'Lovejoy' survives encounter with the sun

An Illustration for an article about a comet that flew into the sun, lost it's tail, but kept going... From the Winnipeg Free Press, Weekend Edition.

Illustration Friday:Separated

It's been a while since I've done anything for Illustration Friday, and here it is. An ink drawing with oil pastels. The word is separated.

Check out other illustration friday drawings here.

Scientists search for signs of life on Mars

Alright so here's the truth: I have already fallen ridiculously behind on my headline a week project. But here is an image to show that I'm still trying to follow through with it. The headline read: "Canadian Science will help search for signs of life on Mars." From the Winnipeg Free Press, Sat November 19th, 2011 by Pepter Rabowchuck, The Canadian Press. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/canadian-science-will-help-search-for-signs-of-life-on-mars-134170363.html

Art shows and Sales

I have art included in each of the following art shows and sales. Come check them out, especially if you are in the market for an original piece of art.

Movember Art Auction
Hosted at Cre8ery and officially titled: "With Great Mustache come great Responsibility". This is a true silent auction style art show and sale with all proceeds going to Prostate Cancer Research. The exhibit is only up for three days and the auction finishing with a closing party on Friday night that goes until 10 pm. Wednesday and Thursday open from 12-6, and Friday 12-10. Cre8ery is located on the second floor of 125 Adelaide Street.

Winter Warmer at Aceart
Ace Art is hosting it's LAST EVER WINTER WARMER! The show runs from Dec 2nd until December 15th. All sales go to the artists. Opening reception is December 2nd from 7 until 11or 12 pm. Ace Art is located on the 2nd floor of 290 McDermot Ave. The gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm – 5pm.


Vineyard Craft Sale
Hosting it's third annual craft sale this event has trendy crafters of all kinds selling hand made goods including honey, art, hats, fibre items, and baked goods. It is my third year participating in the event and it is always well attended and the hosts do everything they can to make sure that this event is a success that has people wanting to come back. The event is a fundraiser for the Arts programming at Winnipeg Centre Vineyard Church and also a women's co-op in Nepal. I have some new silk-screened items going in this sale and I will be selling photographs, cards, and prints of my work. Check out the well designed Vineyard Craft Website here: http://www.vineyardcraftsale.com/

Movember Art Aution

Createry is hosting a Movember art auction from Nov 23rd to Nov 25th. Proceeds go to prostate cancer research. I have donated a new silk screened image to the cause(pictured above). Here is the facebook event page for it: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154685121295267 Createry is located at 126 Adelaide Street.
Winnipeggers go check it out!!

Vineyard Craft Sale Round #3

I am once again a part of the Winnipeg Vineyard Church's Craft sale that is happening on November 26rh. This year they are opening up the second floor which means more vendors, and I'm told will open up the space a little bit so there will be more breathing room. Previous years had an amazing turnout of people who came through to support the cause. It was great for the sellers as well as the Women's coop in Nepal that they are raising money for. I've got some new items going in the sale this year because I have been learning how to silkscreen my images over at Martha Street Studios. Silk screening is a process that is amazingly satisfying. I had no idea I would like it as much as I do. It is quite process-intensive and there are a lot of essential supplies to it, but I am really enjoying the process.
The Vineyard craft sale has some great vendors lined up and there is a reason that I only go in about one or two craft sales a year, and it's because this one is actually worth going to!

The sale is happening November 26th starting at 10 am,and running until 4 pm.
They have a really great site with photos up that you should check out here: http://www.vineyardcraftsale.com/

Editorial Cartooning with Dale Cummings

I attended SAGE this past friday which is a Manitoban inservice day for teachers to get special instruction in their subject matter. I went to a talk by Diana Thornycroft on her most recent tableau works, then attended a workshop on creating a classroom mural, and then attended a session with the Editorial Cartoonist from the Winnipeg Free Press. Dale Cummings has been working as an editorial cartoonist for 30 years and says that he'll hold onto that position until he dies. He showed us some of his original works, and it became a question and answer period about his work. Given my recent dedication to illustrating news headlines, this really interested me. After answering questions about his work he took us through a basic tutorial as a line for line drawing Stephen Harper and Jean Chretian(pictured above). Mine isn't stellar, but it was interesting to get myself thinking of the style that he draws in. It was a really good exercise.

