BEST OF 2019 INTERVIEWS
the journal LevinLand’s
CHOR BOOGIE
Modern Hierogylphics
FRENCH
MIXED MEDIA ARTIST
Illustrators
INTERVIEW WITH:
ROLLI
WRITER, CARTOONIST, SATIRIST
BRUNO MALLART
A VERY FRESH ARTIST
JULIA SIDNEVA
COVER ART BY BRUNO MALLART
WENDY EDELSON MASTER KIDLIT ARTIST
JULIE MELLAN WARM & FUZZY ART
RHONDA VOO
ICE CREAM SHOE CREATOR
Front Cover Art : Andrea Aquino
Co-Publisher/Editor Gregg Masters
The Illustrators Journal/Winter
Editor/Writer Lori Hammond Publisher/Creative Director Lon Levin Contributing Writer Leslie Cober-Gentry "Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." — John Wooden
All the work depicted in this magazine are the property of the artists who created the work and cannot be used in any way without the expressed written permission of the publisher and artists.
JUST MY OPINION :BEST Publisher Lon Levin gives his explanation of "best" as in "What's best?" CHOR BOOGIE Graffiti master with heart of gold helps kids and others reach their goals while creating masterpieces BRUNO MALLART French artist extraordinaire whose work defies categories...he does it all. JULIA SIDNEVA Imaginative Russian artist Julia works in pencil, pen and water color to make her art come to life JOHN CUNEO We catch up with this energetic, always moving, incredibly talented artist whose work is seen and bought all over the world. ROLLI Born to think. Rolli is a poet, writer and artist who mixes insights, wit and delightful pen and ink art RHONDA VOO Visionary artist & accomplish designer, illustrator and sculptress "Voos" us with her brilliance JULIE MELLAN French illustrator Julie admits she's a Disney-lover. Her artwork reflects that influence and takes it a step further. WENDY EDELSON Wendy's kid lit artwork is traditional, warm and fuzzy and extremely appealing to children and adults alike
it's just
my opinion by Lon Levin
best /best/ of the most excellent, effective, or desirable type or quality. I'm the best
I'm the best
I'm the best
they are financially set for life. But, not every one can be the best or succeed wildly. In fact most people don't. And a lot of those people who do succeed don't know how to manage all the success and ultimately lose it. So wait... why am I depressing you with this line of thought? Look, I've been there both as a rich man's son who saw his father die in debt and as a young man who couldn't manage success and money too well. When you are faced with challenges like losing all your money and/or losing your high paying job you discover what you are really made of and what is really important. So what does this have to do with being best at your choice of profession?
Illustration by Bruno Mallart
Is there a best? When we look to choose the best interviews of 2019 am I being fair? Is my judgement correct? Does it really matter? Well, yes it does and ultimately the interviews we choose to feature had something special and they embodied the mission of The Illustrators Journal. And it's our magazine and we get to choose so there you have it. Let's talk about this notion of being best. In the United States more than most countries being the best in your field of endeavor is the ultimate prize. After which, should come fame, fortune and happiness. There are people in all walks of life who chase the dream of being the best in their chosen field. The best doctor, the best lawyer, the best athlete and of course the best actor or actress. The notoriety that is generated from being crowned is substantial and if one plays their cards right
In sports there are measures of being the best, but that doesn't mean that the player with the most home runs in a season is the best player or it's possible that the MVP of the NBA is not necessarily the best player in basketball. What I mean is it is subjective. Want an endless argument? As any fan who the best basketball or baseball player of all time is. OK so you want to be the best illustrator, what does that mean? Highest paid? Most awards? How do you qualify that? For me it's not about being the best, but about setting goals and meeting them, if anything being the best you, you can be. And who decides that? Your boss, your client, Award shows, your nana.?.. No . You are the one who decides. If you've worked up to your potential and followed a well-designed plan you should be successful. You know if you've been your best, if you gave a project your all. That is all that matters. Everything else, while nice is just hardware.
r o h Coogie
B
like an artist,” she said. “So what do I do?” I asked. She replied “Paint anything you like. Paint yourself.” So I did and it was a big mash up of colors hence the colors I use today. She came back and asked how I liked it. I replied, “When I grow up I’m going to be an artist.” I was never really discouraged. I only received support from loved ones. The only discouragement is the state of the art world today. But I keep going because I love what I do, and nothing will dictate the flow of that except for me. What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences? I was a crazy kid. A daredevil, a very adventurous type. I still am. So I live “the kid within” at times. I grew up in Oceanside and Vista near San Diego. The place has its ups and downs as does any city. My influences back then up, until I started painting with spray paint, were comic book artists like Todd Mc Farlane, Rob Liefield, and Jim Lee; skateboard culture; and 80’s culture. Then, I explored the old masters like Salvador Dali, Michelangelo, and Gustave Klimt and contemporary masters of spray paint like Phase 2 ,Vulcan, and Riff 170.
"I was never really discouraged. I only received support from loved ones."
"Street Artists" are valuable to todays art culture. Most street artists operate in the dark...literally. One that does not is Chor Boogie. He is a master artist who wields an aerosol can like Michelangleo used his chisel or Van Gogh his brushes. His works appears in museums and galleries from San Diego to Switzerland. He is an American national treasure. - editor When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors? When I was around 5 years old in Kindergarten my teacher said, “Do you want to play duck duck goose or do this activity over here…” I was interested in the activity. “So what is this activity?” I asked. “Painting
Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you? It was a little bit of both actually. It takes both nature and nurture in order to find out who you really are when it comes to originality, and then taking that creativity to new heights every time you create something. You do a lot of “street art” that seems to now have gone mainstream, How did that happen? Depends on what you consider mainstream.That actually could be a bad word within the genre. Even though I paint on the streets and on canvas, I’m even creative with my terminology when it comes to the genre of my artwork. Instead of “graffiti” or “street art,” I call it Modern Hieroglyphics, which is basically what this culture really is based off of.
"You are asking how did it go mainstream, and I’m just going to have to respond, “VERY CAREFULLY." We create stories, symbols, and images with meaning and context on any surface. Nothing wrong with the other terminologies, but as far as my work goes, that's where I push it. You are asking how did it go mainstream, and I’m just going to have to respond, “VERY CAREFULLY, it’s like playing a game of chess on this roller coaster ride called LIFE.”
Your “love visions” murals seem beautiful and chaotic at the same time. Is that purposeful? There is a reason for everything and everything is naturally purposeful. They are like mind-body-soul explosions with that medium. What’s going on in your head when you work on a piece? Your fears, anticipation, confidence, etc. How do you know something is finished? When it comes to the process of what I do, I try not to let my mind get in the way of that creative process, but rather let it be a combination of things, MIND BODY SOUL. This makes sense to me when breathing life into creating something to be real. Nothing is ever finished. It’s all a continuum dialogue with every creation, hence it is one big story in the grand scheme of creative things. Can you explain to us about the “eyes of the street” series and what that means to you or what are you conveying to us? The eyes of the street just happened. I love creating
eyes, and I have many styles of eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul. It so happened that I painted them in pretty much every major city, and it soon fell into a series aspect. Every city I created these eyes in is technically the eyes of that city and that environment. I’m curious about how you choose what to work on. What’s does your process entail? Start to finish. Can you give us a short step-by-step? Well sometimes I just go for it to see what comes out, and then I take it from there. Sometimes I use image references and distort them or make them fit with in my creative process. Either I use as many colors as I can, or not . The rest is secret. A true master never gives up all his weapons in his arsenal.
