tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17874760910651959932024-03-07T13:33:40.379-05:00Robert Squier IllustrationsIllustrations, doodles and sketches by illustrator, Robert Squier<br>
Check out more work on my website at www.robertsquier.comRobert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-73497197470583563522014-08-03T22:02:00.002-04:002014-08-03T22:02:39.138-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The great folks at Highlights magazine entrusted me with the cover for their August issue – a true honor.</div>
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A
cover assignment starts with written art direction and it went
something like this: We are looking for a mixed group of kids diving for
colorful pool rings, w/fun perspective.<br />
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My next step was NOT
going to a pool--it was January, after all. Instead, I searched Google
images for underwater pool scenes, swim goggles, swim trunks, swim
suits, pool linings, pool rings, public pools, lifeguard stands… you get
the idea. Looking at relevant images inspired ideas and helped me
capture a believable underwater scene.<br />
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The basic composition came
together pretty quickly but I spent a lot of time tweaking the different
elements. Dramatic foreshortening is tricky and that took some time. I
drew that foreground hand (and ring) several times, making it bigger and
bigger until making it any larger would have overwhelmed the rest of
the scene.<br />
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Making an
underwater scene look convincing is challenge. For a while, the kids
looked as if they were flying. The undulating spiderweb of reflected
light that appears along the water's surface (and the sides and bottom
of the pool) went a long way to sell the effect. Of course, bubbles were
also a key detail and the rope with floaters helped delineate the
surface of the water. Also, the two background swimmers have a subtle
blue cast that you'd expect from atmospheric (aquaspheric?) perspective.</div>
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I hope the final illustration captures the joy of a hot August day!<br />
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Thanks for visiting! <br />
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Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-18178520030900554502014-08-03T21:58:00.000-04:002014-08-03T21:58:13.979-04:00Who Was Louis Braille<span id="yui_3_17_2_1_1407117364689_1868">Check out some of the 80 (yes, 80!) illustrations I did for <em>Who Was Louis Braille</em>, written by Margaret Frith,</span><span> published by Grosset & Dunlap, and available in bookstores everywhere</span><br />
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Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-50086927701921829802014-06-27T12:50:00.000-04:002014-06-27T12:50:07.141-04:00Sketchy Scene: Newburyport Drink N' Draw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-42793811257262309812013-03-23T21:22:00.000-04:002013-03-23T21:22:03.870-04:00Highlights Cover March 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My illustration graces the cover of Highlights magazine, March 2013!Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-1144520762159163382013-03-23T21:13:00.000-04:002013-03-23T21:13:04.738-04:00The Year In Review 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year! How are those resolutions going? My resolution to update this blog more frequently hasn't gone so well...Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-17805461131799277562013-03-23T21:05:00.000-04:002013-03-23T21:05:22.550-04:00Drawing Neptune and Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The Story of Cassiopeia</i> is a book recently published by Picture Window Books, written by Thomas Kingsley Troupe and illustrated by yours truly! There are more details about the book in my previous post; in this post I'm going to show some of the steps that lead to a finished illustration.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thumbnail sketch of the spread showing Neptune conjuring the sea creature Cetus. At this point I'm only working on the composition of the double page spread. Character design comes next...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once I have an idea of how the page will be composed I start </td></tr>
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<br />Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-67971162484827205392012-10-12T12:01:00.000-04:002012-12-04T20:40:48.063-05:00Release the Kraken -- I mean Cetus!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0L3jpe8ROQp8DCIKqkavVMP8PXJoVEM9XghjZE1wvAWvUdK642xrXGI5StxowSjRkRx5uBcmfzndu6oNEOsDkS53XD0qDewoJQBBYTxh0YHCiQUGcqLVaCT86A3IuojndE6f5c0rUfl6/s1600/cass_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0L3jpe8ROQp8DCIKqkavVMP8PXJoVEM9XghjZE1wvAWvUdK642xrXGI5StxowSjRkRx5uBcmfzndu6oNEOsDkS53XD0qDewoJQBBYTxh0YHCiQUGcqLVaCT86A3IuojndE6f5c0rUfl6/s200/cass_cover.jpg" width="159" /></a>This beasty is the mighty sea monster Cetus. I had the opportunity to
draw this mythological beast – along with Pegasus, Neptune and even the
head of Medusa – for <i>The Story of Cassiopeia</i>, a book written by Thomas Kingsley Troupe and published by Picture Window Books.<br />
<br />
The
books is based on a Roman constellation myth that tells the story of
Cassiopeia, the vain queen that dares to think she is more beautiful
than than Neptune's daughters, the sea nymphs. When word of Cassiopeia's
boast reaches Jupiter, he becomes furious and sets out to destroy
Cassiopeia's kingdom. What happens next? Well, you'll have to buy the
book! Or you can look it up the ancient myth on Wikipedia...<br />
<br />
I
had a blast illustrating this book. The story is full of action, angst
and MONSTERS! The ten-year-old in me was thrilled to be designing and
drawing my very own Cetus!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAdbEZkuB5uukzrT0vbKe9qmHupQ8RgooN_yCuJdJzuftMRg4tsErHdgxHulxdyOh16WNQxvp-so3NITIuc78K4myRBD_d5WeofNyrUWjOqRbySkE2R2tPMUHSYFZmTHwKkM-RWTz8BD7/s1600/cass01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAdbEZkuB5uukzrT0vbKe9qmHupQ8RgooN_yCuJdJzuftMRg4tsErHdgxHulxdyOh16WNQxvp-so3NITIuc78K4myRBD_d5WeofNyrUWjOqRbySkE2R2tPMUHSYFZmTHwKkM-RWTz8BD7/s640/cass01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU4wY2fyZbp7sbEhyacnuQWRQS3h8HYSy4jtq6c7LQjva_UhI7PY6qBabi6jrNJ15WQtvFnuRzqaUTZ0iCRs51ioAGB6E_PdIDkFwowHCbeoXgyWca6xGYC3dmFsmraG3KvyilFD1wbwp/s1600/cass02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU4wY2fyZbp7sbEhyacnuQWRQS3h8HYSy4jtq6c7LQjva_UhI7PY6qBabi6jrNJ15WQtvFnuRzqaUTZ0iCRs51ioAGB6E_PdIDkFwowHCbeoXgyWca6xGYC3dmFsmraG3KvyilFD1wbwp/s640/cass02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyL5AAJb85eYXgs7gBpGe2RFzavrp-58RfaPBHnV09QoEH5_-IbNDPSyNiy2ixejqnxn1S9DXeIgwtTMsJ4PyHOmT45IkUW4bZ-r376VXtooHSIwulsm-ZTjdpAEFfqxB_mNv-IFqb3nA/s1600/cass03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyL5AAJb85eYXgs7gBpGe2RFzavrp-58RfaPBHnV09QoEH5_-IbNDPSyNiy2ixejqnxn1S9DXeIgwtTMsJ4PyHOmT45IkUW4bZ-r376VXtooHSIwulsm-ZTjdpAEFfqxB_mNv-IFqb3nA/s640/cass03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-12014809681768486072012-07-23T22:08:00.000-04:002012-07-23T22:08:04.646-04:00Cappy Hampers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAySEjnrjaV74phnwbH8f5RmvZEWUJ5xQQFpG34BdhU1BrX_rZSW3IBF2uTqvqW-h9_qO76KGxQ4gAZNOk6mzIeN1oN_WRjoTEpnZ5LR6yxnmRfCtBzYhPIlls69dvxJ0ZIkSBA_OhRV1d/s1600/HL_campfire_bait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAySEjnrjaV74phnwbH8f5RmvZEWUJ5xQQFpG34BdhU1BrX_rZSW3IBF2uTqvqW-h9_qO76KGxQ4gAZNOk6mzIeN1oN_WRjoTEpnZ5LR6yxnmRfCtBzYhPIlls69dvxJ0ZIkSBA_OhRV1d/s1600/HL_campfire_bait.jpg" /></a></div>
