:00

Well, the art updates have been few and far between, haven't they? I promise I'm working! Actually, I've been doing so much I haven't had time to update. Between doing work for classes I'm also on the planning committee for 2 shows, as well as working on the SCAD Illustration Savannah Mall mural project. But I am getting a lot done, and I am having fun doing it.

I just received my first ever batch of promotional postcards from GotPrint, and I must say, they look fantastic! I am very pleased with the quality. I also ordered business cards, but they haven't arrived yet. However, I'm sure they will be as great as my promo cards. I'm really looking forward to sending them out to art directors and seeing if I get any bites. I decided to cater this card to the editorial market since that's the area I'm most interested in doing work for. The piece is meant to be a comment on the mortgage crisis and predatory lending.

Also, if you're in the Savannah area, please come to the Borderline show on Saturday, May 23rd! It's one of the shows I've been helping to plan exhibiting the works from my Drawing on a Theme class, as well as SCAD's Non-Objective Drawing class. There will be some fantastic work, plus yummy goodies to snack on.

Sidewalk Arts Festival

2009-04-27T00:11:00.008-06:00

Saturday marked SCAD's famous Sidewalk Arts Festival. It's something that I had always wanted to participate in since I started school here 3 years ago (has it really been that long?), but I always managed to talk myself out of it because of school projects. This year I was determined to do it since it's my last year. Fortunately, two of my very good friends wanted to do it, too, so we decided to team up and collaborate on a design. We came up with good concept--an underwater tea party featuring our favorite animals. The magnificent Gally sketched up a design, to which Katie and I put in our characters (a fox and a pig, respectively). And with sandwiches, drinks, and supplies in tow, we set out for Forsyth Park to participate!

The concept.

Our squares. Notice how clean Gally's & Katie's shins are. They didn't stay that way for long.

Our chalk. We had two boxes with only these colors (plus white, which Gally was currently using).

Gally sketches out the drawing.

Adding color. Unfortunately I'm not in the process shots because I was the official picture taker.

All done!

I love Katie's adorable fox. And the John Cleese-esque octopus.

Dirty (but happy!) artists. I'm really impressed at the way the piece turned out, especially since none of us work with chalk or pastels!

"The revolution is a story of birds..."

2009-03-12T18:45:00.005-06:00

It's hard to believe, but my quarter has finally come to an end. It was busy, busy, BUSY, but I really like my work and where it's going, so all the work was very much worth it. Here is the final piece I created for my portfolio class:

An album redesign for (if you couldn't tell) Ça Ira, a wonderful little opera about the early days of the French revolution. The text was hand lettered and added to the piece in Photoshop. The original piece is in acrylic, 14" x 14".

2009-03-08T00:05:00.004-07:00

Not long after my talented pal Jade posted a work in progress of a gryphon, I end up getting an assignment to do a gryphon as well. Go figure, eh?

The piece is an idea for merchandising for a local cafe called the Gryphon Tea Room. There are quite a few student submissions for it, so I don't know how keen they'll be on mine, but I am getting paid for submitting the idea, and being an art student I'm not one to say "no" to receiving money!

The first image is the original in acrylic and the second is a color sample done in Photoshop.

All animals are created equal...

2009-02-24T18:49:00.006-07:00

...but some are more equal than others. A cover design for my absolute favorite book. Though admittedly it's hard to top the illustrated 5oth anniversary edition done by Ralph Steadman. Acrylic on board, 7" x 10".

A Presidential Medal for Tony Blair

2009-02-24T18:45:00.004-07:00

Bush's "poodle" gets a new piece of flair for his collar. Inspired by this article (care of TIME), and done for my portfolio class. Acrylic on board.

Roger Waters final

2009-02-24T12:52:00.004-07:00

I finally got a good scan of my finished Roger caricature illustration. It took two tries at the piece is coated with a layer of shiny aging varnish which makes it difficult to scan (sometimes there's a glare).
While it was a bit of a fun piece to do, I find that it lacks the "oomph" that my acrylic pieces tend to have. I feel that there is a huge disparity between my watercolor/mixed media works and my acrylic technique. I've been focusing almost exclusively on acrylics in my portfolio class as I tend get a much better reaction from people that view that work. It has something that my watercolors don't, so I'm leaning towards working in acrylics for my professional portfolio. Watercolors are quite fun on occasion, though.

Ivory Trade

2009-02-12T16:09:00.005-07:00

Acrylic on board

Decisions, decisions...

2009-02-05T23:06:00.006-07:00

I have been busy, busy, busy making new pieces in classes. I'm most enthusiastic about my work in my portfolio class since I feel like I'm really putting together good, conceptual images. However, I'm having a bit of a problem with one, or at least the colors within it.

I think the orange/blue combo makes the concept easier to read, but I really like the look of the red. What do you think?

Piano competition poster final

2009-02-03T23:11:00.004-07:00

I'm not 100% pleased with it, but it's finished.

Caricature sketches

2009-01-22T13:35:00.005-07:00

This quarter I'm taking a class on caricature as it's something I'd really like to build on as I think it would help improve my work. Our current assignment is to do two illustrations of people from music, film, sports, or TV. Since I'm a music junkie, I immediately decided to do one of my favorite musicians: Roger Waters. I love Roger because in addition to being a wonderful musician and lyricist, he's extremely fun to draw!

Comps

2009-01-22T13:26:00.005-07:00

So as some may have noticed I failed to post new resolution Sunday sketches in accordance with my last update. That's because I failed at keeping my New Year's resolution (which is probably why I don't make resolutions). The positive note is that while I haven't been keeping up with making a sketch every day, I have been doing a lot of drawing because of new classes. I don't have any completed illustrations yet, but I do have prep work for a poster design, as well as caricature sketches that will follow this post.

These were final sketches done for the Hilton Head International Piano Competition's poster contest. While I like both drawings very much, I'm doing the one on the right as I think it will make a better poster.

Color comps for the poster. I'll be using the color scheme on the right.

The 2009 Sunday Sketch Spectacular!

2009-01-04T21:36:00.007-07:00

That title makes it sound really exciting, right? Unfortunately I don't know how exciting it will actually be, but it's my attempt at productivity. Last year I fancied the idea of having a resolution to sketch something everyday. It quickly crashed and burned, so I'm reinstating it with more force this year. I will attempt to do at least one sketch every day. I mean, that really isn't much, and it's something I really should be doing. I'm hoping by openly sharing my resolution on a public forum will force me to fulfill it. I plan on doing the sketches throughout the week and then posting them at the end of the week. Here's what I've done post New Year's:

The new year started off with a pelican (one of my favorite birds), and was quickly followed by a porcine Maggie "Milk Snatcher" Thatcher going after the cat's 2%, and Tom Servo of MST3K. And then things got more serious...

I've been keeping an eye on the current Israel/Palestine crisis, although I swear it's the same problems with different dates. I avoid taking sides, especially when I feel like both factions are to blame for the violence. The leaders fight like rabid wolves while innocent civilians are killed.

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Wright

2009-01-04T21:20:00.005-07:00

So when it came to the grand break for the holidays, I completely failed at being productive. I had plans for new pieces to do in preparation for my illustration portfolio class for the winter quarter, but instead I curled up into a little ball of complacency and laziness (I wrote it off as "enjoying my last real break before graduating"). However, I did scrounge up enough work ethic to begin something that fall classes kept me from doing...

On the very first day of fall classes I woke to the news that one of my favorite musicians, Mr. Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, had passed away. Two years earlier his former band mate, Syd Barrett, passed away, and when that happened I began a memorial painting for Syd, thus unofficially starting a trend. The only problem with this trend is that at some point (hopefully in the distant future) I will have 5 large portrait paintings commemorating my favorite band. Let's hope I break into illustration so I can afford a decent sized dwelling, eh?

I'm not quite sure when I'll finish Mr. Wright as winter classes start...oh...tomorrow, but at the very least the painting process has begun. Now Syd will have a buddy. :)

Merry Pigmas!

2008-12-21T13:57:00.003-07:00

This year I finally did what I put off last year: I designed my own holiday cards! I got them printed through Overnight Prints. The company did a very nice job with the printing and got them to me fairly quickly. The only complaint I have in dealing with them is that they didn't put the cards or envelopes in any kind of wrapping within the shipment box (a bit of condensation got in during shipping, ruining some of the envelopes).

