Spooky Illustration

Halloween is tomorrow and I thought it was important that you know about a really cool artist that I admire named Mister Reusch.  He is an Illustrator who lives in the Boston area and is a creator of all things spooky.  You can take evening classes with him through Mass College of Art.  Right now he is teaching a class called "Spooky Illustrations" and it sounds really fun.   Unfortunately it is too late to sign up this year, but if it comes around again you should hop on board.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explores 100 years of spooky-themed illustration, from vintage greeting cards to snowboard art, and gives students experience working in the "scary art" field. Among the works studied are children’s book illustrations, from the Brothers Grimm, Arthur Rackham, and Maurice Sendak to Edward Gorey, Tim Burton, and Gris Grimly, and horror comics, from the notorious EC titles of the 1950s to modern anthologies such as Doomed. Assignments include a graphic novel adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, "One for the Road;" constructing an oversize 3D mask and spook show prop for a monster mask; and creating full-color storybook illustrations as well as images for multiuse merchandise licensing (e.g., greeting cards, apparel, 3D products). Basic drawing and painting skills are required. Below is a picture of him playing guitar with a zombie mask on.  

NYC Field Trip

We are hitting the big apple a week from Friday.  Come by my classroom if you want to join us.
The bus leaves school at 6:00 AM and we don't return until 11:00 PM.  It is a whirlwind, but a whole lot of fun and inspiration.  The Metropolitan is having an exhibit on Vermeer's painting "The Milkmaid".  It is a treat to see a masterpiece such as this in person, not to mention the thousands of other gorgeous master works.  You have to see this painting to appreciate the craftsmanship. Breathtaking!  You must come with us!

"Influenced by the detailed realism of Gerrit Dou (1613–1675) and his followers in Leiden, Vermeer created his most illusionistic image in The Milkmaid. To modern viewers the picture may resemble a photograph. However, the composition is exquisitely designed, as is evident from several revisions made in the course of execution and from subtle relationships of light and shadow, color, contours, and shapes. A low vantage point and a pyramidal buildup of forms from the left foreground to the woman's head lend the figure monumentality and perhaps a sense of dignity. And yet, like milkmaids and kitchen maids in earlier Netherlandish art, and like other young women in Vermeer's oeuvre, this figure was meant to attract the male viewer and to have her own thoughts of romance."

-Metropolitan Museum of Art Website

We will also be visiting galleries in SoHo and perhaps the Museum of Comic Book Art.

This is what happens when you don't follow Ms. Bean's rules.