What do you do to promote yourself and get work? Social media plays a role. Media plays a role in general, but usually when I’m painting on the street that's enough promotion to get the job done. Going out networking and schmoozing is alright and helps to get involved in things, but I think I put my name out their enough to where the promotion comes to me. So it’s basically a two way street and we have to meet in the middle. What’s the future hold for you? Any ultimate goal? I live for today, my friends. I’m not a psychic. I know it’s bright though... Always has been, always will be. Your sculpture seems to be more charged with satire than your paintings. i.e. the spray nozzles for nipples and the skull covered with what looks like lacquered money, etc. does the medium influence the message with you? It’s fun, and I always look for new avenues to create from. I make music as well and entertain the possibility of being a renaissance man like my ancestors.
"A true master never gives up all his weapons in his arsenal."
Bruno
MALLART Every now and then I come cross an artist who blows my mind. I literally feel like I'm an art archaeologist who has unearth a great talent whom I had no idea existed. Bruno Mallart is that artist. His vision and execution are superior and it makes me feel honored to have his interview in our magazine. During the process of asking Bruno questions I realized a translation may not capture the full meaning of his answers and because we are read by artists around the globe I decided to print his answers in English and French - editor When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors? L’école ça n’était pas mon truc, mais le dessin me réussissait bien. Dans ma famille tout le monde est scientifique, de mes grand parents jusqu’à mes frères. Pourtant mes parents m’ont encouragé et j’ai toujours senti de l’admiration de leur part. Ils étaient vraiment sympas avec cette « petite brebis galeuse qui ne deviendra pas Docteur comme tout le monde ». Je m’imaginais devenir prof de dessin. Il faut dire que de mes yeux d’enfant, vivre du dessin, c’était l’enseigner ou crever la dalle (traduction: mourir de faim). Puis, à sà
l’école d’art j’ai découvert l’ampleur infinie des métiers artistiques. School was not my thing, but the drawing worked well. In my family everyone is a scientist, from my grandparents to my brothers. Yet, my parents encouraged me and I have always felt the admiration of them. They were really nice with this "little black sheep who will not become a doctor like everyone else".I imagined myself becoming a drawing teacher. It must be said that with my child's eyes, you teach or "you burst the slab" a French expression that means "starving to death". Then at art school I discovered the infinite scope of artistic crafts.
What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences? Je suis né à Paris. J’étais un enfant rêveur, du genre qui ne veut pas grandir. J’ai toujours gardé ce côté là, pas trop sérieux, aimant la facétie.Ma première vrai influence fut un peintre Allemand, Pierre Schmmidiger, qui habitait à côté de chez moi et chez qui je prenais des cours de dessin, je devais avoir 11
qu’on est incapable de faire, en creux. Exemple: je ne suis pas bon coloriste: je privilégie le dessin. Je ne suis pas bon portraitiste: je vais remplacer les têtes par des objets… A style, it comes alone. There is of course the succession of works that we liked and the meetings that influenced us, but I think that the style comes mainly from what we are unable to do, hollow. Example: I am not good colorist: I prefer drawing. I am not a good portraitist: I will replace the heads with objects … You do a lot of whimsical art. How did that happen? Je ne sais pas, les univers que je représente n’existent pas, mais puisque le dessin me permet de les représenter, pourquoi ne pas le faire? Quand je cherche des idées, j’essaye de trouver des situations loufoques, absurdes.
ou 12 ans. Je passais des après-midi dans son atelier, il me laissait dessiner ce que je voulais, ensuite il commentait et me parlait beaucoup. D’histoire de l’Art, de perspective, de dessin de presse, de politique… Il avait un livre de Saul Steinberg: "The Passport", ce livre représente l’acte de naissance de mon imaginaire d’illustrateur. I was born in Paris. I was a dreamer, the kind who does not want to grow up. I always kept that side, not too serious, loving the joke. My first real influence was a German painter, Pierre Schmmidiger, who lived next to my house and where I took drawing lessons, I must have been 11 or 12 years old. I spent afternoons in his studio, he let me draw what I wanted, then he commented and spoke to me a lot. From the history of art, perspective, drawing of the press, politics ... He had a book by Saul Steinberg: "The Passport", this book represents the birth certificate of my illustrator imagination. Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you? Un style, ça vient tout seul. Il y a bien sûr la succession d’oeuvres qu’on a aimé et les rencontres qui nous ont influencé, mais je crois que le style vient surtout de ce
Paradoxalement,il y a un certain ordre dans mes compositions. I do not know, the universes that I represent do not exist, but since the drawing allows me to represent them, why not do it? When I look for ideas, I try to find crazy, absurd situations. Paradoxically, there is a certain order in my compositions. Has the computer affected your work? Do you work traditionally and digitally? Je faisais des illustrations mélangeant le dessin, l’aquarelle et beaucoup de collage. Je passais ma vie à
chercher dans les livres de quoi alimenter mes créations. Celles-ci étaient conditionnées à ce que je trouvais. Dans les années 2000, je me suis acheté un ordinateur et un scanner. Je voulais juste pouvoir remplacer la photocopieuse et le fax. Je ne m’attendais pas à découvrir un outil de création qui me plairait autant. Avec Photoshop, les possibilités de transformation des images sont telles que j’avais trouvé l’outil qui me manquait. Aujourd’hui je reviens au dessin traditionnel (toujours.
un peu de collage!). Le support physique me manquait un peu.
Are you aware of America and English illustrators? Does their work influence your work?
I was doing illustrations mixing drawing, watercolor and a lot of collage. I spent my life looking in books for feeding my creations. These were conditioned to what I found. In the 2000s, I bought a computer and a scanner. I just wanted to be able to replace the photocopier and fax. I did not expect to discover a creative tool that I would like. With Photoshop, the possibilities for transforming images are such that I found the tool I missed. Today I come back to traditional drawing (always a little collage!). The physical support I missed a little.
Ma culture vient beaucoup d’illustrateurs ou graphistes tels que Saul Steinberg, Ralph Steadman, Milton Glaser, Tomi Ungerer, André François… pas tous Américains, mais tous une histoire particulière avec les États-Unis. C’est surtout un attachement à une période précise: les années 50, 60, 70. Je suis né en 1963, c’est ma culture. Un peu comme si je disais que j’aime Bob Dylan ou les Pink Floyd. À une époque, je démarchais les agents sur Paris où j’habite, une réflexion que j’entendais régulièrement: "vous devriez démarcher aux états-Unis, votre écriture devrait plaire là-bas". C’est ce que j’ai fait, j’ai ainsi rejoint l’équipe de David Goldman à New-York.
What’s going on in your head when you work on a piece? Your fears, anticipation, confidence , etc. How do you know something is finished? Il y a plusieurs étapes dans la création d’un des sin: — L’inspiration, la recherche des idées, c’est le plus agréable et le plus facile psychologiquement. C’est une gymnastique intellectuelle très plaisante, avec les petits croquis sans enjeu, C’est mon étape préférée. — Le démarrage de la réalisation, c’est le plus difficile. Comme l’angoisse de la page blanche chez l’écrivain. C’est à ce moment que je procrastine à mort. — La réalisation proprement dite: alternativement grand plaisir, impression d’être un nul absolu, exaltation, déprime… Bref on ne s’ennuie pas. — Le dessin est fini: quand on est content, qu’on en a marre, on est fatigué et on voudrait passer à autre chose. There are several steps in creating a drawing: - The inspiration, the search for ideas, is the most pleasant and the easiest psychologically. It is a very pleasant intellectual gymnastics, with small sketches without stake, It is my favorite stage. - The start of the realization is the most difficult. Like the anxiety of the blank page for a writer. That's when I procrastinate "to death" (a French expression that means " a lot " - The actual realization: alternatively great pleasure, impression of being an absolute null, exaltation, depressed ... In short one does not get bored. The drawing is finished: when we are happy, we are tired, we are tired and we want to move on.
My culture comes from many illustrators or graphic designers such as Saul Steinberg, Ralph Steadman, Milton Glaser, Tomi Ungerer, André François ... not all Americans, but all a particular story with the United States. It is especially an attachment to a precise period: the years 50, 60, 70. I was born in 1963, it is my culture. A bit like I said that I like Bob Dylan or the Pink Floyd. At one time, I was walking agents in Paris where I live, a reflection that I heard regularly: "you should approach the United States, your writing should please there." That's what I did, so I joined David Goldman's team in New York.
What do you do to promote yourself and get work? Have you worked for publishers in Western counties like America, England and France? J’ai un site internet qui est une vitrine de tout ce que je fais, ainsi qu’une page Facebook qui publie mon actualité. Mais c’est surtout la galerie, et mon agent d’illustration qui s’occupent de me promouvoir. Il le font bien mieux que moi. J’ai publié dans pas mal de journaux Américains dont le Washington post et le New York times. Je ne fais plus du tout d’illustration de livres comme j’ai fait à une époque, mais j’aimerais bien publier un beau livre, faire un recueil d’images sur un thème. I have a website that is a showcase for everything I do, and a Facebook page that publishes my news. But it's mostly the gallery, and my illustrator, who take care of me. They do it better than me. I've published in a lot of American newspapers including Washington Post and New York Times. I do not do any more book illustration as I did at one time, but I would like to publish a beautiful book, make a collection of images on a theme.
I’m curious about how you choose what to work on. What’s does your process entail? Start to finish. Can you give us a short step-by-step? Quand je travaille sur une illustration, c’est pas compliqué, Il s’agit de bien répondre à la commande. Mais je fais de plus en plus de créations personnelles montrées en galerie (Je suis représenté par la galerie Bayart à Paris). Le plus compliqué est de choisir quoi faire, il y a tellement de directions possibles! Le plus amusant c’est que plus on fait de choses, plus le champs des possibles s’élargit. Une sorte d’épidémie: une idée en amène une autre qui elle même en amène 2, puis 4 puis 8… C’est démoralisant et excitant! Si je parle d’un de mes dessins sur bois enduit comme je fais en ce moment, voici comment ça se passe: Je fais un 1er dessin au crayon sur papier. Je scanne le dessin et je le transforme à l’ordinateur pour l’améliorer, je m’aide de collages à partir de gravures anciennes principalement. Le mélange entre dessin et collage est souvent imperceptible. À ce moment toute la composition est parfaitement aboutie et je vais la projeter en grand sur un panneau de bois enduit blanc. Je sais exactement quelle partie va être dessinée, quelle partie va être en collage, il n’y a plus aucune surprise. When I work on an illustration, it's not complicated, you just need to answer well to the assignment. But I do more and more personal creations shown in gallery (I am represented by Bayart Gallery in Paris). The most complicated thing is to choose what to do, there are so many directions! The most fun thing is that the more we do things, the more the field of possibilities expands. A kind of epidemic: an idea brings another who brings 2, then 4 and 8 ... It's demoralizing and exciting! If I'm talking about one of my coated wood drawings as I'm doing right now, here's how it goes: I make a first drawing in pencil on paper. I scan the drawing and I transform it to the computer to improve it, I help with collages from old engravings mainly. The mixture between drawing and collage is often imperceptible. At this moment the whole composition is perfectly accomplished and I will project it in large on a white coated wood panel. I know exactly which part will be drawn, which part will be in collage, there are no more surprises.
What’s the future hold for you? Any ultimate goal? En travaillant avec la galerie, j’ai rencontré plusieurs sculpteurs, j’avais toujours imaginé faire un peu de sculpture. J’ai commencé timidement, mais j’aimerais continuer. J’ai plein d’idées, c’est plutôt la mise en oeuvre technique et le temps qui me freinent. Working with the gallery, I met several sculptors, I always imagined doing a little sculpture. I started shyly, but I would like to continue. I have lots of ideas, it's rather the technical implementation and the time that slows me down. If you could meet anyone in the field you’re in who would it be and why? Peu après être sorti de l’école d’art, j’avais obtenu un rendez-vous avec le célèbre Illustrateur André François (l’oncle d’un ami habitait le même petit village et le connaissait bien). C’était déjà un monstre sacré, il y avait eu une grande rétrospective de son travail à Paris peu avant. Il m’a reçu gentiment dans son atelier qui était gigantesque. Je lui montrais mon book, ce fut une vraie déconvenue. Il ne comprit pas mon travail et ne savait pas trop quoi me dire. Moi je voulais qu’il me parle de lui, me montre ses tableaux en cours etc… Heureusement l’oncle de l’ami me consola en me disant qu’il ne partageait pas du tout l’avis d’André françois, et qu’il voyait tout à fait l’intérêt de ce que j’avais montré (moi aussi!) Shortly after graduating from art school, I had an appointment with the famous Illustrator André François (a friend's uncle lived in the same little village and knew him well). It was already a sacred monster, there had been a great retrospective of his work in Paris shortly before. He received me kindly in his workshop which was gigantic I showed him my book, it was a real disappointment. He did not understand my job and did not know what to say to me. I wanted him to talk about him, show me his paintings in class etc...Fortunately the uncle of my friend consoled me
"I took Crista's Master Class and it was absolutely awesome! I highly recommend anyone who wants to sell their art sign up now! -Lon Levin/The Illustrators Journal
JULIA SIDNEVA WITH STYLE
"It was because of the big influence of the Polish illustration school that I finally found the way I want to develop my style. "
When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers? It is difficult to answer this question precisely, it seems that this idea was with me from birth. My most favorite children's entertainment is to be alone with papers and pencils. My Parents immediately appreciated this state of affairs, because I could entertain myself for hours on my own (laughs). And then everything is simple: every year I grew and changed, but my love for drawing remained unchanged, so neither I nor my family had any options. And it's silly not +to do your favorite thing and do something else.