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These happy campers appeared in <a href="http://www.highlights.com/" target="_blank">Highlights for Children</a> magazine earlier this year. The "Campfire Bait" rebus was written by <a href="http://aline%20alexander%20newman/" target="_blank">Aline Alexander Newman</a> and illustrated by yours truly.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_15eYKymYmrVXOQNkj9pGcYuaK0u6K5GUVMDQH2xMEdh8H2V_QyB2uGHcRgzJekPYk6WqwpN2lXiIaLY0h55t6qMguzDVmu7itIwSd8w2wIIVt09bVG2FhMyex3ZCGCwjsnatCDelmMY/s1600/j_camping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_15eYKymYmrVXOQNkj9pGcYuaK0u6K5GUVMDQH2xMEdh8H2V_QyB2uGHcRgzJekPYk6WqwpN2lXiIaLY0h55t6qMguzDVmu7itIwSd8w2wIIVt09bVG2FhMyex3ZCGCwjsnatCDelmMY/s400/j_camping.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High priced, big-time professional modeling types.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Generally, when I start a drawing I work from my imagination. But there's usually a point where I feel I need to look at some reference. For this illustration I borrowed my brother and my nephew. My goal wasn't to create a likeness of this dynamic duo; rather, I used their photos to help me draw more convincing poses, camp chairs, and folds in clothing.<br />
<br />
It's been a while, but I'd guess I also looked at photos of bark, pine needles on a branch, fishing poles, tackle boxes, raccoons and probably even hot dogs!<br />
<br />
I've done some camping in my day and my experiences crept into this
illustration. That's my tent and my cooler in the background. There is
one camping detail that I left out of this illustration – mosquitoes! <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb2GvvfVLo3JMSofbytr7dNPK9MjXUvOpuqZkPaDQ54p16lf5NR81pLWU7AvvsB9Sy47La_R7a2IoHCAZXmTZfbNAc9Nq4LWNbQg57PzB-O_QtgjAQZ2TlWjSTVr1iRqiqyFM2thw89yr/s1600/HL_campfire_bait_sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb2GvvfVLo3JMSofbytr7dNPK9MjXUvOpuqZkPaDQ54p16lf5NR81pLWU7AvvsB9Sy47La_R7a2IoHCAZXmTZfbNAc9Nq4LWNbQg57PzB-O_QtgjAQZ2TlWjSTVr1iRqiqyFM2thw89yr/s1600/HL_campfire_bait_sketch.jpg" /></a>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-25830494701491015012012-03-26T22:26:00.000-04:002012-04-02T10:15:55.730-04:00Highlights Hidden Pictures Spring Cover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdy0yaWYa9SO31my0dGHAEJIoxDrb-63jrJZIWJOofXPxsJS7gvuARS1Ncff8C9irDyPwLP4NW3cmLmbcgxHoo4Hz4X_Hce6OXkuKGsJRcKtZrBRvkukSBGIH5B6qx0XMOdDALj_KZeId/s1600/hidpict_squier_may2012_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdy0yaWYa9SO31my0dGHAEJIoxDrb-63jrJZIWJOofXPxsJS7gvuARS1Ncff8C9irDyPwLP4NW3cmLmbcgxHoo4Hz4X_Hce6OXkuKGsJRcKtZrBRvkukSBGIH5B6qx0XMOdDALj_KZeId/s640/hidpict_squier_may2012_01.jpg" width="536" /></a></div>
<br />
Can you find the bumble bee hidden in this illustration? What about the
duck? The frog? The butterfly? The rabbit? And the turtle? The turtle
is a real tough one…<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAVFerTur_q9aw9wmpW5HMmkTE28O2vgo-upW-WToGpo0_CCytKdO0jqDZUPwfNDlJgkCkFWGfg5RmuQCnO9lzQo1jy99wBF_bdy5t3g6lbZlGTuBPOI0gdo9GaLAbGdSplt_MtQDE0GB/s1600/hidpict_squier_may2012_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAVFerTur_q9aw9wmpW5HMmkTE28O2vgo-upW-WToGpo0_CCytKdO0jqDZUPwfNDlJgkCkFWGfg5RmuQCnO9lzQo1jy99wBF_bdy5t3g6lbZlGTuBPOI0gdo9GaLAbGdSplt_MtQDE0GB/s320/hidpict_squier_may2012_03.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott and Wendy: Hidden Pictures addicts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It
takes a keen eye to find Hidden Pictures, but trust me, it takes an even keener
eye to draw them! That's why I'm grateful to my optometrist, Sheila M.
White, for setting me up with some stylish drawing glasses. I stopped
by The Eyeglass Shop recently to give them a copy of the Spring
Highlights Hidden Pictures, which features this illustration on the
cover. <br />
<br />
The folks at the shop are long-time fans of Highlights, and Hidden Pictures in particular. They actually have contests to see who can find all the hidden objects first! I was proud to supply them with a Hidden Pictures puzzle of my own, and I thank them for keeping my drawing eyes in decent shape.<br />
<br />
The Spring Highlights Hidden Pictures is in stores now through May 22nd!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn-fTlqtFqLR1XWqUn819-1uDJ2hCev2rFb1S9_PLxMwwp9BSrd3Odt26rMWIP42Eq4luNnlVskU-_hkxw37X5qCxU3SiaJdgysTmu8AvalJPsgO-tpuDyYtDaI9DUjUwniom-sIAr31p/s1600/hidpict_squier_may2012_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn-fTlqtFqLR1XWqUn819-1uDJ2hCev2rFb1S9_PLxMwwp9BSrd3Odt26rMWIP42Eq4luNnlVskU-_hkxw37X5qCxU3SiaJdgysTmu8AvalJPsgO-tpuDyYtDaI9DUjUwniom-sIAr31p/s640/hidpict_squier_may2012_02.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preliminary sketches.</td></tr>
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<br />Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-72579710241045892072012-03-17T18:45:00.001-04:002012-03-19T16:27:54.590-04:00Happy St. Patrick's Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mhJpGXD94sAljXEYxNYG4HbgCQetNMLt-zAAa4R8LChvzIVjeODwCYSSE-N9uDDELxh_WBV9yO-A09DFsdyevzrJ3e_yzJ8pC-VYNpn1pNSBHVDq1nGiOb9fuHmoRq2pYkzMvwVAQ4bw/s1600/leper_2012_squier_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mhJpGXD94sAljXEYxNYG4HbgCQetNMLt-zAAa4R8LChvzIVjeODwCYSSE-N9uDDELxh_WBV9yO-A09DFsdyevzrJ3e_yzJ8pC-VYNpn1pNSBHVDq1nGiOb9fuHmoRq2pYkzMvwVAQ4bw/s640/leper_2012_squier_01.jpg" width="562" /></a></div>
<br />
Happy St. Patrick's Day! I created this leprechaun for a group mailing
my agent, <a href="http://portfoliosolutionsllc.com/" target="_blank">Portfolio Solutions</a>, put together. Each artist had to
illustrate a leprechaun with a pot of gold and a rainbow. I first tried
to make the leprechaun look like he was hot <span class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">tubbing</span> in his pot of gold, but he just looked naked – and creepy. See sketch below…<br />
<br />
Sorta like a white-trash leprechaun.<br />
<br />
I experimented a bit with this project: there's a lot more texture than I usually use and the leprechaun is more <span class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">cartoony</span> and stylized. I think it's fun – and a style I want to explore.<br />
<br />
And why the snake? I don't know. I think I was going for irony but, really, it's inexplicable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDzrw-IN5YGXKL-y3_bu8gVXLcnm2FiN2B-D4jKiEqSK7pMmKgHFywS57XikVOA8L7K6Psiz0vteHeZt1U1guGVjpHdsyuCaWgpM2bvxIr_jmdv3s7g5FvvMYqcQkU0_4a0xY4cWDtdkM/s1600/leper_2012_squier_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDzrw-IN5YGXKL-y3_bu8gVXLcnm2FiN2B-D4jKiEqSK7pMmKgHFywS57XikVOA8L7K6Psiz0vteHeZt1U1guGVjpHdsyuCaWgpM2bvxIr_jmdv3s7g5FvvMYqcQkU0_4a0xY4cWDtdkM/s640/leper_2012_squier_02.jpg" width="560" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If this is what's waiting for me at the end of rainbow, I'm not interested.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-42798132573385884912012-03-07T21:26:00.000-05:002012-03-07T21:26:05.465-05:00Prehistoric Poultry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciJoTsInrkJE0O5bXbiUkt5Dv24F4WwgD1hIhuWnSa-Uiq8TVZaeRZkcm3TeU-aFHuE8vpdbDl1BOts7Vg4Dhck22NkJb1Gi4k7DE9xjkqE4GX8iazIC9SsqssN_Mj7tS4gDGAMar_s3n/s1600/Squier_GIGANTORAPTOR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciJoTsInrkJE0O5bXbiUkt5Dv24F4WwgD1hIhuWnSa-Uiq8TVZaeRZkcm3TeU-aFHuE8vpdbDl1BOts7Vg4Dhck22NkJb1Gi4k7DE9xjkqE4GX8iazIC9SsqssN_Mj7tS4gDGAMar_s3n/s640/Squier_GIGANTORAPTOR.jpg" width="628" /></a></div>
