Introductions

I'm a freelance illustrator and a Kendall College of Art and Design graduate currently living in Michigan. My work ranges from rendered paintings in watercolor, to still-lifes in pastel, to film storyboards, to more comic-style illustrations in digital or traditional colors. Needless to say, my work is diverse. My intention for use of this blog is to display my artwork in a professional manner and to bring in commission-based business. Essentially, this is my online portfolio. Many illustrators are using blogs these days, and needing a presence for myself, this will hopefully work for me as well. So I encourage you to watch regularly for postings of artwork and perhaps be compelled to call on my services for a commission. Keep in mind that I work in a variety of mediums and subjects, so do not hesitate to ask for something that you might not see here. Just contact me at andrew.shirey@yahoo.com, my work e-mail and my Paypal account.

Read my illustration commissions post as a starting point to get an idea of the potential price range.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Bureau of Vital Statistics

Remember the Bureau of Vital Statistics storyboards done back in November? Matt Keatman, the independent filmmaker who hired me for the storyboard work, has uploaded the entire short film onto YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to watch it there or the embedded video, here.



It's an incredibly surreal feeling, watching what you've illustrated brought to life with real men and women in actual places. Most storyboard and conceptual artists for films must feel this way, I'm sure.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

SAC '10 summer art camp: Caricatures, 2

Yesterday was my last lesson in regards to the Shiawassee Arts Center's summer art camp classes, which also ended on a good note. The older group usually goes over better, plus caricatures tend to be more popular on the whole. Here's a pair who modeled for our class demonstration, along with a couple girls who drew me for a change. How's that for turning the tables?


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

SAC '10 summer art camp: Caricatures

For the past two weeks on Wednesdays, I've taught children's art classes on "High Fantasy Cartooning" over at the Shiawassee Arts Center as part of their summer art camp program. The responses were varied, which didn't exactly put me at ease. Perhaps it was more my own personal interpretation of how it went than anything else, since I felt that the lesson plan suffered due to tiring adjustments in schedule. Thankfully, this Tuesday and next are on a very familiar topic: caricatures. This afternoon's class went well, with the exceptional small snag here and there. But when you're teaching last, and working with the younger children at the end of a long afternoon, it's to be expected. Here are a handful of troopers who were patient enough to pose for caricatures by yours truly.


This is also worth mentioning, as long as we're on the topic. Three weeks prior I taught another children's art class, also on caricatures, over in St. Johns, Michigan, on behalf of the Clinton County Arts Council. Haven't had any dealings with them before until this time. Mrs. Darling, a friend of the family, was coordinator of this summer art camp program and put in a good word for me. Perhaps I'll be called in again to teach, come next summer.

Regrettably, the photographs of my students and their caricatures from that particular class were lost, so sadly they cannot be included in this post. Goes to show what happens when I put off posting. Be sure to check in again next week for more pictures from my second SAC '10 summer art camp class on caricatures.