Gadhafi Dies, Libya is liberated...

"Libya's new leaders to declare liberation Sunday amid questions over Gadhafi's killing"
Image # 2 from my new challenge, to create an image a week based on a news article. This one is from the Winnipeg Free Press.

Operation: Headline Deadline

"Zombies Hurt in Film Set Accident"

With my image a day challenge behind me I decided to begin a new challenge for myself: to complete a piece of art based on a weekly news heading of my choice. I decided to just keep the challenge well within reason and so that I would try to focus my attention on one piece for longer. The image a day for a year was actually really great and I still sort of have that mentality that I need to be sketching every day, but it's a bit of relief to know that if I don't draw I'm not disappointing myself, and also won't have as much to catch up on if I slack a little. I found the image a day challenge really great to stimulating spontaneity, creativity and great ideas. It would really help to loosen me up and also helped me to be more ok with a drawing that was simple. It also made me appreciate sketchbooks so much more. With my new idea challenge I want to push myself a little more stylistically and also technically.
The rules for my new project are as follows(it's fairly straightforward, but I like making clear guidelines for myself):

I will take any news headline and illustrate it any way I choose, except if it has already been illustrated.
I must post weekly, and complete each drawing by Sunday night.
The starting week is the week of Oct 10th to Oct 16th.
I am allowed to make more than one image per week which can count towards future weeks.
In the event of disaster, death, a large commission, moving house, or major illness I can excuse myself from image making without penalty(in my image a day project I stated a clause that if I took longer than the time frame to complete it, I got a one week extension with an extra image tacked onto the pile). Yeah, ok I know that it's a bit silly to make deals with oneself, but that's the only way it's gonna get done, set a definite goal!
I will complete 52 images.


This week's Headline is from BBC News: "Zombies Hurt in Film Set Accident" (just an FYI, on the linking page the headline was shortened to this, but the full headline reads "Zombies hurt in Resident Evil Film set Accident" In Toronto some zombie actors were hurt on the movie set and when the ambulance arrived, the paramedics initially thought the injuries were a lot worse because of all the zombie make-up. Read up on it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15268321

Draw, Cut, Paste, Draw

"I looked after her as long as I could see her, a tall, stooping figure in unfashionable clothes, walking slowly out of my sight, and out of my life forever."

"I am assured that after life there is death and after death a more enduring life in a happier world."
Here are a few collages from the past week. It's been a while since I sat down to make my own collages. The text from both are some tweaked lines from an Agatha Christie novel, and the rest of the images were also made from pages of that book. It's so satisfying the way old newsprint pages take ink...

Inclusion Drawing

School started again for me, which unfortunately continued to push blogging onto the back burner. I've been struggling to come up with consistent themes in what I make, because I finally feel ready to make connected artwork, instead of things here and there that don't have an underlying theme. Here are two pages of my notes from an inservice day I attended on Friday with inclusion specialist Jennifer Katz as the keynote speaker. Being able to draw while someone is speaking helps me to pay attention, even if it makes me look like I'm not listening. I have an illustration coming up that I need to finish titled, "Things I Did With My Summer." This may shed some light on my lack of summer blogging. Will fall here and cold weather approaching I think my internet presence may be pumped up a bit because blogging fits perfecting with whiling away Winnipeg winters. I recently started taking a silk screening class at Martha street studios and I'm very excited about learning how to do this art form, I've already got some ideas swimming around about what to do with my first few screens It is very process-based, and I think I am going to really like it.

Illustration Friday- Swell

It's a bit late in the week, but still Thursday, so here is this week's Illustration Friday: Swell.

