Past gentlemanly contributions to the Ten Paces and Draw Project.
The sketch was heavily inspired by a love for bicycling, antiques, and cowboys, a pervading theme to my life in the virtual bicycle mecca of America's 7th Best Bicycle City. The bike is a British WWII BSA Folding Bicycle, how cool is that?
The palette of the final For the Love of Roger brought to you by the colors Not-Red-&-Green.
I am newly returned from a fabulous promotional trip to NYC alongside fellow illustrator, Joanna Estep. Despite the unexpected highs in the mid-90s and multiple blisters on our feet, we prevailed and walked our way across half of Manhattan to distribute portfolios.
In addition to promoting and walking, we visited Jo's friend and Vertigo's Madame Xanadu artist, the delightful Amy Reeder, to talk shop, eat, share inspiration and get a peek of the current issue in progress. Check out her gorgeous comic art at her website as well as at the nearest comic shop near you!
Quite unexpectedly, we managed to walk by the Illustration House, where I enjoyed getting up close and personal with a number of Bernie Fuchs's stunning pieces. Of course, I loved seeing the Rackham, JC Leyendecker and Jessie Wilcox Smith originals that I remember from my first visit.
Thursday night we also hit up Sketch Night at the Society of Illustrators where I ran into the lovely and talented Lisa Fields. For an alternate view of the same models, take a look at Lisa's sketchbook pages from the same night over at her blog. The surprise company was grand, the models were great and the live music was worth the cover in and of itself.
If only the trip could have lasted longer, who knows what or who I would have run into accidentally next.
In the end, I successfully promoted my portfolio, made new friends, enjoyed familiar sights and past company, lost a little weight and gained more experience in navigating the streets of Manhattan. Fall semester classes have begun and my students are busy familiarizing themselves with the AAU's online classroom, so it's back to work teaching and illustrating for me.
Sketching adventures through the nation's 5th oldest zoo:
The Amur Leopard has a passionate dislike of machines that make loud noises.
The tiger on the right took a break from his nap while I was sketching to stand up on his hind legs and greet me face-to-face from three inches and a pane of glass away. I never expected I would ever stare down a tiger in my life.
The Great Cats of Asia exhibit is housed in a beautifully designed massive wooden cage. It seems old and weather beaten, which just adds to its appeal.
The colors of the building and surrounding landscape are quite marvelous, too.
I've never seen a bald eagle in person before. Luckily, the zoo has three and they can be very communicative at times.
The crows are rescued animals that cannot be released back into the wild. These crows have clipped wings as a result and can only fly the short distances in their cage.
Bonus: Not only does working for the AAU's Fashion Department provide exposure to a vast array of inspirational fashion illustrators, it also builds an appreciation for the care and attention that is given to fabrics in mass, form, drape and pattern. The following black and white striped outfits by Schiele, ERIC and an unknown artist (please comment if you know!) are captivating in design and construction. The stripes, which is a pattern that is typically stiff and unyielding, flow along the fabric, broken by the folds and drape to accentuate the soft femininity of the figures.
A few things I've been meaning to archive here. More to follow.
Bonus: Schiele's Portrait of Hans Massmann, 1909, that I keep admiring wistfully. Not only does he incorporate his lovely organic patterning and lines through the piece, he successfully combines them with strong shapes and geometric compositional elements, generating a powerfully designed portrait. The earthy colors reinforce this feeling of strength, as well as the manner in which Hans Massmann is glancing from the corner of his eye at the viewer from an elevated position, even though he is seated and relaxed.
