Alison Garwood Jones

Kurt Vonnegut on AI

Originally published in May 2023 in Blog

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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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AI and Creativity

Originally published in February 2023 in Blog

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Happy Pride!

Originally published in June 2022 in Blog

During Pride Month, I’m remembering Keith Haring, one of the gentlest humans to have walked this earth. We owe it to ourselves to keep his irrepressibly hopeful art dances going. Cue up Keith’s friend, Madonna: Everybody spread the word We’re gonna have a celebration All across the world In every nation It’s time for the […]

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Working For Free

Originally published in April 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

Building your castle on someone else’s land is deceptively simple and attractive … until the landlord changes the terms on you. Etsy sellers are facing a 30% hike in their transaction fees. The plugins exist to go out on your own. Sure, it will take time, but what you get back in pride and ownership […]

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Art Classes: Cocoa & Paint

Originally published in March 2022 in Art Classes, Blog, Toronto Illustrators

Cocoa and Paint Jamii is hosting a series of FREE “Cocoa and Paint” workshops for people of ALL ages in our community. March 30 – April 6 – April 13, 2022 (3 evenings) from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. At the St. Lawrence Community Centre Funded by Rama Gaming House As a group, alongside artist Alison […]

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Hyper-realistic vs. suggestive drawing styles

Originally published in November 2021 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

Hyper-realistic or suggestive?     In high school, I was OBSESSED with drawing objects so accurately that the viewer might mistakenly try and lift them off the page. I liked certainty. This copy of a Clinique eyeliner ad was a case in point.   While I was making this, I remember slicing my Staedler eraser […]

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How I Drew This

Originally published in July 2021 in Blog, How to Draw, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators

Process Porn: I drew this landscape in the @Procreate app using the “Peppermint” pencil ✏️ (in the Brush Library under “Sketching”). Paul Cézanne was my guide. His angled brushstrokes had a consistent rhythm. They look like the wind blew them all in the same direction. I prefer Procreate’s pencil tools to it’s oil brushes (at […]

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Saturday at the AGO

Originally published in January 2020 in Blog, Graphic Recorder, Graphic Visualizer, Illustration, Visual Storytelling

I asked the Marchesa to tell me about her life, while Calder bent in to listen. #snowday❄️ at the @agotoronto #agoannualpass Saturday sketching at the AGO – Illustrations by Alison Garwood-Jones

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How I learned to create a Gif

Originally published in January 2020 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

“If you deal in quality, not awards, what you do will always feel real.” This is what happens when people’s determination to produce gets greedy and misplaced. Switching gears. Understanding how to tell your stories in multiple formats is a power thing. Hats off to Melissa Lee (@MelissaLeeDesign). Through her @Skillshare class, “Create a Hand-Drawn […]

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