I want to take the time to wish you all (and by "all" I mean my whole 4 readers) a very happy holidays. No matter what you celebrate, or if you really celebrate at all, this is a very special time of year, and I hope you take a moment to spend some time with your loved ones. After all, it's not about getting gifts, it's about spending time with the ones you love!

Pug Power!

2008-12-01T16:41:00.002-07:00

This is a card I made for one of my friends that's been up in New York doing an internship. He's a fan of pugs...in case you couldn't figure that out.

They mostly come out at night. Mostly...

2008-11-17T19:24:00.005-07:00

Here is my final project for my Advertising class (I can't believe we're done with another quarter already! Graduation looms ever nearer...). We were required to design a postage stamp with horror movies being the theme (we also had to do the piece in black and white). I decided to take a break from my mixed media watercolor technique and go back to one of my other favorite media...acrylics!

(And yes, I am aware that the subject line quote actually comes from the sequel.)

Oatland Island Wildlife Center poster

2008-11-17T19:16:00.005-07:00

For Advertising our class designed a poster for a local (and wonderful!) wildlife center. Here's the finished art, alone as well as put in the center's poster template.

I'm gettin' published!

2008-10-23T18:50:00.009-06:00

So I'm in a course called "Getting Published" this quarter where I, gasp!, try and get my work published in magazines. Our glorious professor has gets different articles requiring illustrations from various magazines, and everyone in the class (there are only 10 of us) submit a sketch to the art director. The art director decides which visual idea would best fit the article in question and then that student finishes the art and sends it along. Sometimes the AD likes a couple of sketches and wants finishes of of the various ones, either deciding which of the finished art works best, or publishing all of the finished works.

We've had plenty of different assigned articles in the class so far, and I was getting a bit antsy as I hadn't been picked for any of them yet. That was until last week. I had done a sketch for an article for What's Up, Annapolis? magazine called "The Changing Scene of Mapping Our Genes", and the AD liked it. So...I'm gettin' published! Above is the sketch of the proposed art and below is the finished artwork for comparison.

Art on the Can

2008-10-23T18:44:00.002-06:00

Here's the finished hotels.com art on the paint can.

In retrospect I wish the top label of the can had printed darker. The globe's ocean looks more creamy rather than "coffee-y". If I had a redo I'd make it the same color as the background on the can art.

2008-10-20T19:25:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since my last post...and it's because I'm keeping busy! Here is my latest work from my Advertising Illustration class...

The assignment was to do a wrap around label for a paint canister for Hotels.com, meant to be given to frequent travelers (the can would supposedly hold amenities...travel shampoo, mouthwash, etc.). You needed to incorporate countries that were travel destinations. I decided to incorporate animals native to the different countries wearing costumes associated with the cultures of those countries. You have a Chinese ribbon-dancing koi, a South African Zulu elephant, a belly dancing Indian peacock, and a German lederhosen-clad pig. Now, pigs aren't native to Germany, per se, but I read that they were considered symbols of good luck there. And honestly, in my world any excuse to draw a pig is a good one!

Pig prints

2008-10-05T18:27:00.003-06:00

So a perk of working in the kids' area of an art museum is getting to partake in the arts and crafts activities they have going on every first Saturday of the month. Yesterday they had printmaking, so...

...I made some pig prints. And yes, that's pink newspaper.

New year, new art, new blog!

2008-09-29T19:32:00.006-06:00

I suppose there's nothing like starting your senior year of college off like a new blog...right? Right?! I'm hoping it is, anyway. I decided to make the grand switch from LiveJournal to Blogger in hopes of starting my move from illustration student to illustration professional. I don't know how that will work out, but we'll keep our fingers crossed, eh? In the meantime, I should probably post some new work...

This is the first project I've completed for my Advertising Illustration class. We were supposed to pick a wine label (ANY label) and redesign it. I chose Thierry & Guy's Fat Bastard because, really, how many times can you legitimately use a curse word in an assignment? There were also hippos involved. How can you say no to that? Anyway, I'm not particularly fond of the lower text placement, but I couldn't really think of any better alternatives. The art I'm pleased with, though. It's a combination of pen & ink, watercolor, coffee, charcoal pencil, and aging varnish. I'll be placing the label on an actual wine bottle. If I can get a decent picture I'll be posting that, as well.