What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences? I grew up in Soviet Moscow in a normal quiet apartment area. I dreamed a lot, I thought that someone was living under the bed, I was bored at school. And for the whole summer I was sent to my grandmother in the village and there my favorite place was a huge pile of building sand in front of the house. It was possible to build entire cities and highways. I painted all the time, I made up small plots, ironic scenes, for a long time I wanted to become a multiplier. When it became clear that being a professional artist was inevitable, my parents sent me to art school. Most of all I was interested in the image of any living beings, their characters, dynamics. I remember well a still life with a stuffed crow, which almost no one could do, but I was delighted. My classmates asked me to help when the teacher left the classroom. I could not refuse them, and instead of drawing one crow, I drew a 5 or 6! But a really big influence on me was the education at Moscow University of Press. It was a time of real discovery! Elena Nenastina has become my main teacher, with whom I was already a wonderful friend.
Has the computer affected your work? Do you work traditionally and digitally?
Of course! I draw pictures on paper, but always modify them in graphic editors. Sometimes it's hard to see. First of all, I make the image clean, bright, remove unwanted garbage: random lines, splashes. A few years ago, I stopped at this. Now I increasingly combine drawing with computer graphics, it helps to achieve original effects and textures. You do a lot of whimsical art. How did that happen? I don't think that I do whimsical art. But I am primarily interested in character, emotion, moments. Always loved to watch different types of personality and explore their characters. That is why I often make sketches of the life of my city on the street or in transport - this is the greatest pleasure and entertainment for me. This is my personal library of characters! I think the plot is secondary, so all the attention in my illustrations is directed to the characters, and the environment and interiors are very conditional, without details. Still important to me is the composition of the image. This is primarily an analytical work. I love the combination of emotionality and analytics in illustration and I try to work actively in these two areas.
What do you do to promote yourself to get work? Have you worked for Western counties like America, England and France? I show a lot of my work at Russian and international exhibitions, sometimes I participate in markets, I show city sketches in social networks. Sometimes I have individual exhibitions in Russia. I always have a job here, but I haven’t cooperated with foreign publishers yet, but I would really like it. I think this is the next step in my professional development.
What’s the future hold for you? Any ultimate goal? Everything is very simple. I would like to grow to the world-famous illustrator!
Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you? Undoubtedly, my style was influenced by 6 years of study at the Moscow State University of Press named after Ivan Fedorov, founded in 1930. The University emerged from a creative professional association that can be considered the first largescale design workshop in Russia. The ideas were close to the principles of the German Bauhaus school. The first teachers of the graphic faculty were the famous graphics of the Soviet Union, and the first dean was Alexander Rodchenko. I was lucky to learn from teachers who were students of the most progressive
theorists and practitioners of illustration in the USSR. This is a powerful composition base. This is the development of expressive images. This is a great foundation for an illustrator. I am proud of my school.At the same time, the tradition of Soviet graphics is very strong at the university of print, naturally this reflects on the drawing style of students and graduates. Therefore, several years after university, I wanted to make my drawings more modern and relevant. I am working on it so far, I try to study modern world illustration, I watch a lot of my Western colleagues. I want my style to remain recognizable, but at the same time I change a little bit all the time. I think it is very important to discover something new all the time and respond to the demands of modernity without changing yourself.
"Undoubtedly, my style was influenced by 6 years of study at the Moscow State University of Press"
John Cuneo Interview with
by Leslie Cober-Gentry WHO WERE YOUR GREATEST INFLUENCES IN ARRIVING TO YOUR CREATIVE GENIUS? In the course of a lifetime of looking around, the drawing influences just continue to accumulate don't they? So much so in fact that I sometimes lose sight of my own course while I"m being buffeted around by whoever's work I've recently become helplessly enamored of. I mean I get crushes. It's embarrassing. As a kid, I always drew, and I always preferred drawings to paintings in the books and and newspapers and magazines I was exposed to ( the only museum I ever visited as as child was in Central Park and had stuffed animals and a giant whale hanging in it). So, it was those artists who drew black and white pictures on a page, surrounded by type - that's all I knew, and that's what got me off; E H Shepard's Wind in the Willows and Pooh stuff, Garth William's Stuart Little ,John Tenniel's Alice pictures.
YOUR SHAKY LINE WORK IS EXTRAORDINARY. PLEASE ELABORATE ON HOW YOU DEVELOPED IT Someone will occasionally mention that "shaky" thing, and honestly I'm not all that aware of it. I try and hold my pen rather loosely , I suppose that's partly to blame.I went through a long stretch making heavily cross hatched advertising illustrations in a style that owed a lot to the mostly European pen and ink guys I saw in the Times and certain magazines. They were doing gorgeous, ponderously metaphor-heavy drawings to represent big, serious concepts like war, famine and dictatorship. I was doing dumb drawings for bank ads. My imitative efforts were almost robotically mechanical in their lifelessness , as if drawn by an angrily clenched fist in a very cold room. Maybe my slightly "wandering" line today is in rebellion to those efforts. Maybe it's an apology. Btw, I'm not sure at what age I first saw your father's art ( the great Alan Cober); but his work , his loose, eccentric line, how he made his marks and decisions in progress on paper- it was profoundly important to me.A kind of permission to think about drawing in an entirely different way.
"
 As a kid,  I always drew, and I always preferred drawings to paintings
"
"I was very naive growing up."
ARE THERE ANY PROJECTS/DRAWINGS THAT YOU HAVEN’T COMPLETED YET, BUT ARE WEIGHING ON YOUR MIND TO CREATE? I sometimes think about trying to do a Children's Book and I've have been involved in a few projects that didn't work out. My style may be a little too brittle and not cuddly enough. ( Did I just describe myself ?) I always have several sketchbooks, ideas and drawings in the works around here, and am constantly trying to find time to work on them. Nothing elaborate- just quirky little drawings in various pads and books that I'd like to finish. Too much ambition will undermine my confidence and critically humble me.
YOUR DRAWINGS ARE FILLED WITH GREAT HUMOR, AND ARE OFTEN SUBJECTS THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD BE INTIMIDATED TO EXPRESS, BUT CAN IDENTIFY WITH…CAN YOU GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS? I presume you're talking about my personal stuff here. I work a lot in sketchbooks and on loose scraps of paper , uncommissioned and in between asignments. Almost all of those things start with a figure, and kind of evolve from there. It's all very random but I try , as a kind of practice or discipline , to make something happen on the page with that person or persons, no matter how absurd. And I suppose I drift towards scenarios and subjects that interest me or are on my mind. I make it a rule to try and not "explain" (or even justify) this work, or how, if at all, it relates to me, but I don't think it's any great "reveal" to say that there are elements of violence, self-harm, depression, sex and self loathing sprinkled around in those drawings. Donal Trump makes an occasional appearance. Also animals, I enjoy drawing animals. WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS TO CREATE IN YOUR DRAWINGS?
