illustration and design – Gary Whitley Illustration

Illustration explained.

Gary — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 18:00:09 +0000

My old shoes. Photo illustration by Gary Whitley

" data-medium-file="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/paint-shoes72.jpg?fit=300%2C234&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/paint-shoes72.jpg?fit=688%2C536&ssl=1" class="size-full wp-image-906" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/paint-shoes72.jpg?resize=688%2C536" alt="My old shoes. Photo illustration by Gary Whitley" width="688" height="536" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/paint-shoes72.jpg?w=720&ssl=1 720w, https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/paint-shoes72.jpg?resize=300%2C234&ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px" data-recalc-dims="1" />

My old shoes

“Illustrators are word people who happen to draw. We work with one foot in a book, the other stuck in a paint pot. Our shoes are a disgrace.”

—Wallace Tripp

Illustration is art. An illustrator is an artist but not all artists are illustrators. Technically, an illustrator specializes in enhancing writing or illuminating concepts by providing a visual image that corresponds to the content of the related text or idea. Illustrations are used in advertisements, greeting cards, posters, books, storyboards, manuals, architectural rendering, business, magazines, shirts, video games, newspapers and billboards.

But in a blog post on Illustration Art there is another well stated opinion I share:

“In my view, there is no inherent difference between art and illustration except the way in which payment to the artist is processed.”

Why did I turn to illustration? I like to get paid. Those art supplies can get expensive! And I need some new shoes…

While you are here, check out the rest of my website. Then please like, comment and share this post.

What does this have to do with art? About being creative.

Gary — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 16:27:41 +0000

I should have been painting

“Anytime you see a turtle up on top of a fence post, you know he had some help.”

–Alex Haley

“I not only use all the brains I have, but all that I can borrow.”

–Woodrow Wilson

While on the farm throughout the 1990’s we had cattle, horses and about 40 acres of timber to take care of. We built fences, mowed fields, thinned trees and cut firewood. I also cleared land to make more pasture for rotation. My tractor could do some of it but not all of it. Oftentimes when I needed some extra muscle, my neighbors would loan me some of their heavy equipment. Larger tractors, dozers, backhoes and loaders–Big Boy Toys. I loved running them and seeing the quick results.

Then I was loaned an excavator.

From Wikipedia:

“Excavators (hydraulic) are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, dipper (or stick), bucket and cab on a rotating platform known as the “house”. The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. All movement and functions of a hydraulic excavator are accomplished through the use of hydraulic fluid, with hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic motors. Excavators are also called diggers, mechanical shovels, or 360-degree excavators (sometimes abbreviated simply to “360”). Tracked excavators are sometimes called “trackhoes” by analogy to the backhoe.”

However they do not perform well while under water.

What It should look like in the upright position

It was a Summer Sunday and I was working near a creek filling in a dip from where it used to run before it changed course years before. There were some old downed trees and brush to clear as well.

The vibration of the excavator started to liquify the ground under it. By the time I noticed the earth shaking like a bowl of jello, it was too late. I tried to maneuver my way out and it just made it worse. I reached the bucket out several times and buried it in the still good dirt 30 feet away to pull myself out but that didn’t work either. When I looked down behind me I saw I was now in water. #OhCrap.

I thought I might soon become the reluctant owner of a drowned 20 ton $150,000 paper weight.

By this time some of my friends that had shown up at the house drove out to check on me. I didn’t have to say anything about my dilemma; it was obvious.

They hauled out all the railroad ties and beams and unused fence posts that were in the barn to throw under the tracks as I would rock the machine up. We thought we could build a sort of platform to get it level enough to drive out. When I rocked back it sank right back where it was before. #SinkingFeeling.

I turned the excavator off. We had no more ideas. None except to call King Crane Company on Monday and see if they could lift it out. From the road 200 feet away. I didn’t want to know how much that would cost.

