The Google Experience: Illustrations for a New Client
I had the opportunity to finally work with Google! It was fast-paced and intense. Here are some examples of the work I produced over a period of nine days.
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Process of Process: Who is Justice Jack?
Who is Justice Jack? He’s a real-life superhero! Well, really he’s just a guy in Spandex and a mask who rides around town on a dirt bike, hoping to find some crime to fight.
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Process of Process: The New Albion Cycles Badge
Recently, I had the privilege to work with Mary Sales, Jim Porter, and Stanley Pun of the Merry Sales Company, the Bay Area distributor that co-founded SOMA Fabrications. Jim contacted me to design the head badge for a new line of lugged bicycles. Merry Sales Company will distribute these bicycles under the brand New Albion Cycles. [...]
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Process of Process: What is the plural of Elvis?
The plural of Elvis? Elvi — or in this case, Elvi impersonators. Follow the steps in the process to create the cover for Wendelin VanDaanen’s lastest Sammy Keyes mystery, Showdown in Sin City . . .
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IS THIS PROCESS PROGRESS????
I was recently approached to digitally update illustrations for two books I originally illustrated by hand with pen and and ink and watercolor in the early 90′s. I found myself struggling with how much of the new me was willing to be the old me.
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“Dammit! That still looks like a kangaroo!!”
The assignment: Create a not-too-cute, sort of realistic, edgy, hipsterish product spokesperson that happens to be an alpaca. SPECIAL BONUS for ASPIRING ILLUSTRATORS at the end of the post.
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The Process of Process: The Badge
For Joseph Ahearne, one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest bicycle frame builders, the Ahearne Cycles head tube badge is much more than a logo. The badge tells the story of the bike and its maker.
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Edwards’ Theory of Evolution: Why Hippos with Braces are Okay, but Sharks with Glasses Are Just Too Scary
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution proves the notion of survival of the fittest. What does Edwards’ Theory of Evolution of Illustrations for a Dental Clinic prove? Read on to learn the answer to this bewildering mystery.
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July 2011 Profile in BikePortland.org
This is a profile by BikePortland.org editor Jonathan Maus published on July 15, 2011 and reprinted with permission.
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Trouble at the Lake: First Volume in the Squwak Adventure Series
“Trouble at the Lake” is the first in the “Squwak Adventure Series” of child safety books produced by the Yell and Tell Foundation. This post talks about collaboration between me and the author, Yell and Tell founder Jean Davidson.
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Using illustration to help deliver an important message to kids.
For the past couple of years, I have been involved with a wonderful charity called Yell and Tell. It was developed by Jean Davidson, the granddaughter of Walter Davidson, one of the four founders and first president of Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company. Rather than join the family business, Jean chose to dedicate her life to teaching children.
Jean’s four year old grandson, Ryder, died in a tragic accident that might have been prevented if only his playmate standing nearby had known how to react.
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The Process of Process: It’s a Bike AND a Book!
There are two things I really like: illustrating kid’s books and restoring bicycles. I’ve designed graphics for many custom bike frames. Here are a couple of examples of my original designs. I’ve also illustrated stories about bugs riding bikes. This is a dummy for a book I presented at a children’s book conference [...]
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The Process of Process: Generating 2 HP
A good friend forwarded this announcement from the Froelick Gallery here in Portland: EQUINE Juried Group Exhibit: Equine theme June 01 – July 16, 2011 “Across cultural boundaries and throughout history, few animals have carried as much symbolic weight as the horse. They can stand for unrestrained freedom and independence, loyalty, luxury and nobility, [...]
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Jake
Jake is a Yellow Lab who lives in Portland, Oregon. He’s almost twelve, but has the personality of a puppy. When I was scheduling a date to take photos to use as reference to paint his portrait, Vonnie, his owner, wrote, “Can we meet at a park? That’s usually where he has that big, ear-to-ear [...]
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The Process of Process: The New Kid
I just completed a very fun job for Random House. They are great people to work with. The book was written by Newbery Honor Winner Mavis Jukes and is titled The New Kid. This post is a written and visual record of the steps involved to develop illustrations for the front and back covers of [...]
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The Process of Process: Sammy Keyes Book Cover for Random House
This post describes the process behind creating a book cover for “The Wedding Crasher”, the latest in the Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen published by Random House Children’s Books.
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It Takes a Dialogue to Paint a Successful Dog Portrait
This week, almost exactly a year after I finished the portrait of Brinks, I received sad news from Barbara and Jacque. Brinks maintained her dignity throughout her struggle with a debilitating, progressive neuromuscular disease. I felt privileged to know her through my correspondence with Barbara. Brinks’ story is an inspiration as we each face our personal struggles great and [...]
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Who is this Kay Bridge? She’s brilliant!!!!!
I met the artist Kay Bridge three years ago in a painting master class with Leigh Hyams. At that time, Kay was beginning to work on canvas on a large scale. As I struggled to make something, “look like it is supposed to,” Kay let loose, and made it look like it’s supposed to feel. [...]
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Bridger: Portrait of a Hunting Retriever
This post illustrates the stages in a commissioned portrait of Bridger, a Yellow Lab owned by Jane Francis of Cheyenne, Wyoming. What started as a portrait of his head evolved into a dynamic painting that more truly captured the spirit and personality of this exceptional dog.
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Auto: The Ferret of Them All
This week marked a career first. In my forty years doing animal portraiture, I’ve painted dogs, cats, horses, iguanas, hippos, hawks and flamingos, but never a ferret. A member of the weasel family, ferrets were once used to hunt rabbits. The subject of my painting is named Auto. Auto belongs to web designer and printmaker [...]
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A Modern Antique: The Pedersen Bicycle Poster Project
In this post, I talk about creating an oversized poster for a Victorian era bicycle, the Pedersen, which is still in production today. I designed the poster in the style of a 19th century lithograph that might have been used to advertise the bicycle when it was first introduced in 1896.
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Welcome! Karl Edwards Studio Illustration + Fine Art
Welcome to my new blog. Posts provide glimpses behind the scenes of my commercial illustration and fine art studio. I’ll share my projects while they are in progress. There is a lot of variety in my work. I move between advertising campaigns, children’s books and commissioned animal portraits, tightly rendered watercolors and loose, humorous cartoons.
I welcome dialog with artists, designers and other creatives that generates a sense of community. It can be a source of inspiration and add some fun to the workday. Please jump in with your ideas and comments.
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