The Bridal Shower

I have recently been reminded that I have not been blogging lately! It's nice to know that someone noticed, and so here is a set of images that I actually did back in June, that tells the story of a very extravagant Bridal shower I was a part of(I'm one of the bridesmaids...). To be honest, I wouldn't say it's my best work, it's really just a set of sketches, but there are elements to it that I like. It could be worth reworking with more details and a little rearranging.(Part two of this series may be called "the Stagette")
I was talking to my friend Keira, a fellow blogger and we were talking about how it's hard to maintain a former habit when your life gets uprooted. In the last 4 months we have both moved and despite our schedules allowing freedom, somehow the groove of blogging has been worn away and I'd like to get it back. Anyways, here is a set that has long been waiting to be posted:









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Folk Fest Drawings!!!

The 2011 Winnipeg Folk Fest has come and gone, and this year I made a point of doing more drawings. At certain times I tried to sit close to the stages so I could see the performers' faces. Drawing the eyes of people on stage was the most difficult aspect of this type of drawing. People watching at Folk Fest is hard to beat, so there was a great assortment of subjects for my sketchbook. All my drawings were done as marker washes.
This was a guy from the Band Dawes:


This is a singer/songwriter named Chuck Prophet. I saw a very enjoyable solo set at Little Stage on the Prairie.


This is a member of the band Jaune Toujours- they are a really fun Folk Rock/Roots/Balkan band that in some aspects reminds me of Cat Empire.

Gesture-Illustration Friday

Gesture drawing done at the Winnipeg Folk Fest. People watching(and Drawing) is extra fun there. It is done in markers with a wash overtop.

Craft on the Loose!

I have been accepted as a participant in Craft on the Loose, which is an event hosted here in Winnipeg by the Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library. The goal of the exhibit "is to adorn an outdoor space with works of craft, to celebrate local craft and craftspeople, and the Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library." Wayward craft items will be placed or hung along Corydon Avenue and will be displayed for a three week period. I'm kind of stoked to have something I make out as a public display. I am really looking forward to seeing what other crafters have come up with. For some reason there is a little apprehension on my part that somehow people won't appreciate what's out there that they won't "get it"... Really I should have much more faith in my fellow Winnipegers to believe that they could come up with some great things to exhibit that will at least make corydon pedestrians smile.

I did a search for knitting art and found this pretty fantastic tree cozy. Also I would say that it's worth an image search for Yarn Bombing, there's some great collaborative work out there.

Here is a brief article on guerrilla knitting: http://flickamag.com/fashion-and-gear/knit-grafitti-guerilla-knitting/
Also this doily covered tree is rather striking and lovely, made by Canadian Crafter Wooly Fabulous

Oh yes, and here's a preview for what I will be displaying. This is only a sketch of my plan. I am embroidering a fabric lantern that will be hung along the avenue. I'm happy with how it's turning out so far. I'll post more details about the event at another date.

May leads to June and June leads to freedom

It has been a long time since blogging, and finally have a bit of time to think about blogging. I have still been drawing, I haven't forgotten about that, but the blogging has been put on the backburner due to lots of business with life. I have moved into a new house, and I'm sitting in my new art room which makes me really happy as it is a definate upgrade from the last artroom that I used. There have been so many weddings or wedding-related events in the past two months that it has slowed down my production and art-making time. I am somewhat behind on my images, I'm going to have some catching up to do once school is finally over(3 more days!).
Here are a couple of drawings that I've done recently.
Falling.


These next two were inspired by a doctor's office waiting room.

New house, paint and watercolour Crayons...

