blog
- Draw like a kid
- 08 November 2011
This Thursday will be part two of my Subconscious Sketchbook class at Nook, and if last week's class was any indication, it's going to be fun. Donuts were eaten, sketchbooks were started and an important point arose: it's way more important to simply do something in a sketchbook than worry about what to do.
If you want a perfect example of this approach, watch a kid draw. All kids can draw because no one has told them they can't, and it's full steam ahead from the moment they grab the pencil until the drawing is done. Then it's on to the next one, without any worry or need for reference material. Of course, we can still all draw with such reckless abandon – we just have to give ourselves permission to. For inspiration, here is a drawing courtesy of Harper (five), the daughter of one of my class members. Look and learn!
- Happy Halloween 2011!
- 31 October 2011
It's the most wonderful time of the year...Halloween! Best wishes to you and yours for a truly terrifying day, and if you're not busy creating toilet paper artwork tonight, swing by the Nook studio here in Toronto (156 Augusta Avenue, Kensington Market) for the Occult Q&A. Boo!
- Occult Q&A
- 25 October 2011
What are you doing for Halloween night? Sitting on the porch giving away your hard-earned candy is noble, of course, but wouldn't you rather spend the evening discussing all things paranormal? If so, join me and illustrative wunderkind Drew Shannon at the Nook studio for an Occult Q&A! Bring your stories, your questions and your metaphysical musings as we delve into what occultism actually is and isn't, sharing some arcane lore along the way. For instance, did you know plants have auras? Or that there were real-life wizards? Or that the word "occult" simply means "secret" in Latin? Proof is boring. Let's celebrate Halloween by embracing extreme possibility!
The Occult Q&A is a free Nook event happening Monday, October 31 at the Nook studio, 156 Augusta Avenue in Toronto's Kensington Market. It will run from 7:00 pm until whenever we get scared. Please RSVP by e-mailing me at info@aaronleighton.com.
- Kelsey Heinrichs
- 06 October 2011
Kelsey Heinrichs is another one of my recently-graduated students whom I like to call the young god of character design. Well, OK – I've never called him that until now, but it's an apt title. His stretchy day-glo characters, alternately playful, menacing and completely insane, were a constant source of inspiration whenever I flipped through his epic sketchbook. Imagine Ren & Stimpy creator John K having a mutated baby with all of the Expressionists at once. Yes, he's that good. Check out this stuff here. Also: happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!
- Douglas Fraser - After Print
- 04 October 2011
My good friend and illustrator par excellence, Douglas Fraser, is having a show at the Winchester Gallery in Victoria. Titled After Print, the show is a collection of Doug's new personal work which showcases not only his technical skill, but also his ongoing visual investigation of structure and his reinterpretation of "normal" objects and moments with almost spiritual significance. Plus, he paints a mean hot rod. The show runs from October 1 until October 22nd, so go check it out if you live on the west coast!
- Dialog Mural
- 30 September 2011
I recently had the pleasure of helping out local illustrator extraordinaire Ben Weeks with a mural project he was hired to do for an architecture firm called Dialog here in Toronto. Also lending an able hand was illustrator Ian Turner. You know a company like Dialog is forward-thinking when they hire an illustrator to create a mural on a 50-foot black wall which is the first thing visible upon exiting the elevator. We used china markers to draw, and although trying to keep them peeled wreaked havoc on our thumbs we had a blast covering the wall with our three respective styles, the sum of which ended up becoming something new entirely. It was a great example of how illustration can be applied in a non-traditional manner for a truly unique result.
- The Subconscious Sketchbook at Nook
- 28 September 2011
Hey, in November I'll be teaching a four-part class at Nook: The Subconscious Sketchbook! Come join the fun as we fill pages with nonsense, gorge on unhealthy snacks and drop-kick mental blocks. All the info is here at the Nook blog.
- Estela Cuadro
- 21 September 2011
Estela Cuadro is an illustrator from Buenos Aries, Argentina, whose magical work is intimate and surreal, suggestive of both dreams and nightmares. This gal doesn't hold back! Check out her website here.
- The Imperial 6 - Group Exhibition
- 14 September 2011
If you have ever been to Barrie, Ontario, you probably know that it's not usually considered a hotbed of artistic enlightenment. Well, that's all going to change tomorrow night with the opening of The Imperial 6, a group exhibition at Maclaren Art Centre featuring a bunch of my talented pals including Steve Wilson, Ben Shannon, Steve Manale, Chris Stone, Chip Zdarsky and Michael Comeau. If you live in Barrie, come on out and get cultured, dammit! Check the facebook page here for details.
- Taryn Gee
- 08 September 2011
Taryn Gee is an excellent illustrator (and Sheridan grad) whose beautiful work reminds me of Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Russian iconography, with a sense of humour mixed in for good measure. No one draws pretty ladies like Taryn, and her sketchbook (pictured below) is a work of art in and of itself. Check out her site and her blog.