I illustrated this crazy dinosaur for Highlights Magazine (March 2012). Gigantoraptor was sorta like a big turkey – it stood 12 feet tall! More Gigantoraptor facts (and loads of additional Fun with a Purpose) in the March 2012 issue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrGZM7noSEOTujmIJvc9FixIpGFdzAgTcO5yiIINLAz3F4MnztQfi685-afB-1599r5maDw2IYxTYGvrwv0pkNw0kdTEcq1hSBP3vYLefLMlTlKU48lYV5893MJFYyiwhsY-qJo_2ATx-/s1600/Squier_GIGANTORAPTOR_sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrGZM7noSEOTujmIJvc9FixIpGFdzAgTcO5yiIINLAz3F4MnztQfi685-afB-1599r5maDw2IYxTYGvrwv0pkNw0kdTEcq1hSBP3vYLefLMlTlKU48lYV5893MJFYyiwhsY-qJo_2ATx-/s640/Squier_GIGANTORAPTOR_sketch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-50679925027800059822012-01-13T23:45:00.000-05:002012-01-13T23:45:39.879-05:00The Year in Pictures 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxhT3A_laTwuOGq-TaDYhMyiTXDNPQqHDAEpP7YTFaPJBl9musOR0iyFQpODR8Bgy4DaMByWWjFYRP9C5pgV6OUdlFG3wOIJ_9ooGuaKY07lVZ5wmqe7yBjFdfRnfCzD8Jy956kTEAWqC/s1600/squieryearinpictures12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxhT3A_laTwuOGq-TaDYhMyiTXDNPQqHDAEpP7YTFaPJBl9musOR0iyFQpODR8Bgy4DaMByWWjFYRP9C5pgV6OUdlFG3wOIJ_9ooGuaKY07lVZ5wmqe7yBjFdfRnfCzD8Jy956kTEAWqC/s640/squieryearinpictures12.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<br />
This collage represents my illustration output in 2011. Each
thumbnail is taken from a different project. Some projects were small
and personal, others professional and far-flung. Third row, fourth
square is an experiment with a new medium (new for me): gouache. First
row, second square represents a six-book series of of Bible parables.<br />
<br />
I
do this exercise mostly for myself – a way of assessing my progress as
an artist. I have a variety of thoughts and emotions as I see a year's
work in chronological order. Here are some of the thoughts that crossed
my mind:<br />
<br />
I rock!<br />
<br />
I suck!<br />
<br />
I'm
my own worst critic (and best cheerleader), and as I saw these
illustrations again, I was judging each of them with "fresh" eyes.
They're all successful illustrations – but I find some more appealing
than others… Suffice to say – this exercise helps me track my strengths,
my weakness and the evolution of my style.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now on to 2012!<br />
<br />Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-45610520695658233012011-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:002011-12-16T16:58:49.620-05:00Holiday Catastrophe Averted!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Wishing you and your loved ones a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">smashing</span> good Holiday Season!</span></div>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-23334865479450183222011-10-13T20:55:00.001-04:002011-10-13T20:55:40.385-04:00Leave That Thing Alone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night, when I really should have been working on an illustration gig, I did this… this… THING.<br />
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John Carpenter's 1982 classic, The Thing, centers around a shape-shifting alien that can perfectly mimic other life forms. When the alien infiltrates an isolated Antarctica outpost, the human inhabitants are discreetly taken over one by one. The remaining humans don't know who amongst them is human... or a THING. And hilarity ensues.<br />
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The movie blew my mind as a kid. The creature design was demented, horrifying and totally original – and I LOVED it. The wild creativity I saw unleashed on the screen was profoundly inspiring. Yeah, I was weird kid…<br />
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Tomorrow a prequel to The Thing, entitled The Thing, is being released. My expectations for the film are low–but I'm looking forward to revisiting that world. Both the world of The Thing and the world of my youth.<br />
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So rather than working last night I played. I drew The Thing and I had a blast. I suspect I'll soon be visiting more creatures from my youth: Godzilla, Alien, Evil from Time Bandits, The Creature from the Black Lagoon… hey, I'm feeling kinda inspired. I guess looking back can do that for a person.Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-42513966518426577882011-10-02T18:12:00.000-04:002011-10-02T20:34:50.353-04:00Ramona Quimby Show Poster<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwqSVL6xspA7C97-it6NFJ0DpiJQCM8n7TeZm_Vh0sruDHt-gcsxgtaHS5zI4UKWUqAkJcZ4b7xkOmMMKxPFqhx45JOvPOTf0HYfsL20k3VqSbg1HcCEYTqvhLXycY-fT_F8mYlnEBAYD/s1600/quimby01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="631" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwqSVL6xspA7C97-it6NFJ0DpiJQCM8n7TeZm_Vh0sruDHt-gcsxgtaHS5zI4UKWUqAkJcZ4b7xkOmMMKxPFqhx45JOvPOTf0HYfsL20k3VqSbg1HcCEYTqvhLXycY-fT_F8mYlnEBAYD/s640/quimby01.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Initial, ugly sketch.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In case you're not familiar with Ramona Quimby, she's a pugnacious and imaginative girl featured in a series of books by Beverly Cleary. The character has appeared in movies, on television and a stage play. My illustration of Ramona is for the Los Altos Youth Theater production of Ramona Quimby.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The theater needed a poster and a t-shirt design. The poster would be printed in color. The t-shirt needed to be line art only.<span id="goog_1969302707"></span><span id="goog_1969302708"></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisn1xG1BwdONOW_M2E4HG9SQaB_qSu2Xl5Go-ac_nJ8_jNOF4niFWgJ305XPFmCnGGWbMflugAbCvM87hfPxj-zl4t2Pnwzj3Wx4rhQpLU_ptew7EdbdUEct6F3nZFgAksK3D_Dy63xq4h/s1600/quimby03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisn1xG1BwdONOW_M2E4HG9SQaB_qSu2Xl5Go-ac_nJ8_jNOF4niFWgJ305XPFmCnGGWbMflugAbCvM87hfPxj-zl4t2Pnwzj3Wx4rhQpLU_ptew7EdbdUEct6F3nZFgAksK3D_Dy63xq4h/s200/quimby03.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digital sketch done in Photoshop.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Effective posters are eye-catching and make a clear and concise pitch. After mulling over several ideas, I settled on this simple and fun approach. The show's title, a big selling point, is big and bold. Ramona is wide eyed and grinning as she mischievously pushes the show's title out of her way. I think it quickly conveys the essence of the character and the show: fun and kid-centric.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Once I had a sketch, I started the line art for the t-shirt. In the past, I'd do this type of work with a brush and ink, but I've gotten more comfortable "inking" on the computer. The Ramona illustration was "inked" in Photoshop. I traced my hand drawn lettering in Adobe Illustrator. Eventually, both elements (Ramona illustration and lettering) were combined in Illustrator and converted into a vector file for the t-shirt printer.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Line art version of the image for screen-printing t-shirts.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Unlike the t-shirt, the poster art had no limitations. I based Ramona's color scheme on a production photo. I chose the yellow because it's a warm, eye-catching color – and the dark teal because it compliments the other colors while providing enough contrast to pop.</span><br />