Given a choice, I like to draw sad, middle aged men, usually in a blazer or sports jacket, but occasionally naked.
DID YOU EVER DREAM ABOUT HAVING ANOTHER CAREER WHEN YOUR WERE CREATING YOUR PATH, OR WAS AN ILLUSTRATOR/ARTIST YOUR CONSTANT GOAL?
I was very naive growing up. I just assumed that if you were a kid who drew pictures, you would eventually just waltz into a career where you drew pictures and got paid for it . It was an entitled attitude born of blissful ignorance. I should add that I also played a lot of basketball in my youth but never considered that as a career option, so in retrospect I may have been just naive enough.
"I suppose I learned backwards - copying how other illustrators and cartoonists drew people, and as got older , looking hard and doing lots of observational work . "
YOUR DRAWINGS OF WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE LIKENESS TO THE SUBJECT, TOTALLY CATCHING THEIR PERSONALITY. CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT THE REFERENCE YOU USE WHEN YOU ARE DRAWING A WELL-KNOWN PERSON’S LIKENESS? There was a time when magazines would assign a job involving likenesses and immediately fed ex out an envelope stuffed with crisp photos of your subject(s) culled from other magazines and books and various sources. They were just great to work from. Now we are relegated to scrolling through the internet , finding our own reference and printing it out. I understand that many folks work from those photos , backlit and directly on their monitors, but I am very, very lame with computers, I don't know how to arrange those images on one page and I don't like having a machine on my table unless it's a pencil sharpener.
DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR WORK MORE DRAWING THEN PAINTING? IS IT DRAWING BECAUSE YOU ORCHESTRATE THE TONE TO BE SUBSERVIENT TO THE LINE? I think of all my stuff as drawings. Everything starts with a pen, and that first dab of paint is a necessary violation. I do try and keep the watercolor "subservient to the line", but it's a struggle for me. The more facile I get the more I fuss around. In this regard I wish I had the training and restraint of some of my friends and colleagues like Joe Ciardiello, Barry Blitt , Tim Bower,the late Jack Unruh, Gary Hovland, David Hughes and Oscar Grillo, who all seem to know when to just stop with the damn paint already.
HOW DID YOU DEVELOP SUCH A MENTAL INVENTORY TO DRAW SO MUCH FROM IMAGINATION? WAS IT DRAWING FROM LIFE FIRST TO BUILD THAT ABILITY? I didn't have much in the way of art schooling , so formal life drawing was not at all part of my education. I suppose I learned backwards - copying how other illustrators and cartoonists drew people, and as got older , looking hard and doing lots of observational work . I do life drawing from a model now and wish I'd had access to that practice earlier in my career ( along with an art education that would have turned me on to the fine artists I came to love belatedly; Goya ,Klimt, Grosz ,Sargent, Beckmann and on and on. I live in a constant state of catch up, trying to compensate for my artistically cloistered upbringing. If, instead of Mad magazine , I had found a damp volume of Rembrandt's etchings on that New York City sidewalk, I might not feel so behind. BECAUSE YOUR DRAWING IS SO SENSITIVE AND SKILLFULLY CREATED, DOES THAT ALLOW YOU MORE PERMISSION TO PUSH THE VIEWERS THRESHOLD OF WHAT’S PROVOCATIVE. WILL PEOPLE ACCEPT RISQUE ART IF IT IS DRAWN BEAUTIFULLY? I'm not sure who it is exactly that grants that "permission", but I have been on the receiving end of complaints by other artists saying I "get away with" a lot on Instagram
John Cuneo (born January 4, 1957) is an American illustrator, whose work has appeared in many major publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, Sports Illustrated and The Atlantic Monthly. He has been awarded several medals from the Society of Illustrators in New York City. He is also the author of the 2007 book EuROTIC
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ROLLI by Lon Levin
I grew up on the Canadian prairies. Roughly in the middle of nowhere. On a little farm, a grain farm. Wheat fields, flax fields. I was asthmatic, not much help to anyone, and left mostly to my own devices. As children will, I made my own fun. Drawing, reading, daydreaming… I lapsed into imagination.
I’m not sure what influenced me and what didn’t, but I’ve always enjoyed old school cartoonists like Chaz Addams and James Thurber. Cartoonists are a dime a dozen, but stylists are rare birds. Dodos, almost. The first poet I loved was Poe. He’s still a favorite. I like Shakespeare quite a bit. And Agatha Christie.
Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you? It reminds me a lot of John Lennon’s work. Any connection there? When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors?
I don't know. Somehow it turns out that such images arise in my head. It will be necessary to go to the doctor.
I didn’t begin to draw in earnest, or write, until my mid-twenties. This was during a long convalescence. I was a scribbler before that, a practiced doodler - - - and many other things, besides. I don’t remember ever receiving a word of encouragement. As I’ve always written (and drawn) to please myself, that didn’t dissuade me. If teachers saw potential in me - - - perhaps they did - - they kept it to themselves.
What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences? I was a solitary child. A daydreamer. A manufacturer of mischief. I haven’t changed much, I don’t think.
I’m not deliberate. Not about anything. Intuitive. I’m an intuitive person. For better or worse, my style is a natural one, and my own. I like Mr. Lennon’s music very much. The Beatles, very much. The White Album - - - that’s a good one. I don’t know much about his artwork, I’m afraid. I’ll look into it.
I
You do a lot of whimsical art. How did that happen? I’m beginning to suspect that I must be a whimsical person. I really do try to draw things as I see them. Has the computer affected your work? Do you work traditionally and digitally? I draw the old fashioned way - - - that’s ink on paper - - with minimal digital touchups. The difficulty is… Digital illustrations look wonderful. They also, to my eye, stylistically, look identical. Magazine illustrations in particular have never looked better - - or more homogenous. I expect that, in ten years’ time, everything will be AI-generated, and look phenomenal. As far as writing goes… I used to scribble everything
down in beautiful notebooks then lose the notebooks. The novelty of that wears off. Everything goes onto a laptop now. Those are somewhat harder to lose. What’s going on in your head when you work on a piece? Your fears, anticipation, confidence, etc. How do you know something is finished? I work on something until I get bored of it. If the piece is still unfinished, I toss it. If it’s finished, I’ll either toss it or, if I like it well enough, keep it. Most everything gets tossed out. I’m not easily impressed by anything on this planet, and that extends to my own work. Nothing particularly goes on in my head when I’m working. “As we suspected,” said the critics, nodding in unison.
"Cartooning was an arduous climb up the ladder. Several rungs were missing."
Do you prefer writing/poetry to art or vice versa or are they on equal footing?
keep the best one. The rest I incinerate. I don’t recycle them, unfortunately. It’s not cathartic.