Then someone heard a rumbling up on the hill above us. I knew some neighbors who happened to be loggers had been working up there. But it was Sunday. One of my friends hopped on a quad and drove up to investigate. A half hour went by before he came racing down the hill. About that time I could hear the noise getting louder and louder. Just as he drove up there was a beautiful sight–a D7 Cat crawling through the trees toward us.

They pulled up and sized up the situation. I had to dig out the part of the undercarriage that had a tow loop so they could attach a cable to it. If you look at the first picture you can see a green shirt sleeve, a hand and a shovel handle on the right. That’s me digging it out.

When we went to pull it out I still had to use the bucket clawing into the ground for more power, but we did it. Thanks to all those friends and that D7 Cat.

I drove the excavator straight up near the barn yard where I could get a water hose to it and washed and scrubbed and hosed it as clean as I could. I never borrowed that excavator again.

I think I should have been painting instead of digging that day.

What does this have to do with being creative or illustration or art again?

As artists (or life in general) we can get stuck on a painting or project or assignment but if we do we can call on our friends to help pull us out of it. They may lend a fresh eye, a new perspective, a creative idea or even a D7 Cat. You just never know.

“I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.”

–Plutarch

Please like and share this post. Thanks!

P.S. I’m calling on all Grammar Police and Spelling Wizards to comment on any errors or omissions you may find in any of my posts. It will help make me a better writer, give me a thicker skin and bring a bright smile to your face knowing you have once again rescued the english language from certain annihilation.

Why We Fly.

Gary — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 16:23:53 +0000

“Sometimes, flying feels too godlike to be attained by man.

Sometimes, the world from above seems

too beautiful, too wonderful, too distant for human eyes to see . . .”

Charles A. Lindbergh

Of course, these days there are lots of crazy people on planes, with “service peacocks” trying to get on too, but it is still seems like a miracle that we can fly. Thanks to the Wright brothers. I just want to know who invented those tiny bags of peanuts and what they were thinking…do peacocks like peanuts?

Here is the main illustration. I’m not sure if has even been installed yet. 92″ by 146″. It will be behind the welcome desk at the Wright Brothers Memorial and National Park. A lot of revisions and versions to get to this one. It’s a very good thing it was done on the computer or I would have run out of paint. And brushes. And hair to pull out.

Here is more about the monument:

https://www.atlanticrealty-nc.com/blog/outer-banks-information/10-fun-facts-about-wright-brothers-monument

Have you ever been to the Wright Brothers Memorial? This National Park and Monument recognizes the land where the first official flight by the Wright Brothers took place. Here are a few little known facts about the park located right here on the Outer Banks! If you’ve never been there, plan to check it out on your next visit. It’s fun and history for visitors of all ages!

1. The First Flight Actually Took Place in Kill Devil Hills, Not Kitty Hawk.

When the Wright Brothers sent word that they made their first official flight, it came from the telegraph office located inside the Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station a few miles away. Kill Devil Hills was not established as an official town until the 1950s, so Kitty Hawk was given the credit as the location of the first flight in 1903.

2. The Hill Had To Be Stabilized

The original ‘hill’ where the flight trials took place was originally nothing but a sand dune, like hundreds of other dunes in the area at that time. When the government decided to erect a granite monument on that spot, they realized they needed something more stable than just sand to prevent it from shifting. They added dirt and more sand to the hill, building it up to the height it is today. The whole community got involved with the stabilization process. Children were even paid a penny for each bucket of dirt they brought to the hill. Once the hill was the right soil consistancy, they planted grass, anchoring it to the spot. Today, this hill is officially known as the “Kill Devil Hill,” named after the town that surrounds it.