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Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-44100516748642027222011-09-09T21:26:00.000-04:002011-10-02T17:56:56.765-04:00Hidden Picture Cover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Hidden Pictures are a beloved and enduring staple of <i>Highlights Magazine</i>. Kids of all ages love searching for hidden objects within an illustrated scene. I say all ages, because my </span><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: small; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">optometrist's</span><span style="font-size: small;"> staff is addicted to Hidden Pictures; they even compete against one another to see who can find the objects the fastest!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My friend, <a href="http://blog30x30.blogspot.com/">Chuck Dillon</a>, is a Hidden Picture guru and has illustrated dozens of these puzzles. On several occasions he encouraged me to try one but I never got around to tackling such a challenge until I got assigned a cover for <i>Hidden Pictures Magazine.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I was given a list of objects to hide, a rough sketch and the cover layout. Initially, I expected the challenge would be hiding the objects, but that was actually fun. The real challenge was working around the layout (masthead, headlines and barcode). Eventually, after lots of experimentation, everything fell into place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Seeing my art on a magazine cover, on a newsstand, right alongside <i>Highlights</i>, <i>High Five</i> and, gasp,<i> MAD</i>, is a real treat and honor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">An unexpected treat has been watching friends and family try to find the hidden objects. I'm always surprised and amused by the order that people find objects. The ones that I think are obvious are often the last objects found. My dad was really stumped looking for the "bat." He was looking for a baseball bat – not a winged bat!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The issue is on newsstand now through October 18, 2011. FYI: there are six objects hidden on the cover…</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINxYrr992oX6yEMEyPed9vaVNtM6fCbR0Pa5e5i5ZH6PDzPBPf0zBuzTY1fAp5BbUdvvWiaeig-KL-vcjk8n7N8xV-6pjtkM-O_MSIlasVfFQgw2YD28_RkK6s2HlRhZ3-TF1Kk_LqfOP/s1600/HP_cover_2011_secsketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINxYrr992oX6yEMEyPed9vaVNtM6fCbR0Pa5e5i5ZH6PDzPBPf0zBuzTY1fAp5BbUdvvWiaeig-KL-vcjk8n7N8xV-6pjtkM-O_MSIlasVfFQgw2YD28_RkK6s2HlRhZ3-TF1Kk_LqfOP/s640/HP_cover_2011_secsketch.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pencil sketch with some digital edits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9DFKqWphX4BCl5RuIabxWqBn0f5xi2quBc4ToBXVd377VvsnfYdzRRKTi8PkbNSKcB2Y0jW_aQLjq7EoUnriVSKKY6LWIFQb_Cz77p_LguOiTUNNstDrgKqUO_TeGTndfs8IGJx5A6cU/s1600/HP_cover_2011_stages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9DFKqWphX4BCl5RuIabxWqBn0f5xi2quBc4ToBXVd377VvsnfYdzRRKTi8PkbNSKcB2Y0jW_aQLjq7EoUnriVSKKY6LWIFQb_Cz77p_LguOiTUNNstDrgKqUO_TeGTndfs8IGJx5A6cU/s640/HP_cover_2011_stages.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evolution of the digital painting process.</td></tr>
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Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-80645233872045221902011-07-29T16:20:00.001-04:002011-08-01T22:50:31.588-04:00From the Archive: Soho Pub T-shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOh6c1PUjwkDmRHkngRLWsSKaCJt3ARH7ibKuuPQCUeKQAQnAg6U5fdetDA5CDYSmUGCW4MqcWF6P1av2JmG30-LKMXGlMXIllXttQD2l5yl5W68ljfxM94kVdFocVphPYfHp5QZVzUPK/s1600/soho_bar_illus2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOh6c1PUjwkDmRHkngRLWsSKaCJt3ARH7ibKuuPQCUeKQAQnAg6U5fdetDA5CDYSmUGCW4MqcWF6P1av2JmG30-LKMXGlMXIllXttQD2l5yl5W68ljfxM94kVdFocVphPYfHp5QZVzUPK/s400/soho_bar_illus2.jpg" width="351" /></a></div><br />
I created this t-shirt illustration for a bar in Old Orchard Beach, Maine – many, many years ago. I don't think I was even old enough to drink at the time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaHtIbmWzjoQD_-XMXkVuENsShhn721LBDUqVWiKR7gwtERhWfra5QFwerwL0OmKWNfpXW4xG1A_DGpqfczOgiSG8I5wZFAcfEO8qIsDFBkMX55eX1Q-_RYYqoUd-gSvjG475hF3cabr9/s1600/splash-30.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaHtIbmWzjoQD_-XMXkVuENsShhn721LBDUqVWiKR7gwtERhWfra5QFwerwL0OmKWNfpXW4xG1A_DGpqfczOgiSG8I5wZFAcfEO8qIsDFBkMX55eX1Q-_RYYqoUd-gSvjG475hF3cabr9/s200/splash-30.png" width="200" /></a></div>I did the original line art on tracing paper with a brush and ink. I added the color digitally, and those files are lost, most likely on a hard drive in a landfill somewhere. And even if I had the files, I probably couldn't open them. I was using Photoshop 3 and "painting" with the Paint Bucket tool.<br />
<br />
I was just learning Photoshop and the Paint Bucket tool was the greatest thing. Soon I discovered its limitations, including the white "jaggies" it left behind on anti-aliased lines.<br />
<br />
Both Photoshop and I have come a long way...Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-90834705028981205302011-06-20T23:10:00.034-04:002011-06-21T18:30:00.057-04:00Highlights: Bear Rides!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOa2KyWB5YbjNZVzAsat8yzJffQM990ViLXd6dwj7ZQntENLTF4YAY5-balM3Gnxfm_swJm4jUyKyoiDC1yDmNYp0fgExzrPcF1Wb2avmxSJG3_-eUH3CE5u7paHwII5qulvr7G0-TXjp/s1600/squier_HL_0711_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOa2KyWB5YbjNZVzAsat8yzJffQM990ViLXd6dwj7ZQntENLTF4YAY5-balM3Gnxfm_swJm4jUyKyoiDC1yDmNYp0fgExzrPcF1Wb2avmxSJG3_-eUH3CE5u7paHwII5qulvr7G0-TXjp/s640/squier_HL_0711_08.jpg" width="508" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These bears at a fair are in the July 2011 issue of Highlights magazine. This drawing illustrates a story entitled "Bear Rides!" by Maggie Murphy. The story is also a rebus. And for the folks scratching their fur thinking, "what's a rebus?" – a rebus is type of puzzle where certain words are replaced with a drawing that represents that word. Here's an example:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLr1AAoStYiOvR_Xa4soS4Hr-21XxoG4kSrOrc9oFyEupHs5KgqqLG6XpfO0FXhVrhTlSf7drQVLif8aqMcB8-Cd6ADGFdDqhKdvewHLqQNkakpWt1ovxdXjt3U5sYJeA87CGs7xnV6wm/s1600/squier_HL_0711_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLr1AAoStYiOvR_Xa4soS4Hr-21XxoG4kSrOrc9oFyEupHs5KgqqLG6XpfO0FXhVrhTlSf7drQVLif8aqMcB8-Cd6ADGFdDqhKdvewHLqQNkakpWt1ovxdXjt3U5sYJeA87CGs7xnV6wm/s400/squier_HL_0711_04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is NOT, I repeat NOT how it was used in the magazine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The folks Highlights wanted a dynamic composition, with the rocket ride high in the air and the fairgrounds far below. After trying to create this scene in my head, I decided I needed some reference. So I put on my engineering hat and engineered this:</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_Sc8p5X0OKqPt06_SNdnIFl_jzRNy8scfWQ8MF0vrCx2CPooloUa61t88ZIDQOQmHNnMsbAGhfDX2wh3voZZ8Fbqx3IW_cxWiO1mdglDhgOZWQHsEB979J2tUbh3FrZdQkXsc8T5ZRnf/s1600/squier_HL_0711_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_Sc8p5X0OKqPt06_SNdnIFl_jzRNy8scfWQ8MF0vrCx2CPooloUa61t88ZIDQOQmHNnMsbAGhfDX2wh3voZZ8Fbqx3IW_cxWiO1mdglDhgOZWQHsEB979J2tUbh3FrZdQkXsc8T5ZRnf/s400/squier_HL_0711_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've got MAD engineering skills.