Art & Soul

Illustration Friday - Gluttony

I did as part of a series years ago. My work has changed a lot over the years, but this piece has a sense of playfulness and fun that I hope I've retained. The i-fri topic this week was gluttony.

Illustration Friday - Balance

Maybe if I'd balanced my time a little better these past few days, I'd have found time to do a new illustration for Illustration Friday. My thanks to Penelope for using my topic this week!

Words of Wisdom

Since I've been illustrating, many  people have given me valuable tips, tricks, and advice. A few of these truths have had such an impact on me, that I not only remember them, I think of them and use them every single day in my work.

Michele Warner - My first illustration teacher. I interned with Michele and her husband, James (see below), for a semester. Michele is a color genius. Some of her tips: shade white items with blue, cool colors work well for shadows, and purple is a good black substitute.

Michele still teaches me things.

James Noel Smith - James simply said, "Your darks could be darker." I know, it's not a lightning flash kind of tip, but I think of it every day, on every illustration.

Ed Beals - Edgar showed me that every illustration needs to tell a story. The funny part is that I never realized this until he said it. It makes so much sense.

Nik Scott - Nik said, "Call this one done and move on." Brilliant advice.

Ted Goff - I can't remember if Ted actually said this, but from an email exchange, I walked away with, "There's no blueprint for this (meaning an art/cartooning career). You don't have to follow a specific path."

It's great to have mentors. I hope I say something even half as meaningful to someone one day.

Illustration Friday - Disaster Relief

Darn...I'm late with my entry for Illustration Friday. It's been Saturday for eleven whole minutes!

The knight with the red cross on his horse has slain the sea monster.