Classic Scarry Illustration

In my botanical illustration lab, we have been asked to select works from the rare and endangered species exhibition at Chicago Botanic Gardens that captivate us for whatever reason. I chose a plate from Smithsonian illustrator Alice Tangerini. Her plate interested me because I enjoy technical drawings that typically involve cross sections and dissections of the plants involved. I also enjoy using pen as my tool of choice, but given I’m not an artist by training found myself questioning our instructor over ink and led weights. I didn’t know that the “H” on a pencil meant “hard” yet, “B” means “soft”.

Most the students in the class are art teachers, botanical illustrators by profession and one student is even responsible for the “1-2-3 Draw” series of books you may see in the children’s section at Border’s. It’s a neat class with neat pupils, and I am very likely the youngest student by twenty years. It gives me a bit of a chip on my shoulder at times.

I don’t have any illustration experience other than sequential art– comic panels that I have always done for fun, or storyboards for my films that are never made. I do however have an affinity for drawing upright animals in suits, driving cars– which is no doubt influenced heavily by my all time favorite illustrator Richard Scarry. Particularly, a recurring character in my own stories and panels is a cat in a suit who is a newspaperman. I’ve perfected him.

I have to stifle a chuckle in class because when my work is being critiqued our instructor will say things like “I can tell you have a great deal of illustration experience” and while that is nice and definitely helps me to keep moving forward — I realize that my only training are animals in business formal attire.

On the first day of class I was asked for my portfolio (which does not exist)– luckily, the prior weekend I had drafted two flowers from house plants and a wilting bouquet on my coffee table which was able to be critiqued. It was good enough, but I fear someday I will be asked for more and it will be a phone book that rivals Busytown. (As Tina Fey/Liz Lemon would say “I want to go to there.”)

Here’s to trying. I guess, I specialize in plants and “animals”…

Supplementary:

Here’s a great NPR piece an photo essay on Tangerini

The Richard Scarry papers at University of Conneticut (Special Collections)