The Winner is....

Robert Rodriguez won the Platinum and the Gold awards
this morning from the Graphis Design Annual 2011.
The "Cowboys of the Silver Screen" stamps won the awards.
Robert, we are so proud of you!
http://www.lindgrensmith.com/search/rodriguez/index2.php

Eels Trouble with Dreams (live with puppets)

Prius & Porsche

Cover assignment for an international edition of Newsweek. The title was the Flying Prius about the never ending dream of the flying wing. It's the pursuit to bring the energy efficient qualities of a the flying wing shape to the main stream commercial aviation industry. Creating a version of the Prius for the airline industry. Art Director; Adolfo Valle.

The next one was for Motor Trend. Its a regular column with a roving subject. This month's about the enjoyment and build of a classic Porsche replica. These newly built replicas are mechanically superior to the original, while retaining the original classic lines, and interior look. Allowing the owner the peace of mind of not putting an original in harm's way while driving in the real world. Personally I'd still be sweating as these high quality replicas are not cheap either. Title for the column was; Auto Avatar, the bathtub Porsche reimagined in Cameron-grade HD/3D/CGI brilliance. Art Director; Andy Foster.

For more click here.

Chris Rahn LA Weekly Cover

Darrick Rainey had a tight deadline and needed a portrait of LA Dodgers owner, Frank McCourt with his vanquished opponents at his feet. Chris did a terrific job!
see more of Chris's work here

DIY Munny workshop

I was recently the guest artist, along with Steve Manale and Diana McNally, at a Do-It-Yourself Munny workshop at Narwhal Art Projects here in Toronto, hosted by Magic Pony. It was a super fun night, and everyone left with a uniquely decorated Munny doll (mine is above). Take a peek at the other creations here. Additionally, Magic Pony now carries my book, Spirit City Toronto (published by Koyama Press), which can be purchased on-line here.

Kellie Strom in London

Opening next week at The Illustration Cupboard is a show of art from the StoryWorld series,with several of Kellie's illustrations.
The gallery has some of his originals for sale as well.
The show runs from 17 August - 18 September at The Illustration Cupboard, 22 Bury Street, London, SW1Y 6AL.

National Mustard day!

Chris Lyons offered these deeelishious looking hot dogs so that you don't forget to celebrate this very important day... August 7th is National Mustard day! Don't forget to visit his portfolio at: http://www.lindgrensmith.com/search/lyons/

Ringling School of Art and Design Poster

To see more of Regan Dunnick's work, go to
http://www.lindgrensmith.com/search/dunnick/

Summer in Spirit City

Did you know that the forgotten corners of the city are home to a variety of destitute nature spirits? It's true. Full of these somewhat sad, enigmatic creatures, my debut book, Spirit City Toronto, is now available! I'm currently working on setting up on–line purchase capability, but until then just e-mail me to order a copy (take a peek here if you'd like a preview). Big thanks and gratitude to Koyama Press for making it happen!

To see more of Aaron Leighton's work, go it http://www.lindgrensmith.com/search/leighton/

Artistic Minds want to know....

An Interview with Aaron Leighton

Hi Aaron. Love your new book Spirit City Toronto. What inspired it?

The book was initially inspired by many walks and bike rides around Toronto. Being something of an “observation junkie”, I found myself drawn to the neglected and overgrown corners of the city. There is a certain sad beauty to these places, and I began to imagine what type of beings might inhabit them or, more accurately, might have inhabited them before humans came along and paved everything over. More technically, I suppose, it was a combination of my interest in folk mythology, environmental issues and urban photography, as well as an homage to the gorgeous animated films of Hayao Miyazaki, many of which feature narratives combining our “real” world with the spirit world, often with an environmental subtext.

I’m currently reprinting the book with my publisher, Koyama Press (http://www.koyamapress.com), and will be doing a blog posting when the new copies are ready to go. For now, some of the images are posted at my site here (http://www.aaronleighton.com/work/category/books).

Could you tell us more about your art and design background and what made you become an artist and designer?

I attended the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary in the early 1990’s, and have been working as an illustrator since 1995. I studied both design and illustration in school and was doing both for the first few years of my career, but I found that I enjoyed drawing pictures more than laying out typography. With that said, I think studying both disciplines was extremely useful, seeing as learning about design fundamentals gave me that many more tools to use with my illustration. As far as why I pursued commercial art as a career, I’ve simply always loved to draw and could not really imagine myself doing anything else.

Your work is quite unique. Can you tell us where your inspiration comes from?

When it comes to inspiration, I certainly draw from multiple wells. On the artistic front, my obsession with line and color began with the discovery of guys like Picasso, Miro and Klee, along with more contemporary artists such as Rauschenberg, Haring and Basquiat. Tribal / indigenous artwork also had a strong impact on me in regards to not only the possibilities of how form could be simplified and stylized, but also how art objects could have an additional, metaphysical or magical significance to them, an idea I find fascinating. I’m a big fan of cartoons as well, particularly the Simpsons and Ren & Stimpy. Cartoons taught me how to combine drawings and humor.

What hardware and software are you using?

My computer is a 24” iMac and my scanner (which broke last year and which I fixed with hot glue) is an Epson Perfection 3170 Photo. Regarding software, I use Illustrator and Photoshop CS3, but I still do all my drawings by hand. Digital technology is a very useful tool, but if I could work without a computer, I would.

How does your job as an artist and designer influence your life?

I would say that working as a freelance artist amplifies the regular influences in one’s life, both for good and ill. For example, it’s wonderful being your own boss, setting your own hours, working from home and being able to technically take time off whenever you like. On the other side, there are the super–short deadlines, the challenging clients, the weekends spent working and, most challenging, the inconsistent income. Personally, I try to internalize the old Buddhist saying that one must “bend like the reed and flow like the river”.

Do you feel that you see things around you differently?

Every single person on the planet sees the world in their own, unique way, so I guess I’d have to say “yes” by default. For me personally, true “seeing” is more about paying close attention all the time, conscious observation if you will, where sight becomes a continual spiritual experience.

Where would you like to be with your illustration 5 to 10 years from now?

Still doing it, at the very least! Ideally, I would like to keep doing interesting work in a variety of media, including more animation (and by that I mean collaboration with animators), which seems to be one of the primary directions our industry is heading. I’d like to start painting more as well, seeing as the tactile experience of making an object is a wonderful balance to the more cerebral process of using the computer.

to see more of Aaron Leighton's work, go to http://www.lindgrensmith.com/search/leighton/