Creativity Archives - Alison Garwood-Jones Alison Garwood-Jones

Who knew?

Originally published in November 2019 in Blog, Graphic Recorder, Graphic Visualizer, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators

I met my friend Sam for lunch last week. We caught up on work and life. Then he told me that walking into his living room and seeing the Watches Pillow I made for him was like receiving a little jolt of Wes Anderson. I’ll take that! The things you learn about your designs from […]

Art Helps

Originally published in September 2019 in Blog, Cartoons, Comic, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators

In ten seconds, the ticker tape of a woman’s mind can go from, “I need a snack,” “When do I pick up the kids?” to “What’s the root cause of misogyny?” Most gals who pay attention to the way the world works are only two or three thoughts away from dystopian spirals. Afternoon cheese and […]

Hi Tomato

Originally published in July 2019 in Blog, Comic, Doodling, Graphic Facilitator, Graphic Recorder, Graphic Visualizer, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators

Live illustration in Toronto

Originally published in July 2019 in Blog, Graphic Facilitator, Graphic Recorder, Graphic Visualizer, Toronto Illustrators, Visual Storytelling

It’s always my goal to work with good people. Teaching provides me with that in spades thanks to the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies where I teach the ever-morphing topic of Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media. In essence, this course is about storytelling and the best way to digitally distribute your stories, […]

Humanity with a brush pen

Originally published in May 2019 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

Hand Drawings

Originally published in April 2019 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

The push and pull of being vs doing. To me, hands are the ultimate doers, storytellers, get-shit-done human power tools. Not so for the copywriters at Elle magazine in 1967. Boy is it fun and weird leafing through back issues. Women’s magazines are the supreme handbooks on how to be, not do. There are times […]

When your students draw you

Originally published in April 2019 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

Drawing of Alison Garwood-Jones by Sugandha Gaur.

Process Junkie

Originally published in March 2019 in Blog, Surface Design, Toronto Illustrators

Who doesn’t love process, and art supplies!

Virginia Woolf and Alice Munro in conversation

Originally published in March 2019 in Blog, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators

Finding time to focus on creativity is tough for everyone, but it’s especially hard for women given the demands on their time at work and at home.

7 things my customers taught me in 2018

Originally published in December 2018 in Blog, Gift Ideas, Illustration, Pen Jar Productions, Toronto Illustrators

Last summer, the initial delight I felt in seeing my sketchbook drawings on a digital pillow template inspired a new design business in 2018 called Pen Jar Productions. Now my quirky line drawings are on totes, tees, scarves, and, coming next month, enamel pins! (In these politically-charged times, more of us are wearing our values […]

Alison Garwood Jones

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