Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Santiago Uceda illustrates for Artcrank

Santiago Uceda created this illustration for Artcrank, a "show of bicycle-inspired poster artwork that introduces people to talented local artists and sends them home with affordable, original works of art." The art will be going on a 10-city roadshow where 30 screen prints of each art piece will be sold.
The cities include: London, Interbike, Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Des Moines, and Bend.

More about Artcrank below image:

Santiago Uceda - illustration for ArtCrank 2011-2012


ABOUT ARTCRANK: (from http://artcrank.com/about)
Bikes are the world’s most fun, accessible way to get around. Posters are the world’s most fun, accessible art form. ARTCRANK™ brings them together.

ARTCRANK is a show of bicycle-inspired poster artwork that introduces people to talented local artists and sends them home with affordable, original works of art. Every ARTCRANK show features posters created by local artists from the host city. Admission is always free, and posters are priced to let everybody take home at least one.

ARTCRANK began in Minneapolis in 2007, and has expanded to Denver, St. Louis, Portland, San Francisco, Des Moines and Bend. In September 2010, we held our first international show in London. And in September 2011, we’ll hold our first show at Interbike, the bike industry’s annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mission:

ARTCRANK uses creativity to change how people look at and think about bicycles, and grow the cycling community.

Bikes, Art and Doing Good.

The best part of our jobs is that we get to travel to some of the country’s (and the world’s) great cities and get to know people who are as head-over-heels in love with cycling and creativity as we are. This is a great privilege, and we channel that same energy into supporting people and groups who are out there doing good.

In every host city, we select a Cause Partner: A local, national or international organization that’s using bicycles to make a difference in communities, help people live better lives, or just make the world a better place. In concert with our sponsors, we use ARTCRANK as a means to help raise money and awareness for these organizations.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Charles Glaubitz - Samurai Girl

Check out this amazing new image by Charles Glaubitz titled, "Samurai Girl"!  This is a personal piece that he created during a workshop that he gave in his studio, and he used his technique of ink and wash illustration with digital color added.  The concept of the project was about conveying a memory to communicate time and space.  This image was inspired by his oldest daughter, Luna, and also in part by his father who was a karate champion and instructor in Mexico - hence the samurai element.  Charles based the color palette on the passing of time chose seasonal Autumn colors.
We love it!
Charles Glaubitz - Samurai Girl

Monday, November 28, 2011

Kim Rosen - Coupling Illustrations for November 2011

Another round of Kim Rosen's fabulous 'coupling' illustrations for The Boston Globe magazine, November 2011.

Kim Rosen - Coupling November 2011 - 1

Kim Rosen - Coupling November 2011 -2

Kim Rosen - Coupling November 2011 -3

Kim Rosen - Coupling November 2011 -4

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Lucie Rice - A Brief History of Thanksgiving

Being that most of us are getting ready for Thanksgiving festivities of one sort or another tomorrow, it seemed fitting to share this new piece created by Lucie Rice.  It's pretty much Thanksgiving in a nutshell, and we hope you like it!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Lucie Rice - A Brief History of Thanksgiving

In case you're looking for a litte more info, here's Wikipedia's version:
Thanksgiving in North America had originated from a mix of European and Native traditions.[1] Typically in Europe, festivals were held before and after the harvest cycles to give thanks for a good harvest, and to rejoice together after much hard work with the rest of the community.[1] At the time, Native Americans had also celebrated the end of a harvest season.[1] When Europeans first arrived to the Americas, they brought with them their own harvest festival traditions from Europe, celebrating their safe voyage, peace and good harvest.[1] Though the origins of the holiday in both Canada and the United States are similar, Americans do not typically celebrate the contributions made in Newfoundland, while Canadians do not celebrate the contributions made in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[2]

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Terri Fry Kasuba's Yeti goes to Paris!

