reading,rain and rainbows

Reading Inside the Business of Illustration....good read...lots of rain, so the reading goes fast.

Write Congress about the New (not good) Copyright Law

This is a call to action. We need all illustrators and artists to write to Congress to oppose the new copyright law which is pending. You need to do it now. Robin Zingone's
blog post here has the links and explanation of why it is so important (She blogs with moxie) Or you can take action now, here If you are a student, or professional there are form letters for all categories. Just click on take action. When you fill in your zip your congressmen will come up. All you have to do is fill in your name and address and hit send. This law will change copyright as we know it. Not a good change......please help.

Long walk today through a local golf course where someone I know was playing. Of course I did watch some golf but this old birch caught my eye:) Looking a lot in general at the shapes of trees.....tomorrow I'll bring sketch pad...
Love these portraits by British illustrator Matthew Hollings here
Also, if you like making paper, June Tyler of Pondside Pulp and Paper in Norwich, NY, has updated her blog "...There is one spot left in the first session of "Papermaking in the Country," July 1 and 2 spaces left in "Handmade Paper and Printmaking, session one," beginning July 7, as of June 20, 2009."

Dogs in the neighborhood

Logo Design

Working on this design for a logo. Not there yet but I am liking so far....

In the garden...

All the rain has made the garden very lush. Salmon sky for the solstice.

sketch of joe ciardiello

Joe Ciardiello....a 5 second sketch with a pilot G-2 07 using a photo ref I found. Sometimes it seems better to draw impressions quickly... a la prima. I do love line...just line.

There is a great interview on Illoz with Anita Kunz here.

Reading Matter

Rainy this morning. Spent the morning reading this new book by Steven Heller and Seymour Chwast. I like how the book is organized by period styles rather than strictly chronologically. Later in the day, I drew a sketch of Connor (friend's son) from a photo I had taken, and experimented some more with effects in Illustrator and Photoshop. I will be test driving a new application upgrade, Painter 11. Have a nice weekend! Hope the weather improves for the Dads.

Connor Sketch

Connor

of course you can

Happy Birthday Anne Frank

Today, Anne Frank would be 80 years old. Anne has been a favorite subject for NYC folk artist Malcah Zeldis for decades. Malcah has been a favorite artist of mine for decades. Her painting of Anne at her writing desk greets me every morning and is a constant reminder of her courage. Malcah's book was written by her daughter Yona. Happy Birthday Anne. (also my sister's birthday--they are both storytellers too....)

Japanese Wakin Goldfish

Bunny with a Background

I spent a good part of yesterday making backgrounds for drawings. This was a photo of a cactus rose from my garden. Feel like a mad scientist. Asking "What if..." a lot lately....

Twins

Just found out there will be another set of twins in the family!! It seems, Chance is everywhere.
Another chance,... this bicycle may be the future of urban transportation. It has won lots of awards. Very cool. My friend, Julie Dermansky is working on a book about the five months she spent as an embedded photo-journalist in Iraq. Her new studio is in the Lower Garden District, New Orleans.

Illustrator Effects

A day of experimentation.

Exploring Photoshop

Experimenting with PS and Illustrator. Finally having a few "aha" moments...also making some textured backgrounds for later use. Computers are magic.

Stop

Jack the Ripper

The Bard revisited...again

Spring Robin and Bluebird

Portrait

Communicate

Birdsong versions

Still working with this image...experimenting again....
Hear a rare interview (podcast) with Brad Holland here. There are lots of them at SideBar. Kind of like NPR's Car Talk but with Dwight and Swain. Four color conversations about comics, art, and pop culture. Great to listen to while working....

Maira Kalman And the Pursuit of Happiness

The New York Times "And the Pusuit of Happiness Blog, about American democracy and posted/published on the last Friday of every month online, is a favorite. I love Maira Kalman's illustrations and how she weaves them with her hand drawn words. It is really simple but profound really. I especially like her "Soldier No. 53"from May 29th "At Ease" post. Like children's drawings, her illustrations are straightforward and this is, I think, what makes them so powerful. These are the drawings of some former very young students (first and second grade) from my museum classes. Watching these young children make art were some of the best art lessons I have ever had.