A recent image I completed today. The text is a verse from a song by Gavin Sutherland. There are four verses, I want to illustrate each one. This week I acquired some watercolour crayons which I had never used before, but saw them for a good price and thought I'd try them out. They were really easy and nice to use. They are on par with watercolour pencil crayons, except are chunkier so it is easier to complete bigger areas faster. They are not as smooth as marker washes, which is what I do a lot of. I might try combining some crayon with marker washes and see if it's a good combination. I think the colour was slightly washed out in my scanned image, I could stand to up the colour a little in Photoshop. It's nice to have the time today to sit at my desk and do some art. I've been very busy lately with a lot of things, but namely that I bought a house, and got Posession last week! Here are few comments inspired by this recent purchase:


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I Love Books

This is just a quick note to follow up with a previous blog post about Maira Kalman. I happened to find her book The Principles of Uncertainty on sale at chapters for only $7.99! I could hardly believe the price. I also picked up An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories which was also on sale for a steal of a deal at only $12.99. I only got it last night, so I haven't had the chance to read it yet, but I'm happy that Chapters can feed my graphic novel addiction(though I prefer to think of it as my graphic novel education...). Here is a description about the book:
http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300111703

A photograph I took was selected for Winnipeg’s first Timeraiser event! Timeraiser is an event that has people bid on art using volunteer hours instead of money. It first buys art from selected artists who apply, then the event is a little like a job fair, only with volunteer opportunities, and future volunteers put a silent bid on a piece of art, and the winner who bids the most volunteer hours gets to go home with that artwork. Timerasier events have occured accross the country for a number of years in most major Canadian Cities. This year's Winnipeg event is taking place at the West End Cultural Centre on May 6th.

Check out a video for it here:
http://timeraiser.ca/en/how_it_works

Duet- Illustration Friday

Duet for Illustration Friday. I tried two versions. I'm on images number 193 and 194 for my year-long image a day project, with means that I'm actually a little more than halfway. All year I've been doing pretty good at not falling behind, but in recent weeks I have missed drawing for a bunch of days which leaves me almost three weeks worth of images behind. I'll have to push myself to catch up.

Toy-Illustration Friday

The topic for this week's Illustration Friday is Toy. It is a picture of my dog's stuffed toy.

American Splendor-Movie and Comics

I watched the movie American Splendor Last night which is a fantastic indie flick telling the true life account of how an ordinary guy from Cleveland ended up writing his life into a comic series, was a regular guest on David Letterman, and really just wanted to come out kind of ahead in life, instead of just trudging through it. American Splendor first began as a comic series illustrated by the recognised illustrator Robert Crumb who was friends with Harvey Pekar. Harvey's whole philosophy behind the comics were to write about the mundane aspects of life, the everyday, lonliness, his relationship with his wife, and things that actually were a part of the everyday. The movie was based around the accounts of his life, how the comic books were formed, and how aspects of his life were shaped because of what he wrote.
An interesting aspect to this movie is that it includes voiceovers and interviews with the real Harvey Pekar. The portrayal of his life appears to be true to the comics in that it keeps him as a regular guy who really just cares about not being lonely, staying employed, and promoting what brings some satisfaction to his life-his autobiographical graphic novels. The movie won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and was the winner of the 2003 Cannes film festival international Critics award.

The first issue was published in 1976, and many issues followed almost yearly over the next 30 years. A variety of artists illustrated his stories, with the most noteworthy being Robert Crumb. Pekar's story was somewhat inspiring to me, as an illustrator and someone who loves memoirs in all forms. It is actually hard to interest me in a Graphic Novel that isn't based on someone's real life, or real-life facts, so when I find something that is really an illustrated embodiment of someone's life, it makes me kind of happy.

I ordered an anthology of the American Splendor books today, and I'm pretty stoked to read it.

I visited ArtCity today, which got me excited for an upcoming March workshop that I will be teaching. They accepted me as a Community Artist to teach a one day workshop in book binding. Art city is a non-profit drop-in community art centre that "is dedicated to providing high-quality, free-of-charge art programming to participants of all ages." It is located in the heart of the West Broadway community. I walked in and the place was buzzing with activity, colour, children, and exciting props and costumes being made for a video workshop that was going on. It will be good to step out of the school setting for an afternoon, and into a different atmosphere, and imagine, actually teaching something where there are other adults there to help! Some people even volunteer to help out there!(Ok to be fair I do have some very awesome EAs who regularly work in my room with me, but they work with some specific higher needs kids, and not there as general help for the whole class.)