Terri Fry Kasuba just learned that one of her popular Yeti characters has been chosen for inclusion in the upcoming Pictoplasma Missing Link Research Exhibition.  More than 5,000 hairy creature characters were submitted for consideration by artists working in a variety of disciplines from around the world.  The 500 images that were chosen will be presented as part of an installation at the heart of the upcoming exhibition in Paris, at the new museum la Gaîté Lyrique, taking place from December 7 - 31.  If you happen to be in Paris during the month of December we hope you'll go check it out and send us pictures!

Terri Fry Kasuba - Yeti



Friday, November 18, 2011

Kim Rosen's Thanksgiving-on-the-go

Kim Rosen did this illustration for an article about where to eat out - and take out - if you happen to be in Chicago this Thanksgiving.  The image and article are in the current issue of Time Out Chicago.  Nice!

Kim Rosen - Thanksgiving 2011

Source: Kim's Blog

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Marco Wagner's krocan

Since Thanksgiving is upon us, it seemed appropriate to feature this gorgeous piece by Marco Wagner.  The title of the painting is Krocan, which is the Czech word for turkey, and Marco created it for a contemporary art fair in Essen, Germany.  C.A.R.: Contemporary Art Ruhr was held in an amazing old factory in the "Zeche Zollverein", a former industrial area which is part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, and is one of the anchor points of the European Route of Industrial Heritage.

Marco Wagner - Krocan

 In Marco's own words, "My body of work shows the world of hunting and killing, man and nature, fun and food.  I chose this theme as it provides a huge range of imagery that I wanted to transform and
interpret.  Furthermore this theme was helpful to feel free and try out new techniques like ink-drawings, linocut, oil colors, etc. You can say it was a trial and error experience.  Especially the Turkey (krocan is the czech word). My aim was to simplify the complex feathers of this animal and play with decoration and color. The technique is acrylic and bronze color on board."

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Charles Glaubitz currently has an exhibit at the Tijuana Cultural Center, and the name of the show is "Los Nuevos Dios" (The New Gods).  It is a summary of the 10 year narrative that Charles has been creating through his personal work, and it consists of paintings, drawings and sculpture.  The show will be up thru the end of the year, so go check it out if you happen to be in Tijuana!

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Charles Glaubitz - Los Nuevos Dios

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Kim Rosen - October Coupling Illustrations

Kim Rosen's illustrations are seen every week in the lifestyle section of the Boston Globe, in a column called coupling. Here are the pieces from October 2011.

Kim Rosen - October "Coupling" illustration - 1

Kim Rosen - October "Coupling" illustration -2

Kim Rosen - October "Coupling" illustration - 3

Kim Rosen - October "Coupling" illustration - 4

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Dave Stevenson's map illustration of dystopia for "Crossed"

Dave Stevenson was commissioned by Penguin Young Readers Group to create this B/W map illustration of a fictitious landscape for a book titled, "Crossed".  This is the second book in a three book series by Ally Condie, and it is a dystopian story set in the future.  The client wanted a clean, basic map with strong topography, and here is the end result:

Dave Stevenson: map of a futuristic dystopia from the book, "Crossed", by Ally Condie.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Ask Design B*tch: How can I get clients to approve buying custom illustrations?

Terry Lee Stone, fab designer and advocate of illustration, recently asked me to contribute to her column on the Rockport Publisher's new design blog, RockPaperInk.  Her column is called "Ask Design B*tch", and she was working on a post about how to communicate the value of illustration to clients.  Of course, I was happy to add to the argument of why clients should consider commissioning illustration before going the way of stock photos!  Thanks to Terry for asking me for my 2 cents - now help us to spread the word that ILLUSTRATION RULES!


From the blog:

Q. Dear Design B*tch I love illustration. I want to include more commissioned illustrations in my designs. How do I convince my clients to go for it?
-Rickie

A. I'm with you. I love illustration too. It adds a very special quality to any design project. Sometimes it is tough to get clients to make the leap of faith required to approve the creation of a custom illustration from scratch. They need to pay for something sight unseen, and that scares away some folks. Designers often get pressured into using stock photography instead. Here's where designers can be advocates for illustrators, and do a little selling on their behalf.
Why use illustration?

