Alison Garwood Jones

Ian Falconer, Olivia’s Dad

Originally published in March 2023 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

My insides dropped a thousand feet when I heard that Ian Falconer, the set designer and father of Olivia the pig, died on March 7. He was only 63. Falconer created Olivia in his tiny West Village studio apartment back in the late 1990s. It was a tribute to his new niece with the little pug […]

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Milton Glaser on Attentiveness

Originally published in March 2023 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

“Attentiveness is the great benefit of drawing.” Milton Glaser said that. But becoming attentive to your life is a question for every human, not just artists. To pay attention without preconceptions is massively challenging. As Milton explained it, too much belief spelled the end to observation and understanding. Self-restraint, like listening, is an exercise in […]

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Margot and Richie

Originally published in November 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

What comes after the prodigy phase? Margot and Richie posing in front of the infamous zebra wallpaper. #ProcreateDrawing

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Wednesday Sketches

Originally published in August 2022 in Blog, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators

It’s an oddball mix today showing the pulse of humanity.

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Friyay

Originally published in August 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

 Joni does James! She feels good. Playing with the technology of the Reface app. Oh the things we can do! #Friyay

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Monetize That

Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Comic, Toronto Illustrators

Still one of my favourite episodes from “Monetize That,” my comic strip that unpacks success culture. This episode was first published in 2019 — before Covid. It feels like it has found its footing even more profoundly in our current moment.

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Be An Agitator

Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

Jane Jacobs’ persistence moved mountains. She was dismissed in multiple ways: For not being an academic Of being “a troublemaker” Of being a “liberal agitator” For being a woman And finally, when nothing else worked, for being “wanton.” Yes, even Jane was accused of being an office slut by her managing editor at Iron Age magazine. […]

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Does your boss make you work weekends?

Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

It’s important that our bosses and clients don’t set Monday deadlines that pressure us into working on the weekends. (Working for yourself is another story). By speaking up en masse, we can steer our culture into recognizing that weekends are sacred time that are meant to be spent how we see fit: napping, doing laundry, […]

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Your ancestors are cheering you on

Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Surface Design, Toronto Illustrators

After your folks die, you spend years going through what remains. Sometimes what you discover makes you feel as if your relatives are wooting and cheering from the great beyond. To wit: I vaguely recall my family saying that my grandmother owned and operated a small restaurant in London in the 1950s. The Pier Restaurant […]

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Reaction to the Great Backslide

Originally published in June 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

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