3. The Welcome Center Is Done In Art Deco Style

The visitor center (which is currently undergoing restoration this year) was considered an ultra-modern design when originally built in the 1920’s. It was part of the Park Service’s “Mission 66” program dedicated to modernization and expansion. The architectural firm of Rogers & Poor were the ones behind it’s unique art deco style. In 1966, it was inducted into the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

4. It Was The First Federal Park To Have A Permanent Public Structure

Prior to the Wright Memorial’s Visitor Center, National Parks didn’t have public structures on them. Instead, they had ranger stations, entrances, and other similar outcroppings, but no buildings for the public to enjoy. When they created Wright Memorial, they realized that nature and the boulder markers alone weren’t going to be enough to tell the Wright’s story, so they commissioned a museum to tell the rest.

5. The Inside Of The Monument Is Hollow

The 60 foot granite monument was built in 1932 and dedicated to the Wright Brothers while brother Orville was still living. Though it looks solid, it’s actually hollow with a black granite floor. When it was originally built, it was intended to be open to the public as an extension of the museum. Two alcoves inside originally held the busts of the brothers that now appear outside. Narrow stairs lead upward, letting you see the entire park from the top of the monument. With the combined height of both the hill and the structure itself, it’s the single highest point on the Outer Banks. You can see the entire park as well as the markers on the ground, helping you realize just how important, yet how small everything really is. This part of the Memorial is closed to the public but opens occasionally for special days and events.

6. The Memorial Was The Original Selfie Spot.

In the 1940s and 50s the popular thing to do was to get dressed up in your Sunday best and take pictures in front of the commemorative boulders. Though this might seem strange to us today, it has to do with pride. Outer Bankers have always been a proud people, and for their home to be chosen as the best spot in the entire country to have the very first heavier than air flight, it made sense that they would go the most special spot in the world to have their pictures taken in their finest clothes.

7. The Access Used To Be From Colington Road

The entrance we use today from the main road, Route 158 was not always the entrance to the park. The original access was from Colington Road. You can still find the original access flanked by cold war columns. However, there is a fence there now preventing entry from any route other than the main gate.

8. At One Time The Inscription Was Highly Controversial

If you’ve ever been to the top of hill, you’ll notice there’s an inscription at the base. It says “In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, conceived by genius, achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith.”

The reason it was controversial was because it doesn’t actually say that the Wright Brother’s invented heavier than air flight. This was a constant problem in the years following the famous ‘first flight’. Though the brother’s gained fame and were given many awards for their achievements, none of the early awards acknowledged them as the creators of heavier than air flight. It wasn’t until 1940 that people (and honors) first started to recognize the brothers as aeronautics’ true inventors. There is still much controversy as to whether the states of North Carolina or Ohio (the Wright Brothers’ birthplace) can claim to be the “First in Flight”.

9. The Flyer At The Monument Is Not The Original

The original plane that actually performed the first flight in Kill Devil Hills is now located inside the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. However, it almost never made it there due to the fact that the Smithsonian originally refused to recognize the Wrights accomplishment as the creators of heavier than air flight. Orville Wright (the only surviving brother at the time) sent the plane to England where he felt it would be displayed properly. Upon learning that they would lose the opportunity to the aircraft to a museum overseas, the Smithsonian pleaded and agreed for the Wright Flyer to be displayed alongside Langley’s flyer. Orville refused and threatened to burn the plane rather than ever let the Smithsonian have it after showing so much disrespect. It wasn’t until 1947, after two subsequent curators and a purging of Langley’s work from the ‘practical’ side of aviation did Orville agree to finally send his flyer to the DC museum. Though many said he would have preferred to have the original flyer at his monument in North Carolina, Orville’s premature death ended the debate. The last wishes in his will said the flyer was to go to the Smithsonian. The flyer displayed at the Wright Memorial here on the Outer Banks is a replica.

10. Many Famous People Have Visited The Monument

Thousands of visitors tour the monument and grounds every year. Each year on December 17th a special celebration is held that marks the anniversary of the Wrights’ first flight. This celebration brings in aviation fans, military personnel and even a few celebrities. Actors such as John Travolta and President George W. Bush have made appearances there. As have astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Chuck Yeager. American aviation pioneers, Ruth Nichols and Amelia Earhart also visited the monument during their lifetime. All wanted to see where it all began.