Illustration is a way to visualize ideas that can express a variety of different types of subject matter and functions in a way that no other representational medium is able to do. Illustration can:
  • Provide visual representation of something described in a piece of text
  • Evoke emotion
  • Offer a variety of styles that can communicate subtle themes
  • Visualize, step-by-step, a set of instructions
  • Clarify complex information, ideas, or objects that are difficult to describe
  • Represent something that is not actually created yet (e.g. a prototype)
  • Support a narrative through the unique personal expression of the artist
  • Stress the subject matter more than the actual form of an image concept
  • Expand on the linguistic aspects of the information being presented
  • Give characters in a story a face or likeness
  • Decorate and enhance a piece
  • Link brands to ideas of humanity, self-expression, and creativity
  • Set a tone, from whimsical to serious
As with any creative pro, illustrators appreciate a well thought out creative brief. Bring a talented illustrator into the concepting process and you may be amazed at what they come up with. I know that some of you are shaking your heads and saying, "that's nice Design B*tch, but what if I don't like what the illustrator comes up with? Then what do I do?" OK, fair enough. I put those questions to Jenn Vaughn who has represented illustrators for 18 years. Here is her advice:

"All illustration projects involve the artist submitting a series of preliminary sketches based on the provided creative brief/concept. Each round of sketches includes revisions and tweaks based on client feedback. Through this process, the client gets a clear sense of the overall direction and feel of the artwork to come, which is why there should not be any big surprises when the final artwork is received.

In the rare event that the client is not satisfied with the final art, they should consult the artist or rep and give the artist the first option to make alterations. Sometimes, just talking with the artist and hearing firsthand their point of view on the piece, can give the client further perspective on the work and possibly even change their opinion that any changes are necessary. However, if the client is still not satisfied, then in most cases the artist will make the necessary changes, within reason. The client must keep in mind that, depending on the artist's medium, the level of revisions possible may vary and an additional revision fee may be required.

At the end of the day, the illustrator's goal is to help the client solve a visual problem, and they want to serve the client to that end. Although no two artists—or jobs—are exactly alike, illustration is a handmade experience that can tell a story from a unique and interesting point of view."

Friday, November 4, 2011

Kim Rosen illustrating homeless women on running teams!

Kim Rosen finished a wonderful illustration for the Pennsylvania Gazette.

From Kim's Blog:

This image in the current Pennsylvania Gazette is for a story written by Shrestha Singh an undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania. Shrestha spent a semester documenting the lives of homeless women who are on a running team near Temple University. The women are a part of program called "Back on my Feet" which promotes running as a tool of empowerment, a metaphor for moving forward in life. I always love reading and illustrating these stories in the Gazette, thank you Cathy for another fun job. 

Kim Rosen - "Runners"

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

More gummy goodness from Joel Nakamura!

Joel Nakamura has continued his exploration of creating images of various creatures made out of candy. Here's his latest piece: a gummy dragon, painted on tin!

Joel Nakamura - Gummy Dragon

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Santiago Uceda's sketchbook collaboration project

Santiago Uceda recently told us about a sketchbook collaboration project he's been working on with artist, Jon MacNair.  A few months ago Santiago and Jon came up with the idea of trading sketchbooks, and ever since then they've been simultaneously drawing and painting in each of them.  Such a cool and inspiring idea!  Here are a few samples of what they've done so far...and you can read more about the project in Santiago's own words on his blog.

Santiago Uceda / Jon MacNair sketchbook collaboration

Santiago Uceda / Jon MacNair sketchbook collaboration

Santiago Uceda / Jon MacNair sketchbook collaboration

Check out more of Santiago's illustration and animation work!