Illustration Friday- Layer

Jackrabbit Layer.

Op-Ed Illustration

Recent illustration classes have been educating me on the history of illustration (Thank you Craig Terlson!). These lectures got me thinking that I should do some of my own internet scavenger hunts for inspiring illustrators, and to inform myself a little more about what's out there, what's been done, and what's new.
My search today led me to this great video on the history of the New York Times op-ed pages. It has really good visuals and a great variety of commentators and contributors:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/09/25/opinion/opedat40-illustration.html

Coloured Pencils and Snow Days

I thought this quote was appropriate for a snow day!
School has been cancelled due to treacherous roads, so I am happily at home in my pyjamas colouring with markers. Now to motivate myself to get my Illustration homework done...
Here is a link with the essay by G.K Chesterton where this quote is from, and is well worth a read if you like a good lie-in (lie-in: the term Brits use for laying in bed longer than is necessary).
http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/20726/

The Sketchbook Project

I am pleased to announce that my sketchbook has made it to Brooklyn!! I submitted a sketchbook for ArtHouse coops 2011 sketchbook project. I have mentioned this project previously on the blog, and now the sketchbook has actually made it all the way to Booklyn where it will be catalogued and then it gets to travel the united states for about six months stopping at art galleries in Texas, Washington, Florida,California, Georgia, Illinois, and Maine.

It was a little sad for me to send it away and probably never see it again. However, it was also exciting for me to send my drawings away somewhere for strangers to look at.
The sketchbook project takes small moleskin sketchbooks from artists around the world (an astonishing 28838 artists were involved this year!) The sketchbooks tour galleries as a travelling exhitbit where people can take out my sketchbook as though it were a library book. At the end of the tour it will end up in Brooklyn where it will be a part of a permanent sketchbook library.
I have posted many of the drawings from the sketchbook on the blog over the past few months, but I felt the need to document the sketchbook before saying goodbye to it for good, so I did take a video of all the pages, and haven't decided yet if I should edit and upload it to youtube. I treated my sketchbook as a form of a visual jounal, and actually managed to keep my drawings all more or less in the same style throughout. It was a challenge to stick with a theme the whole sketchbook, but it was very satisfying in the end.
check out Art House coop and their other projects they have going on:
http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

Oh and I had forgotten to actually promote my own website on my blog!
My online portfolio is up and running, though could still use a few tweeks perhaps.
www.juliamark.ca

Maira Kalman-Illustrator

I was browsing TED talks today at work while I was finishing up marking and getting some things together in my room, and I came across this talk by Maira Kalman. The pictures posted today are her images. Maira Kalman is an Illustrator who works out of the states. She is most known for her illustration work with the New Yorker, the Elements of Style, and for illustrating various children's books. To me she is familiar because on more than one occasion I have considered buying her book "Principles of Uncertainty," which began as a weekly visual column for the online New Yorker. She has a kind of run-on personal style that combines writing with paintings. She tells stories in such a way that makes you wonder if they are real or if they are all made up, or only party based on something true and silly and maybe wonderful or maybe just ordinary. She tells her stories with colour and writing that makes me believe that it is at least a little bit wonderful, just because it's coming from a her very unique perspective.

Her conceptualizations and story telling are the kind that I want to do, if I could only figure out what stories I want to describe. The paintings themselves have a sort of modern Chagall-meets-Matisse-combined-with-German-expressionists-and-hand-written text feel to them. She has recently been working on another visual column about Democracy called the Pursuit of happiness through the New Yorker, which has also been published into a book.

Check out her New Yorker Blog/Column here: www.kalman.blogs.nytimes.com

The ted Talks video with her talking about her work is here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/maira_kalman_the_illustrated_woman.html


I kind of want to be her when I grow up, or at least maybe have her career.