I enjoy both - - - most of the time. Writing and cartooning, they’re tricky businesses. Trickier still, if you aren’t mediocre.
Writing involves a lot more daydreaming, and less incineration. On a good day.
Maintaining enchantment is key. If I find myself growing disenchanted with one field, I switch to the other. Once I’m disenchanted with that one, I switch back. It helps keep things fresh. I’m curious about how you choose what to work on. What does your process entail? Start to finish. Can you give us a short step-by-step? Well, as far as cartoons go… I daydream until I come up with something. It isn’t very scientific. I have a phobia of pencils, and work exclusively with ink. I’ll redraw a given cartoon up to 24 times, and
What do you do to promote yourself and get work? Do you work worldwide or exclusively in the States? Cartooning was an arduous climb up the ladder. Several rungs were missing. Once my work started appearing in bigger outlets… It may sound strange, but I was contacted by an elite group of cartoonists who share market information and opportunities. It’s a secret society of sorts - - - I can’t say much more about it - - - but that association has made things easier. And now that I’ve teamed up with Cartoon Collections, my published work can be viewed and licensed by anyone on the planet. I mostly work for U.S. magazines and newspapers - - that’s where the market is - - - but I also publish a fair bit in the U.K. and Australia, and sporadically in Italy, India, China and Canada. What’s the future hold for you? Any ultimate goal? Who can say? I’m fortunate enough to have had a number of books published. Over a dozen, though, are still unpublished. A story collection, a poetry collection, ten-or-so children’s books. Virtually all of my best work has never been seen. Finding a home for it… That’s my immediate and ultimate goal, always. My dream. I’ve done an enormous number of cartoons, too. For The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, The Harvard Business Review and others. I’d like to put out a collection of those one day. I’d enjoy, also, traveling from country to country, sampling desserts. I’m a great fan of cake. Chocolate in particular. A Grand Dessert Tour. It would be wonderful. If you could meet anyone in the field you’re in, who would it be and why? James Thurber. For his cartoons and humorous writings, both. The Years with Ross - - - that’s a good one. My Life and Hard Times - - - that’s even better. His literary style is elegant. His drawing style crude and beautiful. But he isn’t much read anymore, Thurber. Of course, he’s been dead for ages. I liked The New Yorker a lot better when it was a humor magazine. There’s already an Enquirer, a Time. Tragic masks are the fashion. Perhaps that will change one day. Perhaps not.
R
RHON
DA V OO
"We get a lot of exposure for my work on social media, both domestically and internationally. I'm on Instagram @voo.voo. voo. voo. voo."
All You Need is Love.
Julie Mellan Interview with
Lon Levin
When
did
you
first
by
family,
think
thing you wanted to do? discouraged
about
Were
friends,
art
as
some-
you encouraged or teachers,
mentors?
I always loved drawing, since I could hold a pen. As a child, I used to draw and paint all day long, and I simply never stopped. When I was 5, I told my mother that drawing for children books must be a pretty cool job… Luckily, my parents told to my brothers and I that we could do whatever the jobs we wanted as long as we did it well, and with passion. Yes, I felt encouraged by friends and family despite I knew that working as a freelance won’t be a bed of roses everyday. What kind of kid were you? Where What were your influences?
did you grow up?
I was a regular, happy little bookworm! I’m French, always lived in France. My family is a real cliché: my
parents, my two brothers and I lived in a suburban area with our Labrador in the late 90’s. I was surrounded by friends of my age in this lovely neighborhood and (when I wasn’t reading), we spent entire days playing in each other’s backgrounds or rooms… We also watched a lot of Disney’ s movies. I definitely was inspired by these in the first place. After the high school, I entered an art school, in order to learn the animation. There, we studied academic drawing, painting, illustration and animation. But when I had to choose my path, I rather preferred illustration: its delightful for me to spend several hours painting a detailed scene, but a real pain when it’s for hundreds of animation’s keys gestures. Your style and take on creation of art is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you?
I don’t have the feeling I have my own style yet !
" could hold a pen.
 I always loved drawing, since I
"
"I simply find animals funnier than humans to draw."
joy. Then, I transpose it with animals because I simply find them funnier than humans to draw. Has
the computer affected your work?
traditionally and digitally?
Do
you work
I still work traditionally, with watercolor. Some illustrators manage to do magnificent digital paintings but on my side, I’m so bad at it ! I simply can’t. That’s alright, because I love this traditional way, from the process to the final rendering. Sometimes, people tell me that they actually like this classic look, that it reminds them oldfashioned illustrations. Nothing makes me more proud
(Continued) I think this is like an handwriting, it comes naturally, you can try to improve it, work on it, but it represents intrinsically who you are. Several art teachers told me for years that my characters looked too much like Disney’s. I try to avoid that, to go beyond and add my touch, but this is what it comes naturally for me ! You do a lot of lovable warm character art work. How did that happen? Usually, I draw my characters based on a feeling, then comes what they will look like. I guess this process gives them more depth. Then, I’m inspired by nature: for example, have you noticed how cute a baby wombat is? Will you explain a little about the origins of your characters and their meaning to you? Do they come out of your head or from people you’ve seen or know? As I said, I start with an idea, a feeling, a posture. I’m often inspired by my two sons. Toddlers and kids have their own gestures and attitudes, their games or funny words. As an example, my son recently reached the minimal size to ride Space Mountain, I had to paint this smile ! There’s so much in it: pride, excitation and pure
than when I heard “it reminds me of Beatrix Potter’s art.” However, I do paint little colors thumbnails on Photoshop before I start the actual painting. It helps me to easily settle the color scale and harmony, the light sources, and the contrast of an illustration. What’s going on in your head when you work on a piece? Your fears, anticipation, confidence How do you know something is finished? Once I have my idea, I start sketching. I have two big fears: The first one is that it looks too much like Disney. (But I love Disney!) As practice, I copied the characters
"Some illustrators manage to do magnificent digital paintings but on my side, I’m so bad at it ! I simply can’t."
for years when I was a kid, and I still love the movies; but I heard so often that is was boring, that it gave a déjà-vu feeling, that I try to add my own personal touch every time. Also, my second fear is to be too classic, almost outdated. I work traditionally, I paint cute animals with watercolors. I’m pretty far from whacky, scatty and cool illustrations that are made these days. I do my best to go beyond my smooth, reserved nature. Also, I must confess I’m never really confident when I start a new piece. I’ll discover the final rendering at the very end: sometimes it looks like what I had in mind, sometimes it doesn’t. Finally, an illustration is finished, obviously, when everything is done. If this mouse needs whiskers, it’s finished when they have been drawn. But I really don’t know how to explain when the mouse needs whiskers or not. It’s like cooking: some people would add a little more salt, some wouldn’t! Your work is so unique, how did you attract clients when you first started out. Were you concerned about getting found by the right client? Oh, when I started, freshly graduated at 23 years-old, I was concerned by getting found, merely! Working in illustration: welcome to the jungle! I have launched dozens of portfolios to French publishers, with more or less success in the first months. In the beginning of my career, I did a lot of birth announcement cards and wedding invites, for living. Happily, I found editorial projects pretty quickly, and I keep working with my first publisher since then. Few years ago, I also started to post my work on social medias, it gave me some global visibility, and I am now represented by an international illustration agency who brings me some projects and support me with the contracts. I’m curious about how you choose what to work on. What’s does your process entail? Start to finish. Can you give us a short step-by-step? It was hard at the beginning, but today, I can afford to choose on which projects I want to work. Usually, I receive the text in the first place, if I like it, if it inspires me, let’s go for it! I start with tiny (and pretty ugly) thumbnails, I settle the storyboard this way, so I can have an overlook of the book and its sequence. I try to diversify the compositions in the several pages. When it looks good for me, I do the sketches in the right size, then I send to the publishers to get his green light, and continue on the paintings.