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This silly contraption helped me visualize the rockets in relation to each other and to the arms of the ride.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here are close-ups of the different characters:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7juapdCY9A2b40Bc7HJZs8ZWx0tJ36OdDBsiKC-v5Elfz87tN9pR9MnwSCWc5ulEgxmLHN4t3xAFNIsRFsLCwuWgCLtqFfrCA-tmVXpnl1QXH_j_zOOamCe3w-z_0qtK-eaN2oZPBve7i/s1600/squier_HL_0711_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7juapdCY9A2b40Bc7HJZs8ZWx0tJ36OdDBsiKC-v5Elfz87tN9pR9MnwSCWc5ulEgxmLHN4t3xAFNIsRFsLCwuWgCLtqFfrCA-tmVXpnl1QXH_j_zOOamCe3w-z_0qtK-eaN2oZPBve7i/s400/squier_HL_0711_07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KTkdUn7SN9g-NrZeiaEC9poIDWMWb5DedhDFgfIq7Ku0RD0uCaHpxH225v4EqZT8wDA3a6QL6j1pbZ28wzcBoMtk15NjtCE18e4IbkvqoJl2aeqXvAhJt6DOv5VxdN5EAiordRBSUVlS/s1600/squier_HL_0711_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KTkdUn7SN9g-NrZeiaEC9poIDWMWb5DedhDFgfIq7Ku0RD0uCaHpxH225v4EqZT8wDA3a6QL6j1pbZ28wzcBoMtk15NjtCE18e4IbkvqoJl2aeqXvAhJt6DOv5VxdN5EAiordRBSUVlS/s400/squier_HL_0711_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tc6r-b8fKu5BCuDDGQ4z7e7aDwHQErM8DezgO8fQYLU6KJuFar6MpQDAvDBmKAqHlAKK4zlRv4XYF7Ed3YYxkrCQBLzYS1U4AcZvyBuORMWyGHofVVwUyX7O_wci1XQvGypwJRkquv8H/s1600/squier_HL_0711_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tc6r-b8fKu5BCuDDGQ4z7e7aDwHQErM8DezgO8fQYLU6KJuFar6MpQDAvDBmKAqHlAKK4zlRv4XYF7Ed3YYxkrCQBLzYS1U4AcZvyBuORMWyGHofVVwUyX7O_wci1XQvGypwJRkquv8H/s400/squier_HL_0711_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And some more of the icons I created for the rebus.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOPzOJWWVB1lZspDoMD805rBkqKOzY9J-cVC4foq7_2CSwSnrdn5l9xsPMMMzF4oJNP3hLkavHFzj0264DfYVAozxKzMlhENqES-ouIzPUCkPC_zuRqCKCN9r8wovuRqsyO-drUgPU5A9/s1600/squier_HL_0711_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOPzOJWWVB1lZspDoMD805rBkqKOzY9J-cVC4foq7_2CSwSnrdn5l9xsPMMMzF4oJNP3hLkavHFzj0264DfYVAozxKzMlhENqES-ouIzPUCkPC_zuRqCKCN9r8wovuRqsyO-drUgPU5A9/s400/squier_HL_0711_09.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And an early, ugly sketch:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHW8YyE15o9AMEUnsKrAlfrQAJxZxvOjMsI1MwmPCsJCfJjgvvvVUxv1uhHGQQbPVKSYDp1VR1vnAYYOGmmIsaOxUPwai4l_yAbY7NLjOOtCOKNNK54pV067Z72dY7mr5uXgNW4jMUQoM/s1600/squier_HL_0711_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHW8YyE15o9AMEUnsKrAlfrQAJxZxvOjMsI1MwmPCsJCfJjgvvvVUxv1uhHGQQbPVKSYDp1VR1vnAYYOGmmIsaOxUPwai4l_yAbY7NLjOOtCOKNNK54pV067Z72dY7mr5uXgNW4jMUQoM/s400/squier_HL_0711_06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These bears look like they're about to hurl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-5273135457484702011-05-23T16:43:00.004-04:002011-05-23T15:21:19.087-04:00Talkin' About Style<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0Yj5ogvShBG_etr0vuQVCMknl94Yn3okAF_M7aTnhcGEZe1FaF9K5waKXjFGeSPoEdn0sqeAZiD6uHkWMFJfvnTO-FM039lmoAQnHCgLLNRDPEkOUxI_yBkb8drr4e2DMdaio4OieLmt/s1600/SCBWI2011_01.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609982233095760386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0Yj5ogvShBG_etr0vuQVCMknl94Yn3okAF_M7aTnhcGEZe1FaF9K5waKXjFGeSPoEdn0sqeAZiD6uHkWMFJfvnTO-FM039lmoAQnHCgLLNRDPEkOUxI_yBkb8drr4e2DMdaio4OieLmt/s400/SCBWI2011_01.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>So, where <i>does</i> an artist's style come from?<br />
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That was the question that I, along with fellow illustrators, <a href="http://susansavory.wordpress.com/">Susan Savory</a>, <a href="http://www.andyjsmithillustration.com/">Andy J. Smith</a> and <a href="http://teriweidner.com/">Teri Weidner</a>, attempted to answer at the 25th Annual <a href="http://www.scbwi.org/Default.aspx">NESCBWI</a> Conference last weekend. (For those unfamiliar with that acronym, it stands for the New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.)<br />
<br />
Susan, Andy, Teri and I hosted a workshop entitled - deep breath - <i>The Search for a Singular Style: An Exploration for Illustrators</i>. Phew. That was a mouthful.<br />
<br />
We kicked off our presentation with slides of our work. And because we wanted to show apples and apples, each of us illustrated a scene from Three Billy Goats Gruff.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqSNJ-tgoOdF7XXTjvn9wb_uNK7CCix-R0yh1fNnzX2LRDQ0V_NADTinQkrPG6oW66-ATc_65MQP8C4H6JjiLSa1A-M8am0FbQcuAgpunzSK4T_VmpztMMdltvtbf7WPvHxKDnVayAXOa/s1600/SCBWI2011_02.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609981813207490866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqSNJ-tgoOdF7XXTjvn9wb_uNK7CCix-R0yh1fNnzX2LRDQ0V_NADTinQkrPG6oW66-ATc_65MQP8C4H6JjiLSa1A-M8am0FbQcuAgpunzSK4T_VmpztMMdltvtbf7WPvHxKDnVayAXOa/s400/SCBWI2011_02.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Susan Savory's whimsical and mystical illustrations are done with cut paper.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bgQnbcteeuNE4RaJRTrBr-fV584bR3qhGpfsKvCmSq-z_pX8Sq17wdrjDdAo02VV68avLbF-K0zWWhWJpzCtfnZ2d6sAo1aoAkf9MBJbI0nvAj16ol-6555CqDAfCvgStbVNVOZYD0ci/s1600/SCBWI2011_03.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609981568196684050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bgQnbcteeuNE4RaJRTrBr-fV584bR3qhGpfsKvCmSq-z_pX8Sq17wdrjDdAo02VV68avLbF-K0zWWhWJpzCtfnZ2d6sAo1aoAkf9MBJbI0nvAj16ol-6555CqDAfCvgStbVNVOZYD0ci/s400/SCBWI2011_03.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Andy J Smith's work is wacky fun and created digitally.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ7oEMK7eaO0bsI95meAuLee6VOgvbVlnB34PN1c_wL-Apqblz8CZT3Ar9Mn7f2JgXFwqGkETdoX4s9dXzNiXRRDC-Lqo1SxDK0lR2BbGCcWXpDeYedRKzBmlV-QwVlrhsuv2JgtMamNX/s1600/SCBWI2011_04.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609981420684328674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ7oEMK7eaO0bsI95meAuLee6VOgvbVlnB34PN1c_wL-Apqblz8CZT3Ar9Mn7f2JgXFwqGkETdoX4s9dXzNiXRRDC-Lqo1SxDK0lR2BbGCcWXpDeYedRKzBmlV-QwVlrhsuv2JgtMamNX/s400/SCBWI2011_04.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Teri Weidner's watercolors are beautiful and traditional.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMBMsBN2EVkQT2UF7pyjZ59eW1Fycs1N71tVvhfRHGbn3ymJXjP_QAtYtt2zt5QdVhzks_1xuTzD-BFPLvjGl2KNbb5o3Q08nke0n0PWwYb8-3uPtUmIhGlicYN7P2tqkxSYkoz-x08gG/s1600/SCBWI2011_05.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609981287763351458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMBMsBN2EVkQT2UF7pyjZ59eW1Fycs1N71tVvhfRHGbn3ymJXjP_QAtYtt2zt5QdVhzks_1xuTzD-BFPLvjGl2KNbb5o3Q08nke0n0PWwYb8-3uPtUmIhGlicYN7P2tqkxSYkoz-x08gG/s400/SCBWI2011_05.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>And then there's me, with my slightly twisted humor. This is a drawing with ink wash, digitally colored.<br />
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The talk was essentially divided into two parts.<br />
<br />
