ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY: Shades

As per this week's theme, here's a watercolor of Jerry Muskrat in his finest shades. He is a part of a series I did to illustrate the classic Old Mother West Wind Stories by Thornton Burgess.

Happy Friday!

THINGS I LIKE: Antique Dutch Darning Samplers

I am in the midst of a new illustration project that has me researching everything from sloths to Hmong Hill Tribe fabrics. My brain is having a blast! I was recently looking for some traditional Dutch textile patterns to incorporate into my drawings and I came across these beautiful antique samplers.


Darning Samplers were prevalent in the Netherlands in the late 18th and early 19th century as sewing was a vital skill for 12 - 17 year old girls to learn. Young girls were taught how to embroider by their mothers as well as in school. Working as a linen seamstress could provide a steady living for these young women and their families. It was especially important for the girls in orphanages to master these skills so they would have an occupation to support themselves upon leaving the home. The training was so serious that these darning samplers were considered a sort of final exam in the orphanages. Because of the bright thread used to show the stitches and craftsmanship more clearly, the patterns and layers of color make beautiful combinations!

Sources: Samplers 1-3, Sampler 4, Sampler 5, Sampler 6 

THINGS I LIKE: Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson

(Photography by Chris Cassidy / PBS)

To know him is to love him. That's how I feel about Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. To put it simply, he's a super cool dude. He is the Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, has been hosting Nova scienceNOW on PBS since 2006, and is a regular guest on the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Real Time with Bill Maher, breaking down crazy science for the rest of us! 

He was asked in an interview with TIME magazine in 2008, "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?" This was his answer.

The Most Astounding Fact from Max Schlickenmeyer on Vimeo. 

(Hubble Images)

The man knows how to give a pep-talk!

For more of Dr. NdGT's thoughts, you can go to his site and follow him on facebook or twitter. 

(Photography by Dan Deitch)

THINGS I LIKE: Moonrise Kingdom

I am so excited for this movie to come out. I feel like Wes Anderson and I live in the same little world. I love his aesthetic, his humor, his color palette, his art direction, his casting- I could go on. It's all too perfect. His last movie, Fantastic Mr Fox, was a mix of three of my very favorite things, stop-motion animation, Roald Dahl, and foxes. Thank you, Wes! This time around we have a camping and scouting adventure!

Hello there, new favorite movie!

For updates on the movie and release dates you can go here.

NEW WORK: PET PORTRAIT

Introducing - Enzo the King! 

Enzo's portrait was a holiday commission and I am finally getting around to posting him! His crown and robe were inspired by King Henry VIII and it was so much fun researching all the patterns, jewelry and embroidery. I really love it when I get to use my teeny-tiniest brushes for the obsessive compulsive detail work!

NEW WORK: HALLOWEEN FUN!

I recently made some custom pumpkins for Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine and the issue is finally on the stands! The pumpkins I made are sort of crazy but hilarious.

The pumpkin burger made entirely of candy and a cocoa crispy treat patty.

Chalkboard paint and chalk - my personal favorite.

Drawn silhouette, wild painted faux bois, stenciled gold polka dots and some fun solids.

I just saw that the chalkboard pumpkins were featured on Poppytalk today, which is incredibly fun. 

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Here are two of the costumes from a Halloween DIY story I did for Woman's Day, also on the stands now! This is really something for the parent who is willing to sacrifice comfort for being the life of the party.  Plus, when baby gets tired, you can take off your empire state building and carry the baby home in the box! You can find all the DIY instructions here for this and other costumes I worked on with my partner in craft, Kristine Trevino. 

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I also spotted my dog Gigi is back on the Rachael Ray site in the Elvis costume I made for the magazine a couple years ago. You would not believe the quantity of snacks we went through for that shoot. She's a good girl!

NICE: Uppercase Magazine write up!

If you don't already know UPPERCASE Magazine, you should check it out right now! This beauty of an art and design magazine comes from our Northern neighbor, Canada and once you hold an issue in your hands, there's no turning back! I first came upon it at my friend Meg Metz's beautiful shop Modern Love in Frenchtown, NJ. After I read one issue, I knew I had found my people.

Well, I just had the pleasure of seeing my work featured on their blog today! Thanks UPPERCASE!

WANDERLUST

I just spent the past two months packing up my eight years of living in Brooklyn, NY and drove across the country with my fiance and our dog (in a car packed to the brim with camping gear, computers, water jugs and vegan snacks - to survive Middle America). We camped our way across the nation and just moved into our new home in Portland, Oregon. More on that later.

The road trip itself was an adventure. We saw old ghost towns with incredible signage, beautiful vistas, and lots of novelty statues (including the World's Largest Bison and a big mouse gnawing on a wedge of cheese - Wisconsin of course). The greatest surprise along our way was along a long stretch of Highway I-94 in North Dakota (near Regent, ND). We came upon the World's Largest Scrap Metal Sculpture (according to Guiness). It was striking to see it coming up in the distance and really beautiful up close. There is a series of them along the Enchanted Highway but this one is called 'Geese in Flight'. I was really taken by it, especially when it looms overhead as you walk around it. Seeing a few random bolts and scraps of metal on the ground wasn't the greatest feeling but we made it out okay! I wish we could have seen the rest of the Enchanted Highway but we had the Oregon Trail ahead of us!

{click on images to enlarge}

THINGS I LIKE: Tools of the Trade

This little beauty is worth a watch. I wish it were two hours long, that's how much I love seeing what kinds of pens, brushes and ink other artists use. NERD ALERT. Mine are Ecoline watercolor inks and Daler Rowney Acrylic Artists ink with the teeny-tiniest pen nibs I can find!

Enjoy!


Toronto Comic Arts Festival: Pencil it In from Toronto Comic Arts Festival on Vimeo.

NEW WORK: Illustration for Balans Magazine

Here's my most recent illustration for the Dutch publication Balans Magazine. The article centers on a pair of twins, one of which isn't so keen on being lumped together as a unit all the time.