Bonus Fact: The Wright’s Patent Made Them Rich And Famous Men

People think the Wrights invented the airplane. That’s only partially true. Airplanes with similarities of configuration to the ones the Wrights flew were already in existence. However, they simply didn’t work. They lacked both a way to lift off from level ground and a way to control them once they were in the air.

The Wrights invented a system that helped the plane not only lift off, but remain in control once airborne. This was the true turning point for both aviation and the Brothers. To this day, there is no better system for controlling flight than the one the Wrights invented in 1903. Even in modern aircraft, the systems are all just updated variations of the Wrights original system. Thanks to their patent, the Wrights received 20% on the sale of every new aircraft regardless if the buyer was commercial, private, or even the government.

And one final thought:

“Flying is hours and hours of boredom sprinkled with a few seconds of sheer terror.”

Gregory ”Pappy” Boyington

OK, one more:

“That’s the thing about flying: You could talk to someone for hours and never even know his name, share your deepest secrets and then never see them again.”

Jennifer E. Smith

Billboard illustration. Yes, I did it.

Gary — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 15:27:51 +0000

“I think that I shall never see

a billboard lovely as a tree.

Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,

I’ll never see a tree at all.”

–Ogden Nash

That’s a good one, but billboards are still big these days. You can blame the circuses in the last 150 years for starting it all. And then the automobile and highways. Don’t blame me; I was just a child back then.

I’ve done artwork for several through the years. Here is the illustration that went on a billboard for the radio station KUPL “morning waking crew” in Portland in the 90’s. You know, the news, traffic, sports and weather goofy crew during drive time.

morning crew billboard illustration in color

" data-medium-file="https://i2.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/m-crew-color72-1.jpg?fit=300%2C139&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i2.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/m-crew-color72-1.jpg?fit=661%2C307&ssl=1" class="aligncenter wp-image-830 size-full" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/m-crew-color72-1.jpg?resize=661%2C307" alt="morning crew billboard illustration in color. By Gary Whitley" width="661" height="307" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/m-crew-color72-1.jpg?w=661&ssl=1 661w, https://i2.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/m-crew-color72-1.jpg?resize=300%2C139&ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 661px) 100vw, 661px" data-recalc-dims="1" />

Here is the billboard illustration before color was added:

morning crew billboard illustration before color was added.

" data-medium-file="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/morning-crew72.jpg?fit=300%2C130&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/morning-crew72.jpg?fit=665%2C289&ssl=1" class="aligncenter wp-image-826 size-full" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/morning-crew72.jpg?resize=665%2C289" alt="morning crew billboard before color was added. By Gary Whitley" width="665" height="289" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/morning-crew72.jpg?w=665&ssl=1 665w, https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/morning-crew72.jpg?resize=300%2C130&ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 665px) 100vw, 665px" data-recalc-dims="1" />

There were several installed around Portland along main highways and high traffic areas. The one I saw was along I-5 Northbound at Delta Park and was 14’x48′. That’s pretty big to me. When you see your illustration on your first billboard it’s exhilarating. The second, third and the rest not so much. My name wasn’t on it, so I wasn’t instantly famous or anything– and this says it best:

“I’m on a billboard in Times Square, but my bathroom is still dirty, and I have toothpaste on my face.”

–Betty Gilpin

P.S: I’m again calling on all Grammar Police and Spelling Wizards to comment on any errors or omissions you may find in any of my posts. It will help make me a better writer, give me a thicker skin and bring a bright smile to your face knowing you have once again rescued the english language from certain annihilation.

Illustration and Design Stories.

Gary — Tue, 08 May 2018 15:51:02 +0000

The U.S. Mint and the Golden Ticket.

A Challenging Episode in Illustration and Design. Read time: 5 minutes

Working with the U.S. Mint on as an Associate Designer was one of the more challenging and yet rewarding times in my career. In 2010 I was selected to design coins and medals under an artistic infusion program.

Deadlines were tight. Revisions happened often. But it was still a blast.

I learned from the best artists and sculptors at the United States Mint, including John Mercanti who was the twelfth Chief Engraver of the U.S.Mint until his retirement in late 2010, and Don Everhart, coin and medal engraver-medalist, and sculptor who is at the U.S.Mint in Philadelphia.

Altogether I worked on designs for 16 coins and Congressional Gold Medals: everything from the Congressional Medal of Honor Commemorative coin to The Code Talkers Congressional Gold Medal to The New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal; The Star Spangled Banner Gold coin and The Native American Dollar coin. I created designs for coins featuring Presidents Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt; First ladies Lucretia Garfield, Caroline Harrison and Helen Taft. Plus, there were Quarter designs for Great Basin National Park in Nevada and Arches National Park in Utah.

2 committees reviewed all designs submitted by the Mint: The Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). When Presidential Dollar or First Spouses coins were being developed, there was an additional committee of White House Historians and Curators.

All coin designs submitted had to have rigid and extensive documentation of source material and photo references to guarantee historic accuracy and avoid copyright issues. I usually spent more time on these than on the designs themselves.

All designs had to be submitted in a 8” round template. Some designs already had the lettering in the template while others had to include new type. The artwork itself was done in pencil gray scale (shown above) as a roadmap to essentially “model” the shapes and contours needed by the sculptors to do their work. They sculpt the master design at the same size and then using a reducing lathe, the coin dies are made.

Fun fact: The U.S. Mint is not funded by the public. The Mint’s programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to the taxpayer through Seigniorage, which is the charge over and above the expenses of coinage (making into coins) that is deducted from the bullion brought to a mint to be coined. After overhead expenses, the “profit” goes straight to the U.S. Treasury.

Here is one of my coins. Notice the “GW” below the frog.

2012 El Yunque Quarter Reverse design by Gary Whitley

It is for El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. The design features an image of a Coqui tree frog and a Puerto Rican Parrot behind an epiphyte plant with more tropical flora in the background. The Puerto Rican Parrot is an endangered species unique to Puerto Rico.

The El Yunque National Forest quarter was the first of 2012 and the 11th overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.

About the Program: In 2010, the United States Mint began to issue 56 quarter-dollar coins featuring designs depicting national parks and other national sites as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. 2012 marked the third year of the program and features five quarters.

El Yunque National Forest is the sole tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System. It was first established as a national site in 1903.

The Golden Ticket

One memorable part of this story happened when they flew me back to D.C. for a two day orientation at U.S. Mint headquarters.

The date? February 4-5, 2010.

What else happened on that date? Snowmageddon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_5%E2%80%936,_2010_North_American_blizzard

Our orientation was cut short at the end of the first day as Mint staff scrambled to get everyone flights out before the worst of the storm hit. By 5:00 AM I was at Dulles International Airport waiting for a flight out and watching the snow pile up outside. Just me and my 20,000 new best friends.

I was about to commandeer a place to sleep on the floor in the increasingly likely event I would be stuck in the airport. By 8:30 I had a possible flight out but no tickets and no assigned seats- just a gate number. Everyone had to cue at the gate desk and ask to see if they were on the plane or not. It was like Survivor in reverse. After repeatedly standing in line then being told to take a seat and wait, I was not sure I would be on that flight after all. I think the fifth time I went up to the desk the disheveled and frantic woman finally checked the computer screen and said “you’re all set!” It felt like I had won the Golden Ticket:

https://media.giphy.com/media/DGZVi7pqVq7rq/giphy.mp4

By Noon the plane was loaded and in spite of the heavy snowfall we took off. I had a 3 hour layover in Dallas, but at least I was on my way home. I arrived in Portland at about 8:00 P.M., happy for once to see only rain coming out of the sky.