When in doubt
July 29, 2017
I love this quote by Shadi Petosky from Grace Bonney’s book, In The Company of Women. I was determined to visualize it in PhotoShop, which I’m finally learning.
It’s easier to learn a new tool when you have something you actually want or need to make. Have you noticed that too?
I learned iMovie because I needed to teach it. And then I started a web series called Willful with my friend Yann Yap, a masterful film editor, and once again I was forced to up my game.
I’m learning watercolour because I like chasing magic.
Learning is life’s best therapy because it allows you to expand, and then share everything you’ve gained.
Everybody wins.
A star is born
July 19, 2017
TORONTO, JULY 2017: Filmmaker Maureen Judge‘s next documentary, Girls on the Bus, in development with TVO Docs, explores the challenges faced by teenage girls whose expectations of success and sexual equality are not being met.
Maureen will follow four to five subjects during their final year of high school, and look at how the perception of a glass ceiling, and their place in the world affect the teenage girls’ attitudes, actions and goals.
I got out my black Uniball pen to create this drawing for their flyer and social media accounts. I’m a huge fan of how Maureen gets inside the lives of her subjects. Check out her work at MakinMovies.ca
Here is what Maureen is looking for in her own words: “While it seems like future possibilities for girls across North America are limitless, and more girls graduate high school than boys, a recent Gallup poll found 77% of teens still believe there’s a glass ceiling. Girls continue to encounter overt and shameless sexism. And, as they become aware of the disappointing job statistics for women, they begin to wonder about their goals and dreams. For instance, in two years Canada has fallen from 19th to 35th place globally in the gender wage gap ratings. And there is still a gap of close to 20% between full-time male and female wages.
Throughout the film, we observe the subjects dreaming about their futures and, despite the odds, see one believing she can achieve anything she wants, while another feels isolated, insecure and defeated. We relate to their passions, anxieties, sexual awareness, and frustrations as they navigate the social landscape of school, their families, and the digital world; fall in and out of teen love; and struggle to assert themselves in a male-centric world, amid a myriad of challenges and growing pains.”
Maureen’s last film, My Millennial Life won BEST DOCUMENTARY at the Canadian Screen Awards (Canadian Screen Awards).
GIRLS ON THE BUS – WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Age Range: Girls going into grade 12 or senior year of high school
Profile: Full of personality, sense of humour, witty…and eager to be on camera!
If you or anyone you know is interested in participating, please get in touch via email: info(at)makinmovies.ca
Coney Island
July 16, 2017
In the summer of 1927, New Yorkers flooded to The Cyclone, Coney Island’s newest ride engineered by inventor Harry C. Baker. “Let’s go for a wild ride,” they told their friends and family members. A giant chain slowly pulled the three-car train up the wooden tracks to the zenith — it was a rattly, herky jerky preview — before it quickly dropped at speeds of 68 miles an hour over nine more drops and six curves. New Yorkers stepped off the ride windswept and unsteady on their feet from the speed.
Drawing by Alison Garwood-Jones using a black Uniball pen.
We eat with our eyes
July 5, 2017
For some gigs, I will make hyper-realist prep sketches to help establish the colours and boundaries for my final illustration. To wit:
I prefer the suggestiveness of gestural sketches, but I think for this job — menu illustrations for The Merchant Tavern) — realism helps. We eat with our eyes. This is The Merchant’s popular Eggplant Stack (a lasagna, if you can’t tell). Here’s the second version in watercolour first, then lightly defined in parts with waterproof ink:
Then there’s the Seafood Pot (same deal: watercolour lighly outlined in parts with ink):
The challenge here was making all the items in the pot legible. Most of the problem solving happens in the prep sketch, usually done in watercolour pencil. Here you have to prove you know what you are doing. In the sketch you establish your colour scheme and the placement of the elements. The fewer the colours, the more harmonious the composition.
The watercolour sketch for the Merchant’s Traveller’s Salad was my idea of less is more. Even the buckling of the cheap paper I did this on worked in its favour. After all, lettuce ripples:
For the final, I inked the shapes so the salad would be legible for people reading the menu and trying to choose a starter. I prefer the sketch, but there you go:
Studying process is fun, isn’t it? For these sketches, I just stared at the wine glass in front of me and went for it:
Bottoms up:
Let’s finish with a cripsy fish sandwich and a side of fries:
The swimmer
June 29, 2017
I met a man at my local pool the other day.
He could shoot himself 25 metres under water in one breath.
When he came up for air, I removed my goggles and asked him, “Are you a pearl diver?”
“No,” he smiled, water dripping from his afro.
“Are you training for a competition?” I persisted. “Or setting yourself a personal challenge?”
He paused. “I do this to control my anger.”
Back under he went, all silence and grace.
Here is the original ink and water colour drawing before I swirled it up in PhotoShop.
Rush hour
June 29, 2017
A good public transit system is critical. Let’s get it right and borrow from the best examples around the world. The ultimate goal: politicians who are efficient and proficient with time, space and money. I know, it’s a tall order.
Chalk art tips
June 13, 2017
Photo: Alison Garwood-Jones
The Merchant Tavern, TORONTO (@TheMerchantTo): Colouring on the back of a window makes the shaded areas appear more solid from the front. This is especially true on double-pane glass. This is my latest #ChalkArt discovery using Molotow acrylic markers.
Some other things I’ve learned since I started drawing on windows two summers ago: ink adheres to the glass really well in the morning when the windows are still cool. By 2:00 pm, any window that receives direct sun is pretty much a right off. The heat makes the ink and the window act like oil and water. My lines bead and slip and slide. This is true for water-based inks, oil-based, and acrylic. I’ve tried them all, and in combination too!
Window finishes (like UV coatings) also create an unpredictable surface. Sometimes I have to will the art to happen!
Thank you to The Merchant Taps & Tavern for inviting me to decorate your windows knowing full well I had never done this kind of work before this gig. This is what happens when you say, Why not?
Photo: Greg Garson
Why hire an artist?
June 5, 2017
Any business can order vinyl lettering, but having a chalk artist on site shows more care and commitment to the customer (who wants to be delighted), your business and the artistic community. It creates work!
People love to stop and talk to artists in action. The biggest feedback I get is: you spelled that wrong. Guys especially love ribbing me with that. I’ve met some fun people. I’ve also learned to keep business cards in my back pocket. Doing is the best advertising.
This collage is some of my work, so far, for the The Merchant Tavern in Toronto (@themerchantto).
#hireanartist #Windowart #surfacedesign #gratituden #chalkart
