I've been a guest lecturer and featured presenter at colleges and conferences, served on the Board of Directors for ICON6, and authored eight published books on illustration and design. I'm a retired college art professor and freelance illustrator and still teach fine art, design, and cartoon classes for kids and adults; I’m also an English Dept. writing tutor at a local college. Right now, I am exploring the medium of cardboard. Cardboard taps into a material that is so ubiquitous and common, it’s often maligned as being inconsequential, but I’m positively tickled to be working in a material that was wonderfully simple and presents a simply wonderful challenge.
Drawing inspiration: Visual Artists at Work (DIVA) examines the relationship between academics and professional illustration/design. Talking to teachers, students, and…
Boy, I have so many “favorite” artists! But if I had to name only one artist to study on that desert island, it just might be Ben Shahn.
An icon of Social Realism, Shahn was the epitome of an individual who kinda did it all, in his own, sweet way. By highlighting both his writings and his art, this book introduced me to Shahn as a personand an artist, and presented a whole picture of this wonderful, complex man.
It introduced me to the idea that you can wear many hats as long as you own the hats and aren’t afraid to wear ‘em. There’s nobody more connected to his world than Ben Shahn.
Haunted House so enthralled and inspired me, I bought it three times! It originally came out in a full-scale edition, then in half-size. I bought both, and the smaller version again, as a gift.
This is a pop-up book on steroids. The mechanics behind it is stunning—a tour de farce of paper engineering. The story line is riotous. Smart writing, great illustration, and a super clever concept, Haunted House is a kid’s book only on the surface.
Revisit - if you dare! - one of the best-loved pop-up books of all time, now more gleefully ghoulish then ever with the addition of several spooky surprises.
Enjoy a tour of this spooky old house where a spine-tingling surprise lurks in every dark corner. Re-issued in its original full-size format, with four new pop-ups, this definitive edition brings the classic novelty to a whole new generation.
Riley Masterson has moved to Greenbrier, SC, anxious to escape the chaos that has overwhelmed her life.
Questioned in a murder in Alabama, she has spent eighteen months under suspicion by a sheriff’s office, unable to make an arrest. But things in gentrifying Greenbrier are not as they seem. As…
I guess, if you polled illustrators and designers as to who was the GOAT, it would probably be Milton Glaser. On my list, he’s certainly up there.
A supreme talent, Glaser was (still is, and I think, always will be) incredibly influential; when you read this book, you’ll see why.
While writing my book, I had the honor and pleasure to work with his life-long friends and studio mates, Reynold Ruffins and Simms Taback. All three of these guys demonstrated superlative skills coupled with super smart concepts. I should also mention they were just plain mensches.
Available again, the enduring, iconic volume showcasing the key early-career work and process of the godfather of modern graphic design
Milton Glaser: Graphic Design, perhaps the most famous book of its kind, explores the early decades of America's pre-eminent graphic artist. Glaser's work ranges from the psychedelic Bob Dylan poster to book and record covers; from store and restaurant design to toy creations; and magazine formats including New York magazine and logotypes, all of which define the look of our time. Here Glaser undertakes not only a remarkably wide-ranging representation of his oeuvre from the incredibly fertile early years, but,…
In a book that thoroughly examines the world of art and design, it would be remiss to not discuss the business side of things. So, in my book, I do.
Why? I can’t think of a better way to earn a living than to make a living by doing something you love and that replenishes your soul. And no, selling your art does not mean you are selling your soul.
Hear me out: selling shoes is a worthy occupation. I’ve done that; people will always need shoes. But me, I’d rather sell art. This is the bible of how to sell your work cleanly and not get taken to the cleaners.
The industry bible for communication design and illustration professionals, with updated information, listings, and pricing guidelines.
Graphic Artists Guild Handbook is the industry bible for communication design and illustration professionals. A comprehensive reference guide, the Handbook helps graphic artists navigate the world of pricing, collecting payment, and protecting their creative work, with essential advice for growing a freelance business to create a sustainable and rewarding livelihood.
This sixteenth edition provides excellent, up-to-date guidance, incorporating new information, listings, and pricing guidelines. It offers graphic artists practical tips on how to negotiate the best deals, price their services accurately, and create contracts…
There are some artists who are so talented they are, simultaneously, incredibly inspirational anddiscouraging.
Mike Mignola is one of those guys. Mignola is the commander of figure/ground. His beautiful sense of shape and form and utter control of black and white is just amazing. He builds story beautifully and constructs his pages cinematically.
When I looked for people to grace the pages of my book, I shot for consummate talent like that, and, if I can blow my own horn just a bit, the book succeeds along those lines. When I grow up, I want to be able to draw like that.
A murder in a New York wax museum and a missing corpse lead Hellboy into ancient Romanian castles on the trail of a sleeping legend: the original nobleman vampire. Nazi scientists prepare for the return of their occult master and the end of the world, and Hellboy confronts his purpose on earth.
Drawing inspiration: Visual Artists at Work (DIVA) examines the relationship between academics and professional illustration/design. Talking to teachers, students, and artists “out in the field,” DIVA introduces us to: former students now professionals (many now teachers); we hear teachers discuss teaching, students chat about teachers (and vice versa); professionals consider academia, academics look at the professional life. The book earnestly examines the connections in all this. The timeline (or distance) between schooling and the professional life isn’t a contract breaker.
DIVAsimply talks to every artist as a teacher—with knowledge, insight, and wisdom to offer. DIVA showcasesgreat art and discusses each artist’suniqueprocess and product. This book challenges the reader to address their uniqueprocess and product in the same, honest manner.
Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.
I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar–yet my gut…
Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own. A friend murdered. A business in trouble. A marriage struggling to survive. And that’s just the beginning.