First, we<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXr26_9sP1Dl1SnfAL3pEm2DlFoyeEMJim1z86EXuy3n8t-FZXRqEznalqeFAaWo0pKnBKA0Y-F0-eJPgqh6zxJCod0v34eFbCRYkoviiLiKL6MUhAAh0G4o88uwkiQCSlwvIaCRQfa2z/s1600/wp.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609981051984929586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXr26_9sP1Dl1SnfAL3pEm2DlFoyeEMJim1z86EXuy3n8t-FZXRqEznalqeFAaWo0pKnBKA0Y-F0-eJPgqh6zxJCod0v34eFbCRYkoviiLiKL6MUhAAh0G4o88uwkiQCSlwvIaCRQfa2z/s200/wp.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 142px;" /></a> discussed the roots or foundation of style and those (according to us) are Influences, Voice, Experimentation and Practice. This portion of talk featured our own personal stories and work. And for the record, the book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Comics-Marvel-Way/dp/0671530771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306176608&sr=8-1">How To Draw the Marvel Way</a></i> was a huge influence on me--that and <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1930052676">Wacky Packages</a></i><a href="http://www.wackypacks.com/bestof/weakies.html">!</a><br />
<br />
The second half of the talk explored elements of style, the qualities intrinsic to every illustration that can often be taken for granted. We showed several varied examples of each element of style and urged the attendees to question their approach to each of the following:<br />
<br />
• Character Design<br />
• Color<br />
• Line<br />
• Medium<br />
• Texture<br />
• Tight vs Loose<br />
• Composition<br />
<br />
As an example: when talking about color, we suggested that skies don't have to be blue (and grass green.) Sometimes just introducing less-than-expected color choices (red, turquoise, lavender skies) can shake up an artist's style and make their work stand out.<br />
<br />
We packed a LOT into this presentation. Honestly, almost any topic covered could be expanded into its own workshop. Thanks to the great NESCBWI staff and to everyone who attended our little talk!Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-53707064763422698552011-05-22T18:56:00.011-04:002012-10-12T11:48:17.719-04:00Highlights: Dinosaur!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGL__8ppc95QbOMIlV1Q3DmDrjcndgDkB-t4RPn_hbehWRqeMTXAUB135kErklrcsh4uMYwUQN6VTN9hhvkUdgzVTlSkIg9ngl6_cdM30mk15zhhZzB8fCJ_cUDSHDkQ6MmvX-c3uQwPeB/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_01.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609927599589124162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGL__8ppc95QbOMIlV1Q3DmDrjcndgDkB-t4RPn_hbehWRqeMTXAUB135kErklrcsh4uMYwUQN6VTN9hhvkUdgzVTlSkIg9ngl6_cdM30mk15zhhZzB8fCJ_cUDSHDkQ6MmvX-c3uQwPeB/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>The May 2011 Highlights Magazine features the poem, <i>Dinosaur,</i> by Myra Cohn Livingston -- illustrated by ME!<br />
I've drawn lots of dinosaurs in my day but not many <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dino</span> skeletons. After settling on a composition, I set out to learn the basic mechanics of my fossilized friend. I did this by studying dozens of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dino</span>, rhino and elephant skeletons.<br />
I'm a big fan of the "drawing through <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">method</span>" which simply means drawing things as if they were made of glass. So rather than draw a big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dino</span> skull and guessing where the body, legs and tail might fall, I drew every body part, whether it showed in the final illustration or not. I then combined the bits and pieces in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Photoshop</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">voila</span>!<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609927597308390194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FQip8SrH9LM2kM8L-AwtuomGB2S1hg323qBnFd1tjtIjQ3HhdLEiUR58h9LsRuhFXwsgQjKZavlLP4kVx6Ll0LTmEc2CQy1bYP6Larz98WDQR-t-SzQxBArWX7ds-5AYupz-k0xF4qrb/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_02.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609927593821858226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdcTKhVADQSph66s-dZ6KLgACTkmRYLQYogKYHE-iuMwA-DmGb6grTZLTTiL1ay-eMo2aMF_VAJ2d4qf0mf9K22OQzJLk_FeMvnuNTLw4FT-iVQZ9aGUtIMPpEciUrI-15Jjo2GNKM_Ze/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_03.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609927568768684498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBahQ2t8JN6mdgLAHagJjxYA2OC9ljjB49Q0exSA08-wE2fBvolaanQyneXdAqPyFTovWQb1lS-XrFRzENGH2WmiPlNLqcz5xQu6wvII2nyJDjaGIX3RIoAaFeJcwjWtMGi3mN514RNA_B/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_04.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" />"Drawing through" gives me confidence in my work -- and I hope it translates into more believable illustrations. Here's some early versions of the illustration.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609926877559555506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkCst13s0eAdXo862wV_fNOI2BRSIFDSfJYupGDzM2SSqk2qNFBo_LPHGvHhFX3FEgGzRwLPDt7TCjBPtF7HaxL2h9cM8EHCGP2J_jWQjLfDFC180DmfgkMzCT_KfIgKW9jvZsKGMK5WC/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_05.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609926410581928610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVOTtSfaPRbAgM0h7Hkc0cqbqknEd7oyyAvUtOODFn0595YOwoWUIZlVefWdNpMUtPuZugp2ZGfD3Rqtvmxqhx8OXN2X0BR0aS2YpBaO6ttZ8pbyrykShgLnsBnTv2IA7X__MJ_G1mJ3f/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_06.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609926408014443554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcIzeLaJpP73Q0cCBJdiAANdMVL1i1JqVJzhhqQZ7c_absyO2UJP4wdcnb6q6Cc-D6MUSzqVor5CTkpbvHvJvVqhYChlOSzbTL2N2nPi6uwBbDM0HxS0VzJDCeaZ0I3GpAdr2TFnKe7nI/s1600/squier_HL_dino0511_07.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><br />
<div>
</div>
Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-4081497137712902642011-01-26T21:12:00.006-05:002011-01-26T21:37:38.382-05:00The Truth About Witches<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsj8wL0SRRkYlr7r0QElRMb-TT5eH45U9kMvVoGoMUbKSgsQjuIz6MgcVxbLy8OAQr3jl4MN2IuUk2VWUZEVDglgnNQ704266nnNbbQdFiol4J6acSFY0j1fUAU3DYnVIJCKFGxhJPCBG/s400/squier_witch2011_01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566683154045517490" /></div><div>The Truth About Witches, a book I illustrated for Capstone Press, is out!</div><div><br /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvyh2hSyooizhnsrGtfjowS7W3_fc4uukJCCvegBmaJb8iBv-At6rGPTeZp6q-FkLs6nOnQn5igCEdG7H3itNl3NC1CLQnuNHJ1AymFjxwmHkjla_9zKqamVZnwPQt6XIFCHREGp0_TVG/s200/Squier_witch_cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566685070054632226" /><div>The book, written by Eric <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Braun</span>, is a fun overview of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">witchiness</span>–from folklore to the latest Hollywood blockbuster. I got to draw characters from The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Hansel and Gretel, Harry Potter and even <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tomie</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dePaola's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Strega</span> Nona!</div><div><br /></div><div>While working on this book I came to the realization that drawing ugly is FUN! Fun and liberating. When drawing a witch, if I made the nose too big – who cares?! Heck, make it bigger! While creating these witch characters, the more exaggerated or twisted the better.</div><div><br /></div><div>Drawing normal people–and in particular children–is more restrictive. If I draw a child with a big nose, there's a good chance that will age him or her; the child can quickly start looking like a diminutive adult.