Introduction — Maps have long been the purview of the field of illustration, from imaginative maps illustrating fantastical journeys, to informative maps that guide tourists through their destinations. As an illustrator, I’ve had a long fascination with maps, illustrating maps of amusement parks as a kid, and also appreciating how illustrations of…

In 2012, I sat down at the ChocoLaté Coffee Shop on North Decatur Road in Atlanta, newly christened a “professor” for the first time in my life and tasked with creating a real college-level curriculum for an Art Appreciation class. I was thrilled to be in this position, I felt…

In light of the new presidential portrait unveiling, I started researching presidential portraits of the past. (I also may or may not have been stuck in bed all day with the flu and had a bit of time on my hands.) As a portrait artist who makes a living off…

Introduction — In 1882, Vincent van Gogh spoke of acclaimed illustrator Howard Pyle in a letter to his brother Theo: “Do you know an American magazine called Harper’s Monthly? There are wonderful sketches in it… But there are things in it which strike me dumb with admiration, including… sketches of a Quaker…

(Author’s Note: This paper was completed as my graduate thesis in March 2011 and the interviews were completed in 2010. The full interviews are attached at the end of the paper.) Abstract This paper compares approaches to and philosophies of illustration pedagogy. The primary form of research is interviews with different…

Introduction Faces are one of the earliest recognizable symbols we create as children first teaching ourselves to draw and design. Children are so intrigued by what the facial expressions of their parents and mentors visually communicate, they habitually draw their first portraits over and over again, emphasizing faces over bodies…

In June of 2016, Karl Ahlrichs declared: “Communicating with millennials can be like learning a new language.” He continues, explaining that visuals are a critical portion of what fuels this communication, stating, “Visuals pack a greater punch than text and are more likely to draw attention.” Visual communication has become…

Introduction John Pollack writes in his book The Pun Also Rises that, “Critics and curmudgeons often deride the pun as the lowest form of humor. Others would counter that if that’s true, it would make punning the foundation of ALL humor.” While a verbal pun is defined as a humorous…

I teach Art at Georgia Gwinnett College, located in Lawrenceville, GA, twenty miles outside of Atlanta. Today, I asked each of my sections at the beginning of class to vote on whether or not they would like to spend some time doing an exercise to reflect on the election or…