Creativity Archives - Alison Garwood-Jones Alison Garwood-Jones

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

In the Spotlight: KBarlow Design

Originally published in December 2019 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators

As a #bossbabe, I can’t do everything on my own. I’m already the executive editor and artist in chief for all of my websites, but I still have a beginner’s grasp of code. Yes, coding is on my list of things to keep learning, but in the interest of time and my sanity I choose to […]

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

Alison Garwood Jones

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