What do you do to promote yourself and get work? Have you worked for publishers(print and gaming)/animation companies in European countries like England or France or US? If not would you want to? In order to promote my work, I just post my latest illustrations on social medias and my online portfolio. And sometimes, between two paintings, when I have some time, I knock at publishers’ doors to let them know that I’m here… But in general, they rather come to me when a project is launched and they need an illustrator to work on it. I work with few publishers in France, from Netherlands and the US. My style of illustrations seems to be too classic, too formal for the French publishing… I would love to work with publishers from the UK! Fingers crossed! What’s the future hold for you? Any ultimate goal? I wish I could live from illustration for many years. Let’s go for even more books! And pretty good ones. Actually, I’m really often frustrated by the timelines. As I work traditionally, I need time to complete a book project while publishers schedule the publication just few months later. My ultimate goal would be to have the opportunity to work on a beautiful illustrated book, full of clumsy, cute animals, and having enough time to enhance it as much as it’s necessary. If you could meet anyone in the field you’re in who
would it be and why?
Does it sound creepy if I say I would like to meet a bunch of dead people? Seriously, I’m a huge fan of classical illustrators like Breatrix Potter (obvisouly, already said it), Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen, Grandville, Gustave Doré. I would like to know what their lives looked like at their time. All of them were real precursors in their field! But of course, there are also many great illustrators these days! I had the chance to study with one of my favorite illustrator, Jean Claverie, who was a teacher in my art school. He is a master of watercolor, and he undoubtedly taught me to be really exacting with this demanding medium. Beyond the living, I admire Rebecca Dautremer, Christopher Denise, Geneviève Godbout, Quentin Gréban, Frédéric Pillot… and many others I forgot. To be honest, I think I would be too shy to ask them anything, if I could, I would just sit quietly, and watch them working.
Wendy
edelson
An Interview with Lon Levin
ARTWORK THAT WARMS THE HEART When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors? I started drawing when I was two. Almost all children start scribbling around that age but I began in the back of the family station wagon when we moved from New York City to Southern California. To keep me entertained ( quiet ) I was given paper and pencils and began drawing mothers holding babies, animals, children playing, the landscape out the windows…I would hand my drawings up to my parents in the front seat, and from what they tell me,,, they were very surprised. My parents both had wanted to be artists, my Dad a sculptor, my Mom a fashion designer… so they were very aware,
of art and drawing. I never stopped after that fateful cross country trip. My Dad had a sort of studio in our garage and he mostly carved large figures in wood, from fallen trees. I would draw there, to be with him. I remember being tired and saying I was going to go in the house and he looked at my drawing and said, “ NO! you cannot stop until you get that foreshortening of the foot right! To be a great artist you must first be a great draughtsman, you must draw, draw, draw and make sure the anatomy is correct… that your figures can STAND on those legs… until then, any technique is worthless, color is meaningless…. The drawing, the skeleton MUST be accurate!!!!” He was very passionate and not kidding, so I’d stayed and drew until he told me it was good My family was enormously encouraging and never said I should, “ learn X in case
the art didn’t work out, so I’d have something to fall back on”, like many well meaning parents do. They were kind of all or nothing people. When I was in seventh grade a friend of mine’s father was a fairly well known painter. After a while I’d just go visit him in his studio. He introduced me to mediums other than pencils, like pen and ink and technical pens and gouache and watercolors. I was very fortunate and was surrounded by people who encouraged and supported me. What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences? I was very fortunate and was surrounded by people who encouraged and supported me. To be honest, I was a kind of strange kid. I was an only child, the daughter of two bohemian parents who had no interest at all in “ fitting in “. I was a loner and spent virtually all my time drawing. I went from kindergarten straight into the second grade
so I was always younger than the other children. I grew up in Chatsworth, California. My Dad used to go to yard sales and estate sales all the time and brought me an OLD encyclopedia for children called The Wonder Book of Knowledge, which was filled with engravings and B & W drawings and color plates by artists like Howard Pyle, the pre-Raphalite Brotherhood and Arthur Rackham. I was positively smitten and he brought me all the books he could find by them. I particularly loved “The Wonder Clock” by Howard Pyle and also the wonderful fairy tales from Russian illustrators. All of these influenced me greatly, the strong drawing , design and detail, imagination, and pattern!
"To be honest, I was a kind of strange kid."
You do a lot of whimsical art work. How did that happen? Do you prefer kidlit art to other forms? I really love drawing and painting the subject matter that often lends itself to children’s books, fairy tales and fables, natural animals or animals in outfits, magical creatures, children and elderly people, forests and gardens, imaginary scenes…I didn’t really start out wanting to illustrate children’s books…rather I wanted to draw and paint what appealed to me and it naturally led to children’s books. A lot of my work has also been licensed for puzzles, decorative items, fabrics…a lot of various applications. Has the computer affected your work? Do you work traditionally and digitally?
I work traditionally almost exclusively. I use PhotoShop to clean up pencil drawings, occasionally flop or shrink/enlarge elements in a sketch and I print my final pencil drawings which I often change to a light
sepia onto 140# Arches hot press watercolor paper on a wide format printer. From then on, it’s all watercolor and often some acrylic gouache when I want to paint lights over darks, like sunlit leaves What’s going on in your head when you work on a piece? Your fears, anticipation, confidence , etc. How do you know something is finished?
The drawing is the work, it requires much more focus and more quiet. When it flows it is pure joy, other times a hand needs to be drawn 20 times until it just “ feels” right. The painting is my favorite part, I just love everything about it. While I’m painting I often
(continued from previous page) watch British mystery series or listen to audio books… often times a particular bit will become somehow embedded in the painting and I can look at a particular section of a painting and the scene from the movie or passage from a book will come flooding back! The piece just tells me when it is finished, and I’ve learned to listen. Your work is reminiscent of classic warm and fuzzy children’s art. Is that intentional? Who if anyone influences your work?