</div><div><br /></div><div>I altered my digital-painting approach with this project by skipping a step. Rather than make one last precise and clean pencil drawing, and paint over that, I used my somewhat sketchy "rough" drawing underneath the digital color.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why skip a step? Partially, it was a time-management issue. Also, I felt that my sketchy, "rough" drawings had more energy and life than the clean, traced versions. I'm happy with the final artwork and am glad I decided to streamline my process in this way.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bKEztNv3ZPR1_8U8LiWUHqr6sLM57ifsBHF8h63QYP-76_Kd6nUuaUL4hfAnKWWmJAyGhOlIuFGrwJDNmeseIVgrYsnlKvIL041GWukyUOoIGxKGWQTbhnTPuHNtfjSCL_6BYACcrK3e/s1600/squier_witch2011_02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bKEztNv3ZPR1_8U8LiWUHqr6sLM57ifsBHF8h63QYP-76_Kd6nUuaUL4hfAnKWWmJAyGhOlIuFGrwJDNmeseIVgrYsnlKvIL041GWukyUOoIGxKGWQTbhnTPuHNtfjSCL_6BYACcrK3e/s400/squier_witch2011_02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566683148915620370" /></a>Copyright page (and cover image) with a couple witches concocting a spell.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82EYL64LY053oqftUOKriwq6gfn2FS3npzDi5FgEYhl8B5heNSgxELA7IH2sUcYx2nanihL6GJnEV9WAPp2_xGHab-QLtpvwmud7x8tMCnXMnr2iaA9v3LkYHW5WFtsg9LhzQMBz-p-LV/s1600/squier_witch2011_03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82EYL64LY053oqftUOKriwq6gfn2FS3npzDi5FgEYhl8B5heNSgxELA7IH2sUcYx2nanihL6GJnEV9WAPp2_xGHab-QLtpvwmud7x8tMCnXMnr2iaA9v3LkYHW5WFtsg9LhzQMBz-p-LV/s400/squier_witch2011_03.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566683141071000082" /></a>What does a Witch look like? This spread sums it up: pointy hat, rotten teeth, hairy wart and a pointy chin.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuWvGg4E_yzQxH5lFehIT6FwlmqBqCjvYBG3jGmfL_lm5e2t9uhdXmxOgzkQAj1R9TxWFmyrVN7EQqPe5S7oDrhAZTii4pkCo-Qw5jAaPfsTIqlP4lyXYGr1pdP-U3VZPqRLb93LuQcRi/s1600/squier_witch2011_04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuWvGg4E_yzQxH5lFehIT6FwlmqBqCjvYBG3jGmfL_lm5e2t9uhdXmxOgzkQAj1R9TxWFmyrVN7EQqPe5S7oDrhAZTii4pkCo-Qw5jAaPfsTIqlP4lyXYGr1pdP-U3VZPqRLb93LuQcRi/s400/squier_witch2011_04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566683130930451442" /></a>A witch with her familiar. And a very unlucky centipede.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArLecJ_PbMiz_mOugZEBTyOhvaa2C0dyQJpKdgFhWz9vuJg16jngAbvTdZY9bYOiIHt1iZfOXWOKkzCEMEDRtJ_Rt4BLWDFvnCikl5Tyms8QrpcfoIDZFu2sVrmsb0Y8197PUp5Ua3acQ/s1600/squier_witch2011_05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArLecJ_PbMiz_mOugZEBTyOhvaa2C0dyQJpKdgFhWz9vuJg16jngAbvTdZY9bYOiIHt1iZfOXWOKkzCEMEDRtJ_Rt4BLWDFvnCikl5Tyms8QrpcfoIDZFu2sVrmsb0Y8197PUp5Ua3acQ/s400/squier_witch2011_05.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566683128157816498" /></a>The Sea Witch and the Little Mermaid. I dig the eels and crabs in the witches seaweed hair!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-47047630611608275372011-01-22T12:19:00.003-05:002011-01-22T12:27:51.097-05:00Illustration Friday: Dusty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2JEC9_CdoL8k1tfTlNVQwPHf36jigkROnDVSotA5Ni5u3Tslpa3t2Az8Uxr6t9838Ll9iZmDGc3LMhdqz-I1ffhJ7C4EcMs7IzLgl95RGnJsqs7mqtY7em9bqKMuwBLjrxpdtY5ZmWma/s1600/mummy_4blog_07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2JEC9_CdoL8k1tfTlNVQwPHf36jigkROnDVSotA5Ni5u3Tslpa3t2Az8Uxr6t9838Ll9iZmDGc3LMhdqz-I1ffhJ7C4EcMs7IzLgl95RGnJsqs7mqtY7em9bqKMuwBLjrxpdtY5ZmWma/s400/mummy_4blog_07.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061778702926178" /></a><div>I created this little guy for the <a href="http://illustrationfriday.com/">Illustration Friday</a> topic "dusty." </div><div><br /></div><div>I participated this week because I've been itching to try a different digital painting technique and rather than experiment on a client's project, I used this mummy as my guinea pig. Below is a breakdown of the steps and stages taken to create this illustration.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qDrTdflkWcd_beTl-anjtVPskug-DdYQYBSIp1bxO3u_zlRgyi9F6VZyu6ebjnb5EcuHS-x_LgyVNJ1QKM0B6fOhZVlaV5YmD65PbCl_YPFRKyxYSLD69SVrCwQHpjzaixGu_Un7omr_/s1600/mummy_4blog_01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qDrTdflkWcd_beTl-anjtVPskug-DdYQYBSIp1bxO3u_zlRgyi9F6VZyu6ebjnb5EcuHS-x_LgyVNJ1QKM0B6fOhZVlaV5YmD65PbCl_YPFRKyxYSLD69SVrCwQHpjzaixGu_Un7omr_/s400/mummy_4blog_01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061773318427794" /></a><div>ROUGH SKETCH:</div><div>Here is the one (and only) rough sketch. Typically I spend more time exploring different poses and character design, but I was eager to start painting.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGigAN_o6e0OrIAePXv7i8TwOkNfyrLG-NaNPBYCoeee1pr5jpM8TYe6yoljFAgLsLr0TsKNKEBNX48Rztirvk3XTDSSPlsCyEQ0ARUaICgnVhMn0UcKb2aR3c0N9e1a0vtE4Jv_-01OG/s1600/mummy_4blog_02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGigAN_o6e0OrIAePXv7i8TwOkNfyrLG-NaNPBYCoeee1pr5jpM8TYe6yoljFAgLsLr0TsKNKEBNX48Rztirvk3XTDSSPlsCyEQ0ARUaICgnVhMn0UcKb2aR3c0N9e1a0vtE4Jv_-01OG/s400/mummy_4blog_02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061768410468290" /></a><div>FINAL DRAWING:</div><div>I scanned the rough sketch and printed it at 5% opacity. The sketch printed very lightly, but dark enough that I could still see the lines. I drew the final drawing directly over the printout.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWflBDLZ8hyUZzyPDf41Yn_ZSyrs7QOIow76Fm5yhnuTRi0jP8FFnyY_VcK_PyHy9pTHK4HPdzFQeKubPcFyLebVmpaQ0pbSeXdZ3b4PEK6l1zGfLAqWA9x1YviXqCECi6QC_eBVZQlaPc/s1600/mummy_4blog_03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWflBDLZ8hyUZzyPDf41Yn_ZSyrs7QOIow76Fm5yhnuTRi0jP8FFnyY_VcK_PyHy9pTHK4HPdzFQeKubPcFyLebVmpaQ0pbSeXdZ3b4PEK6l1zGfLAqWA9x1YviXqCECi6QC_eBVZQlaPc/s400/mummy_4blog_03.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061539610618946" /></a><div>FINAL DRAWING 2:</div><div>After scanning the Final Drawing, I realized I preferred some of the details of the Rough Sketch. Using my drawing tablet (Wacom Cintiq), I changed the teeth and erased some bandages around the mummy's head.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL-spzPucnIkhr48uOyvMpeBAuSNQuJsuYr3a1b249jpD4HMxd5vuOrIKwbpNeVo6Akl26mLA0V32eHz-_qEvo3dozmpCvvDInWPlW3dj-_L3eAzUUN4PzquBOSl0lhV_hE4lSUFWhV_C/s1600/mummy_4blog_04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL-spzPucnIkhr48uOyvMpeBAuSNQuJsuYr3a1b249jpD4HMxd5vuOrIKwbpNeVo6Akl26mLA0V32eHz-_qEvo3dozmpCvvDInWPlW3dj-_L3eAzUUN4PzquBOSl0lhV_hE4lSUFWhV_C/s400/mummy_4blog_04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061532436977938" /></a><div>TONAL LAYER:</div><div>Here's where I started exploring a new painting technique. Before jumping into color, I painted the values. My hope is that by starting with lights and darks, the final drawing will have more clearly defined volume and structure. I'll also be more aware of how the lights and darks are organized in the composition.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6DZVztfR1H_82it0BDpnzVjNMJWmwZbbKAOxyBeuOhdzLc2Zb7DM8u6vWgAiamnL49GNp8vO3kRXNS7hCRqGeyss9dIbXJ2oN3P8rrQreas0p5rsbYMvHTl716VNw6AX2M_xjDIiNiU-/s1600/mummy_4blog_05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6DZVztfR1H_82it0BDpnzVjNMJWmwZbbKAOxyBeuOhdzLc2Zb7DM8u6vWgAiamnL49GNp8vO3kRXNS7hCRqGeyss9dIbXJ2oN3P8rrQreas0p5rsbYMvHTl716VNw6AX2M_xjDIiNiU-/s400/mummy_4blog_05.