Out of the Box Saturday

It's all about me discovering something that is different. I don't want to post things that you and I have more than likely heard before. I want to find something different. I'll cover something sing | songy one week, and artsy | fartsy the next.

I really love the illustrator Lane Smith. Have you ever heard of him? He studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, at the encouragement of his high-school art teacher, Dan Baughman, helping to pay for it by working as a janitor at Disneyland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration, and moved to New York City, where he was hired to do illustrations for various publications. 

He's done work for editorials, but is most noted for his children's books. He's won a few Caldecott Medals.

He uses an oil wash technique. with layers of Crystal Clear between layers. It's always been a no no to layer acrylics with oils, but he breaks that rule, and found a way to make it work by using oil washes instead of thick oils.

The first book I got of Lane Smiths was The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

I have not read all the books he's illustrated, but I continue to discover illustrations that he's created that are so charming.

All Artwork Belongs to Lane Smith!

Visit Lane Smith's website!
Email Lane Smith here: lanesmithbooks@gmail.com