Chesty!

Saint Chesty

This is a caricature I did for a class a couple summers ago, while I was getting my Master of Fine Arts in Illustration degree from the University of Hartford.

The class was taught by none other than the great Chris Payne, an illustrator whose work has graced the covers of the best magazines in the nation (he's also a scholar and gentlemen, and an excellent conversationalist).

He taught us his process for caricature, and we had a couple days to "master" it (if that's possible!) and bring the work from sketch to completion for critique day. It was fun and intensely challenging all at once.

Caricature, if nothing else, is difficult-- much more difficult than people usually believe. Not only must the artist understand portraiture, but he must also understand how to exaggerate the features of an individual while maintaining a likeness!

My cover's off to Mr. Payne, and to all who venture the wilds of caricature.

Moving Along on the Trail to Higher Learning

Hello, all--

Thought I should give you a  SitRep on the goings on here.

I've been away lately, working on my masters degree, through the Low Residency MFA in Illustration at the University of Hartford.  It's a high-intensity program geared to the working professional, which allows him to pursue an MFA while still maintaining a career. For details, click here. I've got only a few sessions left, and one year from now, I'll be a "master" in the art of illustration. The Professors are world class illustrators, most of whom are legends in the biz.

Here are some photos from recent session, held in Hartford, Connecticut:

Chris (C.F.) Payne talks to us during "crit" in Advanced Illustration 2 class (my work is on the wall, far left-- the caricature of Chesty Puller and the monotypes of  WWI African American soldier...)

The monotype they liked--

Also a sculpture update--

I've made a bit of headway on the Mule and His Marine sculpture and here is the latest photo: