New Weekly Bow Tie Guy

Enfield (enˈfēld)

The Enfield is a raptor fox similar to the griffin in concept. They can be found on medieval coat of arms. Some of them have wings some do not. All have the bird like fore arms. In my version I altered the snout to be a beak. It gave it a more bird like feel. 

I have set a new goal to post a weekly bow tie guy. Life has been busy. It has taken me a few weeks to finish this based on the few moments here and there that I have had. I have found again the need to take time to draw. It helps me to focus more effectively on all the other demands in my life and it brings me joy.

Unveiling My Updated Brand

In addition to being an illustrator, I am also a graphic designer. I enjoy taking on branding projects. Recently, I felt that I needed to update my brand slightly. I use Adobe Jensen because of the classic feel and that it does not look so crisp and clean. For this iteration, I played with the quirky quality of my illustrations by making the C in Barclay slightly askew. 

Yesterday, I received my new set of business cards. I went with Moo for printing because I could have 50 different images on 50 different cards. I have been very impressed with the quality, price and service. I felt like a child on Christmas day. 

Al Hirchfeild at the Boston Museum of Fine Art

Since I first saw his work, I have always had a love for the line work of Al Hirschfeld. His ability to capture the likeness of an individual with a minimal amount of elegant lines is breathtaking. A number of years ago I watched the documentary on him, The Line King, and I was surprised at how painstakingly slow he created the lines that appear to be so smooth and effortless.

Last month while visiting the Boston Museum of Fine Art, I saw my first original Hirschfeld. It was an illustration of the famous photographer Yousuf Karsh (seen below).

When given the opportunity I like to get close to art work to see details and how it was done. Again I was surprised at the line. In print his lines look so smooth and clean, but on closer examination (see below) you can see the sketchy quality and the fussiness of the line. 

This is an example of why knowing how your work will be reproduced is so important. It seems to me that Hirschfeld knew that when it is printed at a smaller size the line becomes more smooth. At some point, I hope to see more of his original drawings to check to see if this holds up with all of them.

If you do have an opportunity I would encourage a visit to the MFA in Boston and see the exhibit. Karsh's Photographs of iconic figures from the Golden Age of Hollywood are gorgeous, and you'll get to see the Hirschfeld Illustration as well. You can see more information and what else is on exhibit at the museum here.

Catching Up, Apple Picking

It as been rather busy at school so I haven't been able to find time to post these. I am trying to get caught up on so many things right now. I needed a few moments yesterday to get away from the stress of life, so I finally scanned in the drawings.

A few weeks ago I went with my oldest and youngest children to do some apple picking. It was part of my youngest sons preschool class. Above is a sketch of one of the women at the orchard explaining how apples grow to the children. He is the one standing in the baseball hat. It was a beautiful fall day. Grant was so excited to pick apples. 

They also had farm animals at the orchard so I too a few seconds to draw the sleeping pigs.

Sketches, Rick Riordan

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to take my eldest daughter to a presentation by Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus. The gathering was in celebration of the release of the last book of the Heroes of Olympus series. 

It was a good three hour drive to the Boston area. When we got there we waited in line for another two and a half hours. We had repurchased tickets, but we wanted good seats. It was surprising to be in a synagogue with hundreds of screaming 12 year old young women. I didn't think an author could have that kind of rock-star status. I am grateful my daughter has such a reserved demeanor. 

I was impressed by his humor and presentation skills. It was fun. He ended up talking more about the cover art work than the actual books. As an illustrator I found that interesting. 

Of course I took the opportunity to do a sketch of him while he spoke.