SVA Thesis show: Illustration as Visual Essay

May 5, 2011Exhibitions

I saw the thesis show for the “illustration as Visual Essay” program (SVA) last weekend. The reason I went is partly because I’m interested in the program, and also I’ve met a couple of people who are graduating from it this year. I was told that the thesis for the project has to be a … Read More

Drawers 2.0

April 26, 2011Book Review

Here’s my second Claire Wendling book review for Drawers 2.0 (second edition of the book). This is a big artbook ( 9.5in by 11.5 in. 144 pages) with a variety of artwork. The first 9 pages shows panels from her comics (I don’t think she does comics anymore though). Then 26 pages of colored illustration, … Read More

Iguana Bay 2.0

April 19, 2011Book Review, inspiration

The book “Iguana Bay” (I have the second edition) is one of my favorite books in my collection. It features the artwork of french illustrator / comic book artist Claire Wendling. Claire is super talented, especially in her animal drawings. She simply does the best animal drawings hands down. Her line drawings are very fluid … Read More

Mocca report

April 13, 2011Exhibitions

So this past weekend was my “MOCCA weekend”, and my very first convention as an exhibitor. Here’s my half-table setup. It was more sparse on Saturday, but then on Sunday I added more stuff to my display because I didn’t think subtlety would get me anywhere in this situation. I had no idea what to … Read More

The Village Voice article

April 12, 2011News Articles

The Comics Issue: If Cartoons Are So Big, Why Don’t They Pay? Article detailing exactly how broke cartoonists are….and they’re pretty broke. From most illustrators and cartoonists I talked to, it helps to have a second job. But in my previous desk job, I found that bosses weren’t necessarily appreciative of my diverse skill set. … Read More

NY Times Article

April 11, 2011inspiration

I just read this article, “That Noisy Woodpecker Had an Animated Secret”, thought it was funny/interesting. Whereas Tyler Durden hid porn inside films, the animation director of the Woody Woodpecker cartoons hid fine art. I’m going to have to find some woodpecker cartoons now to see if it’s true.

Animal Essence: the art of Joe Weatherly

March 22, 2011Book Review

A few years ago, I think it was when I was working on a book about elephants, I realized that I actually didn’t really know how to draw animals. Sure, I can copy from photos, but I didn’ t understand the underlying anatomy of what I was drawing. Imagine my surprise when I found out … Read More

The Hallowed Seam

March 15, 2011Book Review

James Jean is an illustrator, most famous for his work on Fables. Since I rarely read American comics, I actually learned about him through one of my teachers at SVA, Stephen Gaffney, who teaches figure drawing. Interestingly, James Jean’s figure drawings do remind me of Stephen Gaffney’s figure drawings, but I digress… This book (248 … Read More

The drawings of Heinrich Kley

March 9, 2011Book Review

This is a big book, 128 pages full of sketches from this relatively obscure but talented artist. Heinrich Kley was a mostly a commercial artist, which explains why he’s not as well-known as Van Gogh (for example). The drawings in this book are mostly political cartoons he drew for a German newspaper. All of the … Read More

The Sketchbook Project

March 2, 2011Exhibitions, inspiration

I went to the Brooklyn Art Library this weekend to look at the traveling exhibit “the Sketchbook Project“. Somebody suggested it to me, so I managed to go before it left for the next city. Going into the Art Library, I was a bit confused with their setup. You have to sign up on their … Read More