Jocelyn Curry Lettering and Illustration

Zwarteke of Peizegem*

*Zwarteke="Little Black One"      Peizegem=a village in Belgium

A soft spot in my heart for hens is nothing I ever thought I would develop...until I raised my three chicks to henhood last year. They are pets, not just layers of eggs. It's well known among chicken keepers that every chicken has a distinct personality. When people ask what the lifespan of a hen is, I tell them that it varies widely, but seven years would be a long life for one. In the commercial world, laying hens are replaced at about three years of age.

I "met" Karina through my hat shop. She bought a hat that had chicken buttons on it, because she cares for many hens and two young roosters at her home in Peizegem, Belgium. "Chickens are my favorite pets!" she wrote. Of course we exchanged photos of our chickens, and that was when I saw a photo of her lovely black hen named Zwarteke. It was impressive that Zwarteke was eleven years old! Sadly, two weeks ago she began to weaken, and then she breathed her last breath. As a tribute to this lovely pet of Karina's, I did a little sketch of her based on photos sent to me by my new Belgian friend:

 

 

 

Hearts and Parts: Greeting Card Design

What happened?? I haven't posted since November 11. Must have been the holidays or something...Happy New Year to you! May it be healthy and prosperous.

While bustling about with festive activities and family gatherings in our home, I also had some assignments to complete. One was a Valentine card design that entailed a false start before I landed on the style that fit. Because we will be celebrating Valentine's Day in about a month, this seems like a good time to put forth a few of the composite roughs I created during the first stage of designing:

       

The design specifications for this card were that the heart motif and the band motif were to be flocked in red with gold foil stamping on them. To achieve this mock-up effect, I employed PhotoShop to convert the black and white ornamentation to the color gold in order to emulate gold foil. Each band was created to coordinate with the designs within the hearts. The final design chosen was significantly different than any of these! I'll post it later on this year, as it will be a Valentine for 2013.

Savoy Cabbage, A Sketch in Layers

A trip to the produce department in the autumn is a feast for the artist's eyes, isn't it? Among the predominantly purple veggies I bought a couple of weeks ago was a gorgeous savoy cabbage. I decided to render it in two layers: a fine line contour drawing and a loose watercolor layer. Here are both the parts, and then, the combined image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the line drawing I used a 000 tech pen. After placing the line drawing on my light table, I put a piece of 90 lb. watercolor paper over the drawing and loosely painted the cabbage which was perched nearby. I scanned both renderings and combined them into one image in PhotoShop.

To see a photo of the purple vegetable collection, including this Savoy cabbage, please click here.

Designing for a Custom Cookie Package

A friend told me about "Mother's Milk Cookies" when I was chatting with her about my new granddaughter Ada and her beautiful mom, my daughter-in-law Amy. No, the cookies do not have mother's milk in them. They have ingredients that enhance milk production for busy new moms. And all new moms are busy.

There are commercial mother's milk cookies, but I wanted to make some so that I could put the best possible ingredients in them myself. After finding numerous recipes online, I selected one. Whole grains, brewer's yeast, and ground flax seed mingle with the organic butter and free trade chocolate chips in these tasty treats. Of course, I had to design a label, too:

For the artwork, I used a pointed pen for the lettering and little border. After scanning it in as a TIFF file in PhotoShop, I colored the motifs digitally. In InDesign I incorporated the list of ingredients, printed the finished label out on laser labels and wrapped each cookie in a natural waxed paper baggie. Frozen, these pop into a professional mom's briefcase and nourish both mom and baby when snacktime arises!

An Illustrated Map for A National Park Forest Walk

While teaching my Artful Map course at the North Cascades Institute in June, 2011, I was approached by Forest Ranger Cindy Bjorklund who asked if I would be interested in designing an illustrated map for a new trailhead sign featuring the renovated Happy Creek Forest Walk. This site is just 6 miles east of the NCI Learning Center on Highway 20. After visiting the site and submitting a bid for this project, I was offered the job. A passionate fan of this fully-accessible old-growth forest and creek walk, Cindy was my naturalist collaborator for the project.

Below you can see the map in its nearly-completed state. The set-up here was for adding the final texture to be applied to the overall piece. Consisting of a light spattering and sponging of burnt umber watercolor, the texture helped unify the elements and create a slightly antiqued look. Yes, it did make me nervous to start spraying and sponging over the detailed work! Most likely, the trailhead sign featuring this artwork will be unveiled at the beginning of 2012's hiking season when the North Cascades Highway opens in the spring.

India ink, graphite and watercolor on smooth watercolor paper were used to illustrate the Forest Walk.

Jazz! Summer Illustration Job: CD Cover

Update!

The CD has been released, and copies are on their way to me. The recording artist is Adrian Cunningham, a highly regarded Australian jazz musician who currently lives and works in New York City. Visit his site and listen to some of the music on the CD Walkabout. Evidently the illustrations I did for the cover and liner notes have been well received.

 

 

 

************************************************************************************

When I take a glance back at freelance jobs I've taken in summers past, I recall a number of especially fun ones. Summer of 2011 is no exception. For one assignment, I created a series of images for a jazz CD, including a cover illustration and several spot illustrations to be used on the liner notes. I'll publish the whole project after the CD is released, but for now, here are the spot illustrations:

Cabins on Beaches: Samish Island Shed

It has been such a summer pleasure, throughout my life, to spend time friends who have cabins on the waters of Puget Sound. One such friend has a small complex of cabins and a shed up on Samish Island, north of La Conner, WA. As a novice oil painter, I decided to pack up my paints and a canvas board to find something to paint at this marvelous place. Here you see my efforts, begun on site and completed at home with the aid of a photo I took that day.

Summer: A Time to Write Postcards

My calendar doesn't include any voyages to exotic places or European capitals this summer. It includes things like "Sketch in Claire's Garden," and "Drawing Group, 9 AM." Those who know me, know that I love to send postcards when I'm traveling. I also love to send postcards when I'm not! The passing of some sweet summertime hours, drawing and painting with friends is a keen pleasure of mine. During these everyday shared times this past week I made four postcards that are already en route to friends scattered about the country. Here they are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lettering for a Jazz Quartet Logo

Designing for all kinds of musical groups and events has played a major role in my career in graphic arts. My current project is to design a suitable hand lettered logo for a new jazz quartet in New York City. I've submitted roughs, two of which are here. Neither of these is going to the final stage, but they contrast one another well. How perfect to spend summer hours in the studio, writing out the words Garden Party. If you can't be at one, you may as well be writing the evocative words themselves!

   

 

Eighteen Map Designers Rise to the Challenge

 

 

 

 

Clicking on the montage will take you to my (unbiased and lengthy) review of this workshop.

Thank you.