Every now and then I like to stop and clarify. For those of you who are new to this blog, or are trying to figure out who I am and what I do: this post is for you. HELLO. MY NAME IS JESS SMART SMILEY & I MAKE RAD PICTURES. Despite what my name might…
A couple of weeks ago I received a package from illustrator Nicole Daddona (creator of Hairphabet, an alphabetical catalog of illustrated hairstyles). Not only did Nicole send me a copy of her fun Halloween zine, Ghost’s Night Out, but she included what she calls a “mail order interview” – a hand-written form for me to fill out and…
Related articles Quentin Blake: ‘I never wanted children. But I do invent them.’ (telegraph.co.uk) Quentin Blake (johnlewis.com) The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake – review (guardian.co.uk)
Jim Henson’s iconic puppet characters, fantastic worlds, and warm humor have delighted millions of people of all ages. His incredibly diverse body of work, from the Muppets to the world of The Dark Crystal, reveals his charm and genius to fans old and new. Compiled directly from The Jim Henson Company archives, Imagination Illustrated adapts the diary that…
I was recently commissioned to create a series of editorial illustrations focused on peace in the Middle East. This picture focuses on soldiers who have defected and joined the peaceful protestors.
It’s true. Jonathan Bréchignac has spent the last 15 months drawing a carpet (to scale!) using a black Bic pen. From Doodlers Anonymous’ post on Jonathan’s feat: “He explored different patterns and drew inspiration from all types of art (French roman, traditional Japanese, native American, Mexican) and also military camouflage and animal patterns, to create an almost…
Paul Hummer and I co-founded Toyceratops, a mobile game and interactive books publisher, and we just put up our first blog post! You can check it out at toyceratops.com. While I will try to keep my posts on Toyceratops separate from what I’m doing with this blog, I have to say that I’m excited beyond words…
The Provo Library has been a good friend of mine for a long, long time. I first discovered Stephen King’s writing at the Provo Library. Bill Peet and Roald Dahl were there, too—not to mention M.C. Escher’s work, and books of paintings from Pablo Picasso. Books on writing, drawing, epic fantasies that soared inside my…