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061528292714754" /></a><div>COLORIZE TONAL LAYER:</div><div>In traditional painting, adding black to darken colors can make for a muddy painting. Using Hue Saturation, I gave the tonal layer some warmth. Did I mention I'm working in Photoshop? I'm working in Photoshop.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_Yw-b8UG9KHLzOb1Yqac7iX4y_qbo187Vwg9IiOm1WyVMmVBIEJh0qqgvHE5128E2ay5NVoUHImVHRfe62Cg2GdcpdINrT1O4ZAsvw7fgRJmMsSBo6KnZj_rDHQQuuUa8Jpo40tFcwsA/s1600/mummy_4blog_06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_Yw-b8UG9KHLzOb1Yqac7iX4y_qbo187Vwg9IiOm1WyVMmVBIEJh0qqgvHE5128E2ay5NVoUHImVHRfe62Cg2GdcpdINrT1O4ZAsvw7fgRJmMsSBo6KnZj_rDHQQuuUa8Jpo40tFcwsA/s400/mummy_4blog_06.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061522900402994" /></a><div>COLOR 1:</div><div>Here I started adding color in a layer set to "multiply." This tints the color effectively and works well in the darker values of the drawing.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lBGH75bkTPok5gJvYP6QVXQGTkJK4Zc4iTnk89qVZc3A47uCsgiV91_hi3ogaC0-qtXtdlBZ3lp0PLdsJiYhFDN6FrvNeXtz0jCvuMeCbIn0Arxm1iN-YcqREGuJKQH5qFdpZ6eI1mUu/s1600/mummy_4blog_07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lBGH75bkTPok5gJvYP6QVXQGTkJK4Zc4iTnk89qVZc3A47uCsgiV91_hi3ogaC0-qtXtdlBZ3lp0PLdsJiYhFDN6FrvNeXtz0jCvuMeCbIn0Arxm1iN-YcqREGuJKQH5qFdpZ6eI1mUu/s400/mummy_4blog_07.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565061520651131618" /></a><div><div>COLOR 2:</div><div>Here's where the illustration really comes to life. On another layer set to "normal," I started adding color and line. The color on this layer is "opaque" and without it, the painting feels flat – like a tinted greyscale image. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm pleased with the final illustration. The tonal painting gave me a strong foundation for the color. Adding the lights and darks early also makes me more aware of their effect on composition and how the lights and darks lead the viewer's eye around the drawing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also used the project to experiment with character design. Typically, my people (or creatures) have natural proportions, whereas this mummy has a Charlie Brown body.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a blast creating this little guy. </div></div>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-62655848957483349582011-01-06T20:21:00.002-05:002011-01-06T22:04:21.612-05:002010: The Year in Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-uiafc_rhSC_b9zxCrFYBXqy1oD7UvmMe1k6Pjg5iIa6MFK7xODjklryBWYSX2TCY6secie8dNwZhCMDieuKKZOEwophostY8Z4g2seudFBKg2iOz3xXpXhBE9PbBn_PGuDedbh2rQ4G/s1600/squieryearinpictures10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-uiafc_rhSC_b9zxCrFYBXqy1oD7UvmMe1k6Pjg5iIa6MFK7xODjklryBWYSX2TCY6secie8dNwZhCMDieuKKZOEwophostY8Z4g2seudFBKg2iOz3xXpXhBE9PbBn_PGuDedbh2rQ4G/s400/squieryearinpictures10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559274430127178482" /></a>Zombies. Elves. Witches. Cowboys. And a Yankee Doodle Dandy.<div><br /></div><div>Just another year of in the life of an illustrator. And even though I may occasionally complain about deadlines or eye strain or my sore back, I do appreciate the fact I get paid to draw stuff.</div>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-13046392562764527432010-12-25T17:56:00.004-05:002010-12-25T18:22:01.688-05:00A Merry Christmas Card<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554758049631136370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAkyz_9Fcy4jtzqOJ6CqKD6A04q0CpKULRo0qnkd6pGCvCUlU7U3MmRzV2fgGFPi314PnCgIJtIIcexdVWDspAbh5r5N1prfinXtlhTp5F_Y5Vj86tB9yRbr_AKIfQRxtfYsnaSkQ15Yi/s400/squierxmas2010_01.jpg" border="0" />Merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays to all!<br /><br /><div><div>My agent, Bernadette Szost at Portfolio Solutions, asked all of us illustrators to draw a mouse with a wreath for the agency's holiday promo. Each artist gave the assignment their own unique twist. I considered several ideas (a mouse riding a frog through a burning wreath, <em>a la</em> Evil Knievel, was one) but settled on this concept-- inspired by a childhood craft project (macaroni art) and Stephen Soundheim's musical, <em>Sunday in the Park with George</em>.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554761806160251682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozgmmQUNhX24f9cqmcBz8-1JMlgblhm0PS8Mw4kcxg7kITuJYYgPcbdVcm0jwdVnDFAqLOg-nQrGzcnmiNmx0nx8aWlzE8E8hvKdx8FrfpQuUv4R-X1w8qmkc1kA1cSaqTKxRuA4a-XD2/s400/squierxmas2010_02.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554758049358978594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLrPizY2TnrdbkPezm8C2oPlnKPjMkankyqlTKi4BJDLm-lC6YnwVO2g75wRsP9PhmZzyhfs64PeFcZgDxF6CpN_t5UaYLRW2ADOGh1siJfF70MvqBxjVsKIf6InWUc1ZFAI-DQvd85CG/s400/squierxmas2010_03.jpg" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdE4oQZsPJ3vUy2Ff4t6AncqNVXINY2QC9-TOY40tn1afPnWSHb3fKf6SpLpegON75Cg3qppwBdLHsX-b1hoV-fe6HLtxM2xr2KDjriyN2J1yjFnH4NWX1ZG5yVeH3BC3PlO1i2oaOH9T/s1600/squierxmas2010_04.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554758035261272594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdE4oQZsPJ3vUy2Ff4t6AncqNVXINY2QC9-TOY40tn1afPnWSHb3fKf6SpLpegON75Cg3qppwBdLHsX-b1hoV-fe6HLtxM2xr2KDjriyN2J1yjFnH4NWX1ZG5yVeH3BC3PlO1i2oaOH9T/s400/squierxmas2010_04.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div></div>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787476091065195993.post-6010875078590602732010-12-15T21:49:00.004-05:002010-12-15T22:37:42.963-05:00My "Illustrious" Past<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ19hCrSC17rbwSJcvEz5ueABiSDfiWL231LoA2c90Aw0heNDdKNoqY-aEz3njlWV6rfYzD4G8Ddm4mAmrTaxju1Ntyy_BMg5V4XPRscmS1RAbx7zu2Pb1mwBIOhwlriX9-HKDFDheoX7m/s1600/squier_basket_days.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ19hCrSC17rbwSJcvEz5ueABiSDfiWL231LoA2c90Aw0heNDdKNoqY-aEz3njlWV6rfYzD4G8Ddm4mAmrTaxju1Ntyy_BMg5V4XPRscmS1RAbx7zu2Pb1mwBIOhwlriX9-HKDFDheoX7m/s400/squier_basket_days.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551116610313979810" /></a>Oh, dear.<div><br /></div><div>My mom recently found this ancient newspaper clipping. That's the back of my head along with a fine example of my early artistic stylings.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the time, I was a lowly dairy clerk. I probably volunteered to draw on the chalkboard–and the management was happy to "take advantage" of my talent.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was just happy to take a break from stocking shelves.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had mischievous fun with many chalkboards. I recall a spaceship blowing up the store with a death ray. A dinosaur devouring the meat department manager. And Bill Clinton looking for a date on Valentine's Day. That last one received complaints, but my boss took the heat and spared the eraser.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't the best art gig I've ever had, but it was fun to have an audience. I would often get a crowd watching me draw. And I did develop a following of sorts – heck, the local paper even did a story about me!</div><div><br /></div><div>And to those vandals who occasionally besmirched my work – HOW COULD YOU?!</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you are haunted by remorse.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Robert Squierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05438100248833903301noreply@blogger.com2