Random Tid Bits

1. Isaak and I got our first head cold in the school year. My head feels fuzzy - like bees are flying around in it, and I'm stuffy. Isaak has been snotty big time, has no appetite, and feels feverish at night.
   
   I can tell fall is on it's way, plus school started, which is all breeding ground for sickness.


2. I figured out what I want to do for the big blow up project this year. Every year I find an image, or shoot my own image. My boss prints it out on the large format printer. I cut it up in squares, or rectangles. Then each student gets a square from each poster to recreate larger. I don't tell them what it is. They don't get to see it until the end when it's hung up. This year I had a hard time deciding. This year I didn't use my own photos. I found images that were so great by the Illustrator Tom Whalen. I love his work. The images below belong to Tom Whalen. When my students do a little piece they are not recreating the whole thing, nor are they selling the work.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. I got the book Wonder By R.J. Palacio for Mica to read. Normally he reads the books I pick out with kind of an annoyed look. Like he's thinking, Geez Mom! Let me pick out my own books! This one I kept seeing displayed at Barnes and Noble, and the library. He can't put the book down. Travis once said, "Ok you're not doing the tasks you ask us to do! Stop reading!" I know...every parent wishes that they had this problem. If you're looking for a good book to read...Wonder might be it.
   
   
    
4. Isaak watched The Boxcar Children movie at school. He came home, and was super excited to read the 1 The Boxcar Children book that he has. Maybe I'll have to check out more of those. Typically he's not one that likes to read.


5. I printed out a coupon for Michael's. It's a 50% off one. I feel the need to use it. What would you buy at a craft store?

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 have a Gary Taxali poster hanging in my office at work. I have to admit that I love the poster, but never really looked up an of his other pieces, nor do I know much about him.

He was born in India and raised in Canada. Both his fine art work and Illustrations are known in the US. His retro stylized art is reminiscent of the 1930s and best described as “reinvented pop art” and rooted from an award winning illustration background. He's had a Grammy nomination, tons of awards for his art, and his work has shown in many magazines such as GQ, The New Yorker and more.

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“Gary Taxali visually blends now with then. His style, inspired by vintage comics and advertising art, is repurposed with the goal of communicating the ironies and comical essence of popular culture. His work is at once alluring and endearing. Despite the vintage look, he is neither maudlin nor nostalgic. His imagery is rich in satiric verve.”

– Steven Heller

Here's Gary Taxali's work. All work was gotten off his site, and belongs to Gary Taxali.

The Poster I Have in My Office:

 

The Older The Better

 

Beach Body

Wild Forever

 

Visit Gary Taxali's Website.

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

Out of the Box Saturday

Sing, Sing a Song Saturday is now 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.

This week I'm covering something artsy fartsy. One artist that I found just this year is Rudy Gutierrez.

His work has been featured on CDs, books, editorials, and awarded in many Society of Illustration Annuals.

His art has been described as Wall Medicine, ancient yet contemporary.

He's worked on "live performances", backdrops, stage props and workshops with the dance company that features hearing impaired and physically challenged kids.

What I like about his work is the color, pattern, line work, how you can look at his work over and over again, and still see something new. It looks like older African work, but has a modern twist to it. 

These images are not mine. Please go to Rudy Gutierrez's website to see more work.

Progress

Rudy's not huge into social media. He gets plenty of exposure. Visit his website.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Books!

I just love books that have an extra special touch added to them! When I grew up my Mom read a story to us every night and my Dad came in to tell us a made up story.

Mica and Isaak love books to. Last night Isaak picked out 5 books for me to read and Mica 1 longer book. Mica's been wanting to read The Gingerbread Man. After we read it, they run around in circles taking turns being the Gingerbread Man. One has to chase the other. Their imaginations are truly amazing. I do have to say that sometimes for the adults it's a bit much. I'm talking about the running, laughing, high pitch squeals and sometimes one falls and than there is crying. They carry this imagination everywhere to. The grocery store cart is the Polar Express. Isaak shouts out to Mica, "Stop the train! Pull on the break!" I have a love and frustration with their imaginations.

I'm getting ready for spring classes. Illustration is one of my next courses. I can't wait! I love when we get to the Children's Book Illustration project!


These are a few of my favorite children's books:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carl

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - A Pop-Up Adaptation By Lewis Carroll and Illustrated By Robert Sabuda

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Bembelman's Bakery By Melinda Green and Illustrated By Barbara Seuling (My favorite from when I was a child)

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The Stinky Cheeseman By Jon Scieszka and Illustrated By Lane Smith

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David Gets in Trouble By David Shannon

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I have many more that I like! These are just a few that came to my mind first. I can't wait to check out this new book, Can You See What I See? Toyland Express By Walter Wick!

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I love the go behind scenes in books and movies! Here's the one on this book:



 

Go Graham Go! is giving away a copy of this book along with a $50 Visa Cash Card!

A Little Nervous

• I gave a 20 to 30 minute talk this morning at work. I talked in a room full of high school art teachers. A few people I work with along with my boss were in the room too.
• I have to admit I was a little nervous. Probably because I was speaking to a different audience then what I'm used to. I feel this same nervousness when I get up to talk on the day of graduation. I sometimes feel like talking to people that are teachers themselves are critiquing me.
• I give presentations for 2 hours, 3 days a week to college students, and do fine. I've set up in my mind that most of the new students are younger then me, just starting out, timid and again new. Later on when I have the seniors I know them and just feel comfortable.
• I talked about my own work:


• My main topic was how the gap between painting and illustration is getting smaller.
• I used Mark English as an example:

Mark English's Illustration's

Mark English's Painting

• Fred Otnes was another main example.
• He made 3 shifts in his artistic career: A realistic illustrator, decided to incorporate printing techniques into his illustrations and now a painter. Here is his work:

Fred Otnes' Illustration's

Fred Otnes' Painting

• My talk went well. I always think after talking, "Why was I nervous?"
• One of the high school art teacher's went to Kansas City Art Institute (where I went), so we had a lovely talk! Another teacher was headed down to Savannah College of Art and Design for a workshop (where I went to grad school). He once lived in Atlanta, we talked about that as well. We had a great conversation!
• A few of my co-worker's heard some of the high school art teachers say, "This is the best workshop we've been to!" That is so nice to hear! Especially since we devote a lot of time into doing what we do here.
• I liked the speaker my boss had come in from SKAR advertising. His talk was on Social Networking. That was interesting to me.