traylorillo

One of the things I’ve always tried to do throughout both my kids school lives is chaperone on every field trip. That being said, I can relate to the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Well, not “everywhere” but I have been to crazy places, some weird, some downright awful. I won’t even go into the story about my daughter’s second grade field trip to a local nature reserve where the surly park ranger (who should’ve never been allowed to work with young children) told the children that squirrels ate baby birds and were nothing more than “tree rats”. This may be true, but one just doesn’t unleash that sort of info on wide-eyed, ponytailed little girls. It was devastating.

Now that my daughter is in a special high-school for the arts, the field trips are more up my alley. We recently took the entire school’s visual arts students— seniors to freshman— to D.C. to visit the National Gallery. This is well-charted territory for Katie and me. We’ve gone to the gallery more than a few times and have a tradition of day-trips to the Nation’s Capitol, riding the Metro from Springfield, VA.

This was a fun trip for the simple reason that it was with a group of kids that actually wanted to see the museum and have an interest in art. I had four under my watch, two girls, Katie and “Skittles” (a junior) and two freshie boys, “Lip” (he has two lip rings) and Spencer. We stayed in a sector of the gallery en masse, but the kids were free to wander about that area and view the artwork. As a chaperone, I just had to make sure they were rounded up in the herd when we moved on to the next section. I am proud to report that I didn’t lose anyone. (whew!)

The kids seemed to enjoy the artwork. Many were impressed by an exhibit of German Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1580–1900. I was humbled by the intricate, delicate renderings and the sketchbooks (OMG — I’m not worthy!).

The collections in the National Gallery are, as one would expect, first class. I am disappointed that it seems to be the least travelled of the museums that grace the perimeter of the National Mall. If you happen to live near or travel to D.C., I highly recommend a visit.

What I don’t recommend is taking a two and a half hour trip (two ways) on a school bus (budget cuts eliminated using a tour bus) when you are over 30. I don’t know if it’s the rough roads up and down I95 (budget cuts – again!) or that the bus was in dire need of shocks, but my backside was so happy to see the end of that trip and my VW’s, ergonomic leather seats!

It wasn’t easy to draw on the bus, but I managed. I’ve posted a spread from my trip, above! Maybe next field trip will be on a tour bus or at least a vehicle with some shock absorption.

I just finished this little spot kidlit illustration so I thought I’d share the process involved in going from sketch to final spot illo.

First Sketch…

I usually work in pencil. Specifically, cheap mechanical pencils that come in a giant pack…like these. I like having a sharp point all the time and it’s no big deal when I lose one (which I do pretty often). I draw on several types of paper, this drawing happens to be on a 100% hemp paper that has a lot of tooth and a unique texture. Once I finish the sketch, I tighten things up on vellum paper with pen and ink. I then scan in at hi res.

Once I have the image in Photoshop, I create a series of masks for unique sections of the image like skin, hair, dress, apron using Paths.

Depending on the image and how the drawing is composed, I usually select large areas with the magic wand tool and clean up my masks with the quick mask tool.

Working in layers, importing a combination of photographic textures and patterns that suit the image I’m working with, I create the final image.

My digital painting style is a cross between collage and painting. I use bits of photographic imagery that have the texture and color necessary to convey the look and feel of the elements of the image in the same way a quilter uses well chosen pieces of fabric to piece together her quilt.

So that’s a bit about my digital painting style. More soon…stay tuned. Cheers!

I thought I would share the initial sketch that sparked the notion of the winter illustration. It lay dormant in my sketchbook for a long time but I was able to use it for something bigger. Draw something every day, kiddies, you never know when you’ll use it.

I recently completed another cover for the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Newsletter. This is for the Winter issue (even though we’re cruising into Spring at breakneck speed). I have a relative carte blanche for these covers, but I try to fit the zeitgeist of the season in a children’s illustration style theme. This winter, we’ve been watching the 2010 Winter Olympics play out in Canada with it’s inspiring stories and feats of athletic strength and grace. The figure skating has always been at the top of my list of must-watch Olympic features. I am amazed by the sprezzatura of the skaters, who practice their craft – part art, part sport – from the time they begin to walk. The sheer joy they show on the ice is inspiring. In light of that, my illustration is a young skater, practicing on an icy pond, with flourish and finesse. I thought it would be fitting to herald the new issue as well as the finish of a great Winter Olympics.

Here’s the final sketch:

and here’s the final piece:

In it’s place on the cover of the Highlighter:

Blame it on a wave of nostalgia or a compelling collection of photography I saw on Flickr but I’ve been bitten by the Holga bug. I purchased my own little plastic camera about 8 months ago and have been smitten with it’s unpredictable yet appealing images ever since.

For those of you who don’t know what on Earth I’m talking about, Holga is an inexpensive, medium format (120mm) toy camera. It’s widely known for it’s lo-fi, unpredictable outcome. It’s delightfully analog in a digital world.

The Holga isn’t my first foray into the world of medium format, analog cameras. I purchased a LOMO Lubitel 166 Twin Lens Reflex Medium format camera back in college, from a Russian friend (NIB for $40! What a steal! I’ve seen them running upwards around $350 online). I had never seen such a complicated camera or done any film work other than 35mm. I was more familiar with my trusty Pentax K1000. A more analog camera, you’ll be hard pressed to find (outside of a pinhole camera). I had played with the LOMO for a few years then put it away on a shelf to sit out the next decade with a Minolta16 mini from the 60s.

So I decided to venture back into the world of analog photography. It’s very satisfying when you get back your negatives (mine happen to be hi-res scans on a CD from this great processor in KS ) and see the outcome of your random snapping.

Holgas are notoriously loaded with light leaks, a photo killing factor in most cases. Ironically, though, the light leaks inherent in the Holgas add a certain dreamy look to the photos, making the flawed and imperfect suddenly appealing and beautiful. Perhaps that is what draws me to them more than anything.

In a world of digital perfection, where cameras have the resolution to capture detail down to your pores, all with the instant gratification of seeing what you shoot on a brilliant 3in LCD right there in your hands, it’s nice to enjoy the mystery of not knowing how the image will come out. The joy of surprise and the satisfaction of that shot that goes beyond capturing a split second in time and embodies emotion and a sense of place and time. To me, that’s what photography is all about and that’s precisely why I’m in love with my little plastic lens camera.