Not really intentional, it’s just how I see the world. I really would enjoy creating some “ fantasy art” projects but a lot of them need to be kind of dark and I just don’t pull that off very convincingly. As I mentioned before, early on I was influenced by the pre-Raphaelites like John Waterhouse, Millais and Burne-Jones…also William Morris, Arthur Rackham and Howard Pyle, Norman Rockwell and Maurice Sendak. I’m curious about how you choose what to work on. What’s does your process entail? Start to finish. Can you give us a short step-by-step? A lot of my work over the years has chosen me. As a working artist, besides being my avocation and calling, it has also been my means of support. Luckily for me, as time has gone by, because of my very particular and recognizable style, the projects that come my way are ones that I am happy working on. No one ever comes to me for an edgy, very graphic digital illustration with no detail! When I begin a project there is usually a period of percolating and marinating…if it is a commercial piece, an editorial or advertising piece that is usually very short as those generally have tighter deadlines. Then I begin looking for reference photographs, medieval villages, elephants, bumblebees, oak trees, people leaping….I don’t look to copy photographs but rather to look at the form of a wing, the texture of that particular bark, anatomical information. Then I begin scribbling. At first it is blobs which represent people, things, animals …just to get the rhythm of the piece, pieces, the book. If it is a book I need to get to know the characters… what do the people look like, who are they? Sometimes I’ll write little bios for them, for myself to help me know their personalities and how they carry themselves…all the little details that contribute to how I draw them.
My favorite projects are those stories written without many adjectives or adverbs. One of my heroes is author/illustrator and Caldecott Medal winner, Uri Shulevitz who wrote a book called “Writing With Pictures”. In it he describes how words and illustrations in a picture book should be like a string of pearls, that the illustrations should SHOW things that the words do not SAY, so together words and pictures create the book. When I receive a story to illustrate I am overjoyed if the words just say, “ Joe”, and I can show that Joe is tall and gangly and has red hair that sticks up and a long, sad face. From there I continue tightening and refining the sketches , adding detail, light and shadow. Eventually I feel the sketches are finished and then I submit them to the Art /Creative Director with whom I am working. If I am supremely fortunate they will tell me they LOVE my sketches and to go PAINT!!!! Often times some changes will be made, usually fairly minor and relatively painless….VERY ( luckily ) occasionally major changes will be requested and then one complies, happy that no one is a fly on the studio walls. Finally the go ahead is given and the painting can begin. I scan my very finished pencil drawings, clean up unnecessary pencil lines, fix previously unseen tangent, ghosts etc. and scan them, and colorize the sketch to a light brown Then I staple the printed sketch onto a brown gatorboard panel and slosh water all over it. When it dries, it is tight and will not ripple or buckle under subsequent wash. Depending on the image, sometimes I will paint a very light blue or raw sienna wash over the entire piece. Also, at that point I might apply frisket, masking fluid to certain details, areas that I want to remain untouched as I apply washes to the surrounding areas.
From that point on I apply many light layers, glazes, of watercolor, building up the color and working all over the painting. My process is slow, but I am pretty fast at it, and it makes me happier than almost anything else. When they are finished I scan them at a high resolution and send them to the publisher via an ftp service, or occasionally send the publisher the actual completed paintings… and feel a sense of accomplishment that another book has been completed but also feel a bit adrift and overwhelmed at the thought of beginning the whole process again. When I finish a book very late at night it’s a little weird, there one is, finished, after many months of work and one is just simply finished There is only the finished work and the silence, broken only be a softly snoring dog…. Once to remedy that my husband made me a recording of a cheering crowd, rousing applause. I feel silly playing it but it makes me smile just to know I can, What do you do to promote yourself and get work? Have you worked for publishers in European countries like England or France? If not would you want to? Not nearly enough. For most of my career I have had agents who took care of that for me, but at the moment I am unrepresented. I think about promo campaigns and mailings, postcards, portfolio sites, looking for new representation but I am currently busy with several projects so I tell myself maybe in the Fall since Summer in publishing is so sleepy. I have never worked for any English, or French publishers, but would love to. Many European books are very beautiful. There is a Russian publisher who is publishing some wonderful children’s books… I would jump at the chance to work with them given my love for Russian illustrated children’s books, fairy tales, and admiration for what they are publishing now. What’s the future hold for you? Any ultimate goal?
Good things! I am involved in several projects that I am loving and the beginnings of something very special. Ultimately, I would love to author, not only illustrate picture books. If you could meet anyone in the field you’re in who would it be and why?
I would love to meet Uri Shulevitz. He really
brought home the magic and joy of picture books as an art form to me. His own illustrations and words are beautiful and clear and full of emotion and sweetness. I would love to thank him for being such an inspiration.
"My process is slow, but I am pretty fast at it, and it makes me happier than almost anything else."
Feedback
I really like how you arranged and designed each page with my illustrations. It gives the whole a really a fresh look and elegant touch. What I really like about your Journal is the diversity of illustrators you choose for each issue. It gives a sense of where illustration is going through the multitude of talents on display. And it's a good source of inspiration for those starting out in this profession, as well. Stefano Imbert/Award-winning Fashion Designer/Board Member SINY
"The Illustrator’s Journal, a wonderful online magazine about everything illustration. Thank you Lon! I really enjoyed doing this interview, thinking about the answers to your great questions" - Wendy Edelson/Award-winning illustrator
"The Illustrators Journal looks great!" - Rolli Writer/Cartoonist
This looks so fantastic Lon! I love the big photo of the Corey Haim canvas you included! It's a beautiful piece, thank you soooo much! - Sarah Beetson/Award-winning Illustrator/Artist Rep/England
The Illustrators Journal! Yaaaay! Thank You - Agata Karelus/Award-winning Animator/Illustrator/Designer/Poland
Feedback
The Illustrations Journal is a wonderful art magazine filled with interviews, innovations, step-by-step processes and relevant articles pertaining to the illustration world. The magazine features both well-respected illustrators who are known veterans of the business, new up and coming illustrators to look out for, visionary artists, educators, agents, and artists who work in various mediums including traditional, new media, and 3-D. I found The Illustrators Journal an excellent magazine for both professionals, students, and educators who could share the magazine in the classroom as a learning tool. - Leslie Cober-Gentry/Award-winning illustrator/Board Member SINY/Conneticutt
"So happy to be included in such an impressive legacy of talent being featured issue after issue in this insightful publication, a magazinededicated exclusively to the field of illustration and the hardworking,passionate and driven artists that work in it!" - Lisa L. Cyr/ Teacher/Award-winning Fantasy Artist/NY
Yes- please bring illustrators together. I can’t tell you how much I like what you are doing and think it is important. - Peter Sis /SINY Hall of Fame/NY - Peter Sis /SINY Hall of Fame/Award-winning illustrator /NY
I don’t like the Illustrators Journal - I love it! You did a lovely feature of me. Thank you. - Gail Armstrong/ Award-winning Paper Sculptor/England
The interviews are very insightful and fun to read. I love learning about fellow artist work and experiences, so when I started reading the journal I could not put it down! It’s beautiful to look at as well, so it’s like candy for the brain! - Aglaia Morsheva/Teacher/Award-winning Animator/Nickelodeon/Hollywood
Illustration by Lon Levin for SINY Gallery Show "Save the Planet" Postcards
