Updates from January, 2013

• Newcity Summer Guide Cover

  8:46 pm on May 25, 2013 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  Cover illustration I did for Newcity’s Summer Guide Issue, out this week and next:
  
  
  
  I’ve been spending some time along the north branch of the Chicago River. It’s very serene and pretty magical there. I was sketching by the water, and a little girl came up and asked me to draw something for her. I asked her what, and she said, “Draw a duck.” So there you go.

  Also, I was happy to discover that this issue features a comic by my friend, an incredibly talented cartoonist, Nick Drnaso. It’s fantastic! You can read it on the Newcity comics page, or pick up a copy of the paper.

   

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• Upcoming Class: Fundamentals of Relief Printmaking

  9:53 am on May 10, 2013 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  I’ve got some exciting news!

  Starting next month, Duffy O’Connor and I will be co-teaching the relief printmaking class at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative. Duffy is full-time faculty at Harrington College of Design, where he teaches drawing, design fundamentals, and relief printmaking. He has been working with this process a lot longer than I have, so it is a real honor to teach alongside him.

  For this class, we will be covering everything from single to multi-color relief prints on wood and linoleum, printing by both hand and press, transferring images, and much more. Here are the details:

  Fundamentals of Relief Printmaking
  Mondays, June 3 – July 22, 2013
  8 weeks, 6 – 9pm
  For more info, sign up/share, visit: CPC Class Schedule
  
  Here we are working on a woodcut for the poster, which we designed and carved ourselves. We even printed some of the posters using handmade ink!
  
  
  
  
  
  Final woodcut poster, 11″ x 17″ (click for larger):
  
  
  
  
  The ink-mixing process: The pigment is thoroughly mixed with Burnt Plate Oil No. 3 to create rich and smooth printing ink.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

   

• New illustration for The Chicago Reader

  9:55 pm on April 3, 2013 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  Hi there!

  If you live in Chicago, grab yourself a new copy of The Chicago Reader!

  I just finished an illustration for Ben Joravsky’s column, which deals with the city’s recent plans to close 54 public schools, leading to subsequent overcrowding at others. For example, Dever Elementary on the northwest side. I’m a big fan of Joravsky’s columns, so this was a treat!

  Check out the article here:  Mayor Emanuel’s crowded-classroom approach to fixing schools

  Here is the illustration:
  
  

   

• Snakes and lino prints

  3:44 pm on March 6, 2013 | 2 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  A couple things I’ve been up to recently. I’ll be posting more soon!
  
  
  
  Working on some quick linoleum prints at home
  
  
  
  
  This is a tote bag I designed to use as a demo for my screen printing class. I wanted to show the students how to separate colors by hand, without going anywhere near a computer. I made a drawing of the snake in pencil, then traced out the color separations using Dur-a-lar film and opaque black markers. These were exposed onto screens and printed in yellow and blue inks. The green is created wherever the two inks meet and overlap.
  
  
  
  the snake bag
  
  
  
  
  A small lino print of a ‘ghost tiger’ creature that I made a while back.
  

   

• Chicago Reader's Fiction Issue 2013

  11:20 am on January 8, 2013 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  Over the break, I was asked to illustrate a story featured in this week’s Chicago Reader’s Fiction Issue 2013

  The story is “LOS”, by J.D. Sommer, about a woman’s haunting, surreal descent into neurosis. I’ve included my illustration below. You can read the full story on the Reader’s page, or better yet, pick up a copy of the paper this week!  It’s wonderfully written and very engaging, and I recommend reading it if you have some time.

  There will be some new changes and updates on this blog and website. My time on the computer is limited these days, since I am teaching a lot more. However, I do hope to post some student work as well as other art updates, in the coming year.
  
  
  

   

• Cover Illustration for "The Book of Destruction"

  5:32 pm on September 12, 2012 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  I was excited to receive my comp copies of the recently published “The Book of Destruction” by Anand.

  This is the first cover illustration I’ve done for Penguin Group and I’m very pleased with how it came out! The illustration is based on one of the stories in the book, The Tailor, in which elaborate outfits escape from a tailor’s shop and take over bodies, in a macabre, magical-realism sort of way.
  
  
  
  
  
  The original illustration:
  
  
  
  
  

   

• Art in Print Journal Review

  7:12 pm on July 26, 2012 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  The latest issue of Art in Print, a journal focusing history and culture of art and print, featured an article that kindly mentions Struwwelpeter! Written by Courtney R. Thompson, the article covers the recent “Pulled, Pressed, Printed” exhibition at Expo 72 in Chicago. The show included various Chicago printmakers and shops, including Spudnik Press, where I completed Struwwelpeter in 2010 and which had one of the books on display. I’m very honored that Thompson chose to mention the book and feature some of the images as part of her review.
  
  
  
  
  

   

• Thanks + Images

  9:38 pm on July 23, 2012 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  Many thanks to everyone who came out to the opening last Saturday! It was lovely to see so many great friends and meet new ones. I am so grateful for the lovely and warm reception.

  The exhibition will run through September 1st, at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative (CPC), located at 4642 N Western Ave in Lincoln Square. The gallery hours are NOON – 5 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, or by appointment (see above link for contact info). Hope you can check it out if you have a chance!

  Below are some of the prints on display. More photos from the actual opening coming soon…
  
  
  
  “Strange Mad Song”, 2012, Screenprint and Woodcut, 15 in x 22 in
  
  
  
  “Hollow Feeder”, 2012, Screenprint, 11.5 in x 17.5 in
  
  

  This is the completed narrative woodcut series I’ve been working on. The cover and story are printed on the front and back of the belly band, which runs around the entire print suite.
  
  
  
  “Man Is Not A Bird”, 2012, Print Suite of Ten Woodcut Prints, 11 in x 15 in
  
  
  
  “In The Forest”, from Man Is Not A Bird, Woodcut, 11 in x 15 in
  
  
  
  “The Kill And The Departure”, from Man Is Not A Bird, Woodcut, 11 in x 15 in
  
  
  
  “Man Is Not A Bird”, Front and Back views with band
  
  

   

• Upcoming! Solo Exhibition at CPC, Saturday July 14th

  4:06 pm on July 3, 2012 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  For the past few months, I have been working on some new prints at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative (CPC). This includes a series of ten woodblock prints based on a story I wrote, as well as a collection of new screenprints, and a mix of both…

  It has been really exciting working at CPC, since part of the time I spent there I pushed myself to explore media I was not as familiar or comfortable with – such as writing and working in relief printmaking. I learned a great deal though I’m also aware I only tapped the surface of the possibilities… so much more to explore!

  The exhibit will run through September 1st… Here is the info on the show, please save the date!
  
  
  
  
  

   

• More Relief Printing

  11:54 pm on June 18, 2012 | 0 Comments Permalink | Reply
  

  I have been carving away wood blocks at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, getting ready for a show in July… Here are some sneak peeks, take a look!
  
  
  block carving
  
  
  
  ink station
  
  
  
  test/proof print on newsprint
  
  
  Here’s a look at one of the finished prints from a narrative series I’ve been working on: