Michele Melcher Illustration

GO THERE! :)

2011-09-12T14:03:00.000-04:00

This is the last post on this blogger blog because everything has been migrated to the my new blog and website over at michelemelcher.com . Thanks for following me here for the past couple of years, and I look forward to seeing you all OVER THERE!
Cheers!
M

NEW WEBSITE IN THE WORKS!

2011-08-11T16:06:00.002-04:00

Exciting news!
I'm in the process of refreshing michelemelcher.com, with a little help from the good folks at PRIMER. Hopefully, the site will be live in the next few weeks, if not sooner. Everything will be brand spankin' shiny new and I cannot wait. NO MORE FLASH, means that my site will be able to be viewed on ALL devices, YAY!

This ALSO means that this blog will eventually be turned off, because everything is going to be switched over to the new site. I will keep y'all posted as to what's going on, and when it happens. Until then, just chill and enjoy my mustache and little hat. :)

Amy Winehouse RIP

2011-07-23T19:13:00.000-04:00

I'm not trying to post this in bad taste as it is horribly sad news of her death.

I did this illustration of Amy Winehouse back in 2008, at the height of her "Back to Black" success. She was a phenomenal talent with a terrible self-destructive personality. RIP, Amy.

Morris: an Illustrated Masterpiece

2011-06-23T10:13:00.000-04:00

No visit to my parent's house is complete without poking around in the attic. It's a treasure trove of wacky life memorabilia and you never know what you might find. I was digging through a crate of old books and came across this gem. Yes, I was a master author AND illustrator at the tender age of seven. I can bet that YOU were not. Oh snap!

Awesome 70's wallpaper book cover.

And the story begins. Food, milk, cat toys...

The action!

The adventure!

The sleeping!

An absolutely beautiful rendering of the family lawnmower. That's not a beanie hat, that's the lid of the charcoal grill. A spare tire, an old mattress, a stray pickup truck bed cap - all things that resided in the garage (some that still do today).

Suspense!

Plaid Pants! Bowl haircuts! Androgynous people with tyrannosaurus rex arms! Wait a minute, are those Adidas kicks? This story has got it all, plus a climactic ending that will leave you BEGGING.FOR.MORE.

Where's my Caldecott Medal?

Enjoy!

Introducing Norton and Vincent

2011-06-17T11:11:00.001-04:00

Double trouble

Today would have been our dear Simon Cat's 10th birthday. When Simon died I made a promise that we would adopt some new feline friends in his honor in order to give some unwanted or abandoned animals a good home and a bright future. We ended up adopting two black kittens from PAWS. They do really wonderful work - rescuing adoptable dogs and cats from Philadelphia area high kill shelters and finding them good homes.

This is Norton:

The big brother. The "bad" influence. He'll ambush his brother from behind and pin him down and make him cry uncle. He's the strong-willed instigator of the two, always the first to investigate something new but also the first to chicken out and run.

This is Vincent:

Smaller, needier, more timid. Squirmy, full of purr and love, he just wants to be near you all of the time. He admires his brother and follows him around watching everything that he does before trying it himself. He takes quite a beating during their wrestling matches and squeals when he's had enough but then always goes back for more. Once in a while he'll get a good sneak attack on his brother (and I secretly cheer).

Both all black, they were pretty hard to tell apart at first. Sometimes we still have to look twice to see who is who. Aside from different personalities, Norton is larger with a few whisps of white on his belly and a couple of white whiskers but that's pretty much it. And yes, we named them after vintage British motorcycles because we like old bikes. The names actually describe them quite well - The Norton Dominator and the Vincent Black Shadow. :)

They are two very happy guys. When they are not in insane-play-all-of-the-time-and-get-into-everything-including-your-underwear mode, they are snuggly purr machines. I credit their foster mom, Sarah, with their people- friendliness. How a kitten experiences the first 8 weeks of life is a huge deciding factor on it's temperment with people later on. Obviously, these guys had a great start!

Vincent and Norton at 4-6 weeks and 8 weeks old.

I'm introducing them to the studio. I have put a bed on the table in Simon's old spot which they like to lie in, but so far the kitten craziness deters me getting any actual work done while they are there. Maybe eventually they will grow out of it and become good studio cats like our Simon was, maybe not. Either way, I love them. Welcome home, guys!

Smoke and Throttle Update...

2011-06-16T10:18:00.000-04:00

The shirts are in, and they look great! The screen printer was able to capture the hand hatched shading. NICE!

Smoke and Throttle

2011-06-13T11:32:00.000-04:00

It's been an incredibly busy spring in the studio - suddenly, it's almost summer and I haven't updated anything new. There's been so much going on and lots of exciting new projects that I'm so stoked to share! Some aren't quite live yet so I can't post about them all until I have clearance. But I'll update every few days or so on the ones that I'm able to post about until I'm caught up. So without further ado:

I did this job for Matt over at the Smoke and Throttle blog. Anyone who is interested in vintage motorcycles has got to check out it out. Good stuff on there! Matt wanted me to do an illustration of his Triumph-racing dad in a style reminiscent of the old motorcycle shop t shirts that you would find back in the 60's and 70's.

I drew the spot from an actual photograph of Matt's father. The challenge was that it is going to be used for print on actual shirts so it had to be clear enough for the silk screening process. But, in order to keep it looking old school legit and not like mass produced vector art I did a crisp pen and ink illustration with hand hatching for the shaded areas. The hatching isn't perfect which helps give it that gritty, vintage shop tee feel. It turned out way cool and it was good to work a little differently than I usually do. Matt designed the type for the front and back of the shirt. I admit, I'm a little bit in love with the Smoke and Throttle Logo. Here is the photo that I worked from and also the template that went to the printer. I can't wait to see (and wear!) the final result. Enjoy!

Plagiarism and doing the right thing

2011-04-27T08:23:00.001-04:00

Last night I received an email from the captain of the Otautahi Rollers , a roller derby team from Christchurch, New Zealand. Here is an exerpt from the message that she sent:

"when we first started last year a member (who is no longer with our league) 'designed' us a logo. We've been using it with a new background ever since. However, it's just been brought to our attention that this wasn't her original work, and was in fact copied from your blog. I am contacting you to apologize for our league's plagiarism of your artwork. It's not something we would knowingly do, and it's something we're embarrassed about now and we sincerely regret giving the impression that your excellent illustration was the work of one of our members. We're removing the current logo from all league publications until one of our current members (a tattoo artist) can design us a new, original one."

Here is the original illustration that I posted a few years back.

Now check out the logo that is using my image.

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that my artwork, specifically Roller Derby art, has been ripped off. A few years ago I designed this award winning poster for the Philly Roller Girls.

A portion of the artwork was stolen by a team in Florida that reworked (butchered) it into their logo. On a separate occasion, it was brought to my attention that another dishonest person was using the same image on products that they were selling on Etsy. In both cases, I had the unpleasant task of contacting the offenders with a "cease and desist".

Some people may not think that artistic plagiarism is that big of a deal. When you make a living off of selling your illustration to clients who buy exclusive rights for the work - it IS a big deal. It doesn't just effect me, but it effects my client. Imagine paying a buyout to use a piece of artwork that someone else just goes ahead uses for free? Think about it.

All this aside, I am really thankful that the captain from the Otautahi Rollers contacted me with the apology. Her team is on the other side of the world. I would have probably never found out that my work had been stolen. She did the right thing and I admire her honesty and integrity.

Do you admire yours?

A Letter to Simon

2011-03-28T17:23:00.001-04:00

To Simon;

You were the very first cat that was my own. Your name was picked out even before we got you. I remember sitting on the bed with Brian one day and he said, “We should get a kitten, and name him Simon”. I remember writing a letter to the landlord, asking her if it would be “OK if we got one small kitten”, knowing full well that I was going to do it weather she agreed to it or not.

I remember the day you were born. June 17th, 2002. I was working a stint at Starbucks, and one of the other girls working there was talking about how her cat had kittens on her bed the night before. I don’t remember all of the details, but one thing led to another and I knew that this was my chance. She said that there were 6 kittens, boys and girls, short haired and longhaired and that they would be ready to take home in 8 weeks. I gave her my phone number and told her that I wanted a shorthaired boy kitten.

6 weeks later, I got a phone call from her saying that she had to get everyone homes fast, and that there were only 2 kittens left. One longhaired girl, and a shorthaired boy. I remember being kind of annoyed that she gave kittens away two weeks early without even calling me first. So I made my move and drove up to the Doylestown Starbucks that evening. She was waiting outside with a pet carrier.
There you were, your tiny striped face staring back at me. You were so small, just a little handful of grey striped fuzz with a tiny little freckle on your nose. I was immediately head over heels in love with you and rushed home as fast as I could.

I called Brian ecstatic, telling him to hurry home when he got done work. I remember him walking through the front door of our carriage house apartment; he stared at you with as much wonder as you stared at him, he wasn’t as seasoned with pets as I was. You looked a little scared at first, and then he knelt down and presented you with a pink sparkly puffball. You walked up to it and sniffed it but didn’t know what to do with it. He flicked it toward you and you batted it and quickly became friends.

I remember the first night that we had you. I had never had my own kitten and I put you downstairs in your bed to sleep because I was afraid that we would roll over on you at night or that you would hurt yourself somehow if you slept upstairs with us. You cried and cried in your little bed downstairs and it was heartbreaking. In the morning, you had climbed all the way to the top of the stairs and were waiting at the door for us. I have no idea how you did it because you were so tiny. I always felt really bad about that and I still do.

We have no kitten pictures of you. I don’t know why I didn’t take any pictures of you when you were a baby and I’ve been kicking myself for years for not doing it. I do have one picture of myself holding you, and you are half grown – probably about 9 or 10 months old. You are wide-eyed and big eared the way half grown cats tend to be. We are both staring at the camera – I am smiling and you look surprised. You never liked being picked up.

I remember you growing bigger and losing your baby teeth. I remember your big “teefuses” coming in on top of your baby teeth. I remember the vet saying that you had “a good set of whiskers” and that he thought that maybe you were part Maine Coone. I remember how when we took you to get your vaccinations you had an allergic reaction and your one front paw swelled really big, like a cartoon Mickey Mouse glove. It worried us but you couldn’t care less.

That summer I went down to the shore and played a dart game on the boardwalk, winning a stuffed animal black and white cat. I brought it home to give it to Brian. We ended up giving it to you to play with. We named it “Matt”. You and Matt the Cat became fast friends. Matt the Cat was your buddy. You would chase him and bite him and sleep with him in your bed. We’d throw him up the stairs and you would chase him up and bat him back down to us. Your own version of “fetch”. We’d toss him and you’d leap up and catch him then bite him lick him and kill him good. Over and over again. You never got tired of it.

Simon and Matt the Cat.

Matt the Cat went through a lot. We’d find him upstairs on the bed. Downstairs in the basement. Face down in the litter box. Being thrown around, dragged around, pushed down stairs, disemboweled, losing beans and sewn back up. Put through the washing machine and dryer. Chewed threadbare and bald on his face, with curling plastic whiskers and shabby fur. He was your favorite toy. We’d buy you other things, friends would buy you toys for Christmas but you never paid them much attention. Matt the Cat was your one and only.

Sometimes we were really busy or tired and didn’t play with you when you wanted to play. So you would play by yourself, talking to yourself in your squeaky, yowly meow the whole time. You’d carry around Matt the Cat and toss him down the stairs, giving chase. We could hear your footsteps running up and down the stairs as you played with him. We played with you a lot but now I wish that we had played with you more. Being busy isn’t a good enough excuse anymore.

I don’t know how it started, but somehow you started spending a lot of time on my drawing table. I have this huge 6-foot long industrial table with enough room for my work and my supplies and a cat bed. You would sleep in your bed on the left corner of the table, right up against the window so that you could look out. You were always really good about not walking on my work. You were smart and would walk around it, because you knew that what I was doing was important. How many artists are lucky enough to have a cat that won’t walk across their work? Not many I bet. But you would always try to drink my paint water. You were really sneaky about that.

You were a permanent fixture in my studio. I picture you, curled up, sometimes upside down with your feet hanging out of the bed on my drawing table. Once in a while if it was really quiet I could hear you snoring. Sometimes I’d be on the computer working or surfing and you would come up and sit on my lap. That was always a treat because you were really not a “lap cat”. I wish that I had not pushed you away the other day when you tried to sit on my my lap when I was “too busy” at the computer. I had just gotten back from vacation and was trying to “catch up”; I didn’t realize it would be the last time that you did this. Regrets.

Everything was on your terms when it came to cuddling and petting. You would bite or grab on with you claws (hard) if you weren’t petted the right way. Sometimes you’d just grab our hands with your claws just for the Hell of it. You were ornery. Sometimes you were a real pisser. You knew you how to tell us what you did and didn’t like. God forbid someone pet your butt or try to pet your belly if they still wanted the skin on their arms. I swear, a few times I heard you meow “eff you” in cat speak.

“Curious as a cat”. Even though you didn’t want to be petted or picked up, you had to be wherever I was. No matter what room I was in, you would follow me to see what I was doing. If I was folding laundry, you had to walk in it. You never failed to lay down in it, and then grab and not let go of something that I was trying to fold. The only way I could get you to let go would be to distract you with another piece of laundry.

Not pleased that I decided to "play back" at his laundry games.

You were also a Jekyll and Hyde. You had a foot fetish. Something about Brian’s bare feet drove you nuts. You never went after my feet but you would become a monster cat unless he wore socks. But only at bedtime. It was truly bizarre. If he didn’t wear socks, many nights he would be running up stairs trying to get into the bed before you could sink your teeth into his ankles. It was downright scary how agitated you would become when you saw his toes. You didn’t see him or hear him because you were transfixed on his bare feet. You also had super sonic “they-are-changing-the-bed-sheets”, hearing. You would jump under the sheets and around on the bed with crazed, dilated pupils. It was fun, and we would play “kitty in the bed”, but sometimes it got annoying when I was tired and just trying to get it done. I wish that you were here to annoy me when I change the sheets later today.

As crazy as you were, you were mostly polite to visitors. You would tolerate being talked to and wouldn’t be as hasty to bite or bring out the claws on an affectionate visitor. You were smart and knew that they just wanted to say hello. You knew just how to say hello by keeping “just out of reach” and sniffing their hand then turning to walk away.

Other times you were a love. I remember many times lying in bed or on the sofa and you would come up, purring and marching your happy feet dance that all cats do. It was always a treat when you would join us on the sofa to watch TV or a movie. Brian on the left side, myself on the right and you dancing yourself into the middle. Give it an hour and you would be stretched over ¾ of the sofa from head to tip of tail and we would be squashed in our perspective corners. Rarely, you would sit on our laps, but when you did it was like striking gold. Most of the time you would “pick” one of us to snuggle up next to (but not on). It was always a game of “who wins the kitty”. You were the king of the house. And it was always amazing no matter how comfortable you were in your bed in the studio; you would always come to bed when Brian would say, “bedtime Simon”.

You were a demanding alarm clock. As soon as you heard us stir in the morning, you would begin your routine: Jump up on the bed, walk across us and up onto the window sill, jump down on the bed (all 13 pounds of you) and walk across us back to the window and repeat. Bonus points for sticking your tail up butt hole in Brian’s face. This would go on until we got up. If we were smart enough not to move and tip you off, we would have to squint so you didn’t’ see our eyes open. If you spotted an open eye, the jig was up and the routine would begin.

"Wake up and feed me!" Happy Feet Dance on the bed.

This letter to you is getting very long and it could go on and on forever. I have so many memories of you that I could fill books. I know that memories and pictures fade with time, as will the pain of losing you. I want to remember as much about you as I can in the years that come. Yes, there are things that I wish that I had done differently. I wish that I had played with you more and that I wasn’t so “busy” all of the time. I wish that I didn’t sometimes take for granted your constant companionship. Its the old cliché’ “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”.

I wish that we had gotten more time with you. You always hear about cats living for 18, 19, 20 years. No one knew that you would get sick at just under 10. I feel like you were robbed. I feel like we were all robbed. I wish that we never had to make that terrible decision for you. It was the hardest decision that either of us has ever had to make. It was the right thing to do but it feels so wrong. I hope that you understand. I hope that you were not scared, and that you didn’t feel any pain. We did not want you to suffer. We are sorry. I am sorry.

I don’t care if people think I’m foolish or that I’m crazy for writing this letter because you were “just a cat”. You were OUR cat. You were a member of our family and the heartbeat of our home. People who don’t own or care about animals will never understand that. That's their loss.

The house feels so empty and quiet now. It is going to take time to get used to not having you around. I find myself staring at your favorite hangout spots. I find myself stepping over where your food bowls were and leaving the basement door open so that you can get down to your litter box. We look for you waiting in the front window for us when we pull into the driveway. We listen for your footsteps on the stairs and at night we wait for you to jump up onto the bed. “Bedtime, Simon.”

Sometime we will get another pet. I see why people get them in pairs. I promise that our next animal friends will be spoiled like you. I promise that we love them and that we will care for them the best that we can. I will try to be “less busy” for them. I promise to keep Matt the Cat out of harm’s way. You, a simple cat brought so much to our lives. I want to thank you for always being there for us. We thank you and we love you and we will miss you. There will always be a spot for you in our hearts. Godspeed, Simon Cat.

R.I.P. Simon R. Cat, 6.17.2002-3.26.2011

American Pickers

2011-03-16T23:27:00.001-04:00

I have finally gotten a little break in between projects to finish this self promotional piece. It's been a long time in the making and I've been diligently working on it whenever I had a spare minute. I'm really psyched to share this with you!

For those of you who aren't familiar, this is a group portrait of the cast from the History Channel's hit show, "American Pickers". These folks have (what I think is) one of the best jobs ever. In short, they drive around the country making a living by picking through other like-minded individuals' backyard miscellany and then sell it to other collectors. You never know who or what they might come across; they've met some pretty interesting characters and found some pretty awesome stuff.

I thought that making the illustration reminiscent of an old sepia colored photograph was a nice way to visually describe how the show deals with past and present. Frank Fritz, known to be an avid oil can collector, clutches an antique can while his picking partner, Mike Wolfe, sports some weather beaten aviator gear. Their sassy shop keeper/lead finder, Danielle Colby Cushman, sports a vintage high-necked dress, her "Hold Fast" finger tattoos peeking through, bringing the illustration back full circle to the present.

Below are some close up detail crops and a few pix that Brian snapped while I was working on the project in the studio. Enjoy!
M

Avatars!

2011-02-01T16:09:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to share these avatar portraits for a while. They were done as holiday gifts for some friends that we usually exchange presents with. Since life and weather got in the way of some of the holiday festivities we didn't have a chance to give them until a few weeks later. You can click on the image for a larger view.

I think that they make a nice little collection, don't you?

Getting to know your subject

2011-01-18T16:34:00.001-05:00

I'm working on some new pieces that involve some interesting characters. If you have seen my body of work, you all know that I LOVE to draw people and have done a ton of celebrity likenesses as well. Alton Brown, Amy Winehouse, Johnny Cash, etc.

When I work, I like to study someone's face for a while, sketching and figuring out what details and expressions make that person who they are. These research sketches are kind of nice in their own right. Loose, pencil, scribbly, sometimes unfinished. I don't show them that often because much of the time they are referenced directly from a photograph. Someone ELSE'S work.

With celebrities, many times I have to use reference that is grabbed off of the internet or from other sources like magazines because that is the only way that I can get it. Please note, when I draw directly from a photo, it is for research ONLY. Hey, I'm not famous enough (yet) to be buddies with these Hollywood types so I gotta use what I can get. Ah well. The final art is always made into a totally different illustration to avoid infringing upon anyone's copyright (a big no-no).

Versatility. (Hot Mess)

2011-01-12T21:01:00.005-05:00

My latest two projects, finished yesterday and today couldn't be more different. The roller disco debacle is for my friend John's 40th birthday party. He's throwing a FANCY DRESS roller skating party at the newly reopened Caln Roller Rink, hence the white tuxedo, top hat, monocle, gorilla suits, deep sea diver suits, short shorts, hazmat gear, spandex, leg warmers and other assorted craziness. Yes, I know this is super gaudy and loud. It's s'posed to be.

That's a hot mess.

Project #2 - Fine Felines. I don't know anything about these guys, except for the fact that the one in the front is a ham and the one in the back is shy. They will be on their way to London next week, as a surprise for their owner. Safe travels, my feline friends!

And that's what I call versatility.

Trains.

2011-01-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

The bulk of my illustration work is pen, ink and watercolor but I also have clients who come to me for my fine art. I've done many portraits; architectural, animal, human etc. as well as scenery using this photo realistic approach.

One client is an American Railroad enthusiast for which I have done numerous paintings, mostly defunct railroads of the northeastern corridor. The past two years I have painted winter railroad scenes that have been reproduced in small runs of holiday cards for his family, friends and colleagues.

Holiday card 2010 (front) and 2009.

The printer was able to capture the falling snow and the smoke coming from the locomotives which is hard to do when most of the background is shades of white. I was happy with the way that the cards reproduced the images. See the original paintings below.

Lehigh & Hudson River R.R. train H06 passes under the hill to Hill Bridge in Bethlehem, PA. Winter of 1966

On January 23, 1966, Lehigh & Hudson River RR Train 0A-1 was westbound in a blizzard, getting orders at Andover Jct.

Elvis, Octopi, etc.

2011-01-10T11:32:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a nice holiday break. I worked on stuff in the studio but tried to have a little more "play" time during the holidays as well. Anyhow, it's a brand new year and therefore time to get crack-a-lackin'. What better way to begin a new year than share some of my work that has recently gone live?

Elvis - A Graphic Novel.
By Terry Collins, illustrated by Michele Melcher. Published by Capstone Press. This is pretty cool because it's available everywhere - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc. It's a great read for kids of school grades 4 through 9, or any of you "older" kids who just might happen to be an Elvis fan. You know who you are.

Front and back covers

A couple of inside spreads.

Just a note - when I first told people last summer that I was working on an Elvis book many thought that meant I was doing the design as well. Sometimes people get the illustrator's job confused with the graphic designer's job. I was only responsible for the illustrations and did not do any of the design or typesetting for the book. The publisher did all of the rest! Hopefully, that answers your questions :)

Angry Octopus T-shirt for Minespire, a start up founded by two great guys, Justin and Howard. They wanted to start a company that does good - while getting people involved in positive social change. You can read more about them and their vision here.

1/2 of every T-shirt purchased benefits Friends of the Earth.

I love how the shirt turned out. The printing and material are really high quality, and it fits great!

There are a lot of projects in the works right now, so I will update again as soon as I can. So until next time, enjoy!
M

Happy Holidays! See you next year.

2010-12-24T11:54:00.000-05:00

It's been crazy busy in the studio the past month! This is wonderful but the last time I posted it was before Thanksgiving so I'm a little behind. There's a ton of really cool projects that I've been working on which I am excited to share with you in the weeks to come.

So without further ado, my end of the year blog:

2010 has been a crazy tear-down-rebuild kind of year that brought an onslaught of challenges for Brian and I in a one-after-another kind of fashion. We had to make some tough decisions but we made the right choices. We didn't just survive the year, we killed it. Took in what it threw at us, bit off all we could chew, and then bit off some more. 2011's gonna be crazeeee! :) Exciting times. Rock n' roll!

I want to raise a glass to all of our great friends and family, we love you all and thank you so much for your never ending support. You are what add the color and the joy and the fun to our lives - every single different personality is someone that we cherish.

I also want to thank everyone who I have done business with as well. It's been a fantastic year for me and it's all because of you. I am thrilled to have been able to work on so many different wonderful projects and collaborations and am looking forward to the new ones that are in the works!

And, as always, I want to thank my wonderful husband, Brian. Your undying love and unfaltering support for all of my artistic endeavors is what keeps me going. You're one Hell of a designer and creative director. Your skill, your eye, your business savvy, the way you talk with people and, most importantly, listen - it's all class. I am always learning from you. You are the sugar to my salt and you are what makes it all worth while. I thank you for everything and I love you.

Happy Holidays to all!

November News

2010-11-15T12:23:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by. Thanksgiving is nearly upon us and the studio will be closed next week for the holiday break. I've been busy working on a bunch of different projects and I wanted to share with you some of the stuff that is finished before I close up shop and head to the mountains.

A little while back I was approached to work on an advertising campaign for American Express. The project was a nationwide POP/POS campaign for use in large cites and the metropolitan areas surrounding them. Illustrators from different cities across the country were picked to represent the city that they are from. The client felt that my vibrant watercolor, pen and ink illustration style and my close ties to the area were perfect to represent the city of Philadelphia. I was delighted to be picked to represent our fine city. People have been sending me photos of the window clings and tote bags that the artwork has been printed on. Fun stuff! Check it out.

The Original art:

A few photos of the window cling spotted at a Starbucks and the tote bag at a local mall that some folks have sent me - sorry if they are a little hard to see:

Now, on to other things. I'm TOTALLY switching gears from talking about illustration to fine art. I have a great client who is an American Railroad enthusiast. He's commissioned me several times to do paintings of different northeastern railroads of past and present, some which have been used on small runs of holiday greeting cards. I just finished this painting of the L&H Railroad which will be used on another small run of cards this year.

My illustration style allows for me to draw and paint quick, loose and free but when I switch over to my fine art style which is border line photo realistic, its a slow process. There is a lot of back and forth with close examination of the reference. Lots of tiny brushes, holding my breath and tearing out my hair. All good stuff. Locomotives are super complicated things to draw, let alone paint if you don't know anything about them. And I don't know anything about them! And this one is in a blizzard! But my client keeps coming back so I suppose I'm doing something right! ;) I really do have to slow down, step back and look at what I am painting, otherwise I'll end up with a bunch of shapes that don't make any sense. I do think the end result turned out great and I'm really happy with it. I love the contrast of the cold steel train and the blowing wind in contrast with the headlights lighting up the snow and the cozy little station with the holiday wreath. Can't you just imagine going in there after being outside in the freezing wet cold and warming your hands over the radiator? I can actually feel my fingers thawing out as I type this. I can't wait to see the cards. MAYBE I'll even get one in the mail!
Click for a larger view.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Cheers,
M

I Friday - "Burning"

2010-11-13T10:07:00.001-05:00

Here's one from the vaults.
Johnny Cash. The Man in Black.
Burn, burn, burn that ring of fire...

Johnny Cash is on my short list of "famous dead people that would have been cool to meet". He's on that list with Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and Edgar Allen Poe; all people who led very interesting lives and were captivating story tellers.

They also have some of the most interesting faces that I've ever drawn. The way that the weather beaten, life weary lines etch into their features and how their eyes tell a tale of mood; calm, troubled, focused, knowing. Oh, how I love to draw a face. This illustration is a couple of years old but I thought it was appropriate for this week's topic. Like what you see? Check out more of my faces on michelemelcher.com or view my little portrait collection over at FoundFolios.

Thanks for looking,
Cheers!
M

Earthstone Tile Works

2010-11-08T07:28:00.000-05:00

"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight or for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our father did for us'."
- John Ruskin

A few years back, Brian at PRIMER designed the identity and website for Philadelphia master tile installation company, Earthstone Tile Works. Not only is this husband and wife team a tile company, they are artists. Tiffany uses her eye for interior design to help clients realize their vision and Jason brings that vision to life. Look at the beautiful work that they do. The love shows through in the precision with which each tile, some in intricate patterns, is set.

This past Saturday night, Earthstone had an open house to celebrate it's new storefront location at 1224 Tasker Street. We know the endless hard work that it takes to build your own company, and the pride that results in having something that is "yours", that you have put everything into. Brian had a great idea to have me illustrate the Earthstone store front to give to Jason and Tiffany as a gift to congratulate them on their success. They loved it! Congratulations, guys!

Sketchbook Stories

2010-10-26T10:18:00.001-04:00

I have been featured on the Blu Penny blog's "Sketchbook Stories" column, where I discuss a little bit about my work process. Enjoy!

Lil' portrait gallery

2010-10-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

Hey folks!
Just a quick note to let you know that I've got a sweet portrait gallery up on FoundFolios.com. Check it out. Huzzah!

LONG LIVE PRINT!

2010-10-12T09:19:00.001-04:00

Months ago, I was contracted to illustrate a poster for an area printing company as part of a four artist campaign. Due to the economy, the campaign was put on hold and scaled down. Eventually, it was canceled all together. Boo. Here I was with a great sketch that would have made a fantastic poster in one hand and a loaded paintbrush in the other. What's an illustrator to do?

MOVE FORWARD! I had gotten great feedback from some creative industry friends and knew that the sketch was too good to be cast into the unknown depths of my flat file and forgotten forever. I was also in love with the Ben Franklin concept - you know, iconic Philadelphian, founding father of country and modern print as we know it. So I made the poster into a self promotional piece. I am super stoked with the way that it turned out! I haven't been really happy with much of the work that I have made lately, mostly due to rushed jobs and creative burnout - but this makes me very happy. Sometimes, the best work produced is not the paid work. Enjoy!

Shop is open!

2010-09-24T14:36:00.001-04:00

Well hello there and welcome back! I just wanted to let y'all know that there are new prints up for sale in my shop! (to the right) So why not check them out and get your holiday shopping started early? Enjoy!

A novel of an update

2010-09-15T18:37:00.000-04:00

"The Good Will Prevail" (Self Portrait)

Well lookie here, I'm finally back! First it was Memorial Day, then suddenly it was Labor Day. What happened in between?
LOTS.
I worked on a ton of projects, some with super crazy deadlines, illustrated a 12 spread biographical book on ELVIS , squeezed in a little self promotion here and there, witnessed Brian obtain sole ownership of PRIMER (so exciting!), had an upstairs water leak destroy a chunk of our house, enjoyed the company of fantastic family and friends, trekked to the mountains of North Carolina a few times and basically ran around like a nut.

The Elvis book was a huge undertaking but a great opportunity. From the get go, I knew that the deadline was going to be tight. I had three months to bring the story from sketched concepts to finished art, including researching all of the people and places that were in the manuscript. I really didn't know anything about "The King", but I do now! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. The publisher told me that it will be available in early 2011. I will keep you posted when i find out the exact date!

Self Promotion - I was doing pretty good sending out email campaigns every 6 weeks and intermittent printed mailers but then I got super slammed busy and got off track. I managed to get the mid summer Alton Brown promotional emailer out, but that was it. Sometimes it is hard balancing the business side of the business with the creative side of it. I'm behind and have a lot of work to do. But I've got some good ideas brewing!

PRIMER - Brian, the Über awesome and talented person that I'm proud to call my husband, founded the design agency in the spring of 2005 when he decided to make the leap and leave his unhappy corporate world Creative Director job to start his own thing. A few months later his former Art Director, from the same said unhappy corporate job, got laid off and became his business partner. Together, they spent the next five years working with a supergroup of talented photographers, web developers, graphic designers and copywriters to create top notch design for a Smörgåsbord of great companies.

Always the business savvy creative, Brian decided to leap again this past July and made an offer to buy his partner's shares of business. The offer was accepted and Brian became the sole owner of PRIMER! It is a very exciting, albeit busy time - many changes are in the works and some fantastic opportunities are on the table. It just goes to show that if you think smart, work hard , stay humble and always be creative...great things will happen. I've got every reason to be proud.

Hey, why is the ceiling raining? One Friday afternoon in early August I came home to find that the feed from the upstairs toilet to the wall had failed and water had been gushing out for hours. The upstairs bathroom had about an inch of water in it. Water was halfway across my studio floor and almost all the way down the hall to the bedroom. It had poured down the walls in the living room and into the basement. It destroyed the ceiling in the living room and the dining room, and damaged the floors. The ceiling was actually raining. Sad face.

What. A. Mess. I'm glad that I came home when I did, or the damage could have been much worse. Miraculously, none of our furniture or our other stuff was destroyed. We're currently awaiting settlement from the public adjuster and the homeowner's insurance company. It is going to be months until we get all of our settlement and arrange for contractors and reconstruction. So right now, although we're living with a gaping hole in the ceiling, and a "not so fresh" odor in the house, at least our house is livable. It could have been much worse! If nothing else, we'll be able to have a taller Christmas tree this year?

Family and Friends We have the greatest family and group of friends surrounding us. I'm thankful every day for each and every one of them. Even the ones we don't get to see that often, and ones that are far away, you know who you are! This summer has been crazy stressful with all of the above mentioned goings on. Everyone was super supportive weather it was listening to a rant session on the phone, chilling with a beer by the fire pit, or going on a bike ride. I can't say how much that Brian and I thank you all. You are the best and you all get A plusses and stars in the book of life.

And with that, I'm signing off. Until next time...
xox
M

August Update!

2010-08-25T10:37:00.002-04:00

Busy busy busy!
Too busy to blog, tweet or breathe. Deadlines fast approaching!
Need vacation!

Stay tuned!
:)
xox
m

Minespire

2010-07-23T10:40:00.007-04:00

I was recently approached by a great new start up company named Minespire. They are a shared profit business, making a positive difference with every product sold. Through this, human rights, animal rights and environmental organizations are able to get closer to their goals.

Minespire is working with different artists to develop shirt designs that tell a story about a cause. Each artist will have a page where you can read about them and the work that they do. I was asked to create a t-shirt design to support environmental causes. Although environmental issues have been going on for a long time, the BP spill is fresh in everyone's mind. I came up with several concepts for this and the Angry Octopus was born.

The official Minespire launch is set for this fall, and the website and store is a work in progress. But please check out their site and follow their Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages. Spread the word and help a great cause!

Art is GOOD EATS!

2010-07-12T10:36:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that it is ALREADY July!

When did that happen? It's been a heckuva busy summer so far. I've been hard at work on my book project as well as some other super neato projects, one deadline being on top of the next - so it's been tricky squeezing in time to work on self promotions. But if you don't promote, you miss the boat!

Here is the latest, featuring everyone's favorite Iron Chef and kitchen chemist, Alton Brown. Click the image to feast your lookin' balls on a larger image.

Enjoy!

Can you read this?

2010-06-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

I've always envied artists who are able to draw clean little thumbnails with beautiful line quality right out of the box. Sometimes with shading or COLOR even; small works of art neatly laid out on the pages of their sketchbook.

That's not my sketchbook.

My thumbnail ~~sketches~~ scribbles are not what I would categorize as pretty. At all. But they work. Eventually, they turn into something good. I've been scribbling a lot lately. This summer is already chocking up to be a full on work fest. I am super thankful for some really exciting client projects that I have in the works. I can't tell you much about them right now but I can say that among them there is a childrens book (my first!), a campaign poster, some designs for a new start up company, and some other good stuff. It is all very exciting. I promise to update you with more details on these projects as they go live, so keep an eye out here for what this busy, scribbling bee is up to this summer.
Scribble, scribble, scribble...

Lehigh New England Rail Road

2010-06-01T08:46:00.002-04:00

Being that I make most of my living from doing the illustration that you see on michelemelcher.com, and if you are new to my blog, you may not know that I also do quite a bit of fine art painting for private clients.

L&NE Railroad

I recently finished this painting for a client who is an expert on all things Railroad. It is the old Lehigh and New England Railroad. Being super complicated with all of the detail in the bridge and in the trucks on the train, etc. it took a while for me to get this one completed. All in all, I think it turned out fantastic and the client was really happy with it! Wanna see more of my fine art work? I don't have a formal site for it, but you can see it here.
Enjoy!

Fully Loaded at Vincent Michael Gallery

2010-05-18T09:33:00.003-04:00

I'm pleased to announce that my work will be part of the inaugural opening show," Fully Loaded", at the new Vincent Michael Gallery at the Piazza in Philadelphia. This is a group show, with 15 talented artists from Philly and beyond. The opening reception will be June 4th from 6-9 PM and will run through June 26th. Check out the new Vincent Michael Gallery website to find out more.

The Happy Family!

2010-05-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

I've been a busy bee in the studio for the past couple of weeks trying to get some work off of my plate in time for a little well deserved time off at the end of this month. Deadlines, birthdays, spring weddings, etc. have made April and so far, May, a blur.

One of the upcoming weddings is that of my cousin-in-law, Erin. Last year, Erin and her fiance, Derek adopted their dog, Steve, from the Mid Atlantic Pug Rescue. Not only do admire the fact that they saved a life and adopted a shelter dog, I LOVE the fact that jolly little Steve is going to be the ring bearer at the wedding!

Instead of going the registry route for a bridal shower gift, I wanted to do something a little more personal and capture the family as they are now in an illustrated portrait. Can you feel the love? Congratulations Erin and Derek!
Enjoy!

LONG LIVE PRINT!

2010-04-16T11:26:00.004-04:00

I'm happy to announce that the long awaited POSITIVEPRINT ad campaign, "LONG LIVE PRINT!" has finally launched! POSITIVEPRINT is an environmentally conscious printing company based in Philadelphia, PA. Part of the campaign is to have several different illustrators design limited edition LONG LIVE PRINT! posters.

Well known artists, The Heads of State, have designed the first poster in the series that launched the campaign today. Super cool news is that I will be designing the NEXT poster in the series for the campaign, which is a very exciting opportunity for me! Read all about the company, the campaign and register online to get your free limited edition posters here!

LONG LIVE PRINT!

Quaker City Motor Works, and the original "American Badass"!

2010-04-09T11:14:00.006-04:00

Original American Badass - click to view larger.

In the words of owner Kenric Ströhm, Quaker City Motor Works could quite possibly be called, "The Society for the Preservation and Riding of Vintage Motorcycles, because that is the goal". Being a fan of old bikes of any breed (I own and ride a 1972 Honda Cb350 and Brian's got a 71 Triumph) I was delighted when QCM asked me to create a type mascot for their shop of the "Original American Badass" Ben Franklin.

Are you interested in the history of American motorcycles? It's not just all about the well known Harley Davidson. Read about the Ace Motorcycle, one of the "founding fathers" of the american motorcycle, which is depicted in this illustration, on wikipedia.

Enjoy!

New work: Roller Derby Double Header!

2010-04-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

I just did this poster for the Philly Roller Girls upcoming derby double header. Though the illustration part of the poster was fun I really struggled with the typography part. Being an illustrator, my strength is in drawing not design. Of course, possessing a can-do type personality, I always think that "I can just learn it while I do it, Yeah!" - NOT.

There was a ton of information that needed to go onto the poster and I just could not get it right. Fortunately I got help from a really awesome designer/husband who took pity on me (thank you! I owe you dinner!). It was a ton of time and work to get it right but I'm happy with the result. I learned that I need to brush up on some basic design and Adobe stuff. It can only help me in the future. I'm not in the position nor do I have the time to further my education and take formal classes but I am thinking of checking out some online tutorials. I've heard good things about Lynda.com so I think that it what I'll be looking into.

Anyway, posters as well as flyers for the event should be all around the Philadelphia area within the next week or two. And please do check out the derby if you get a chance. It's an exciting and very entertaining experience, well worth an afternoon!

Betty makes em' better!

2010-03-16T08:07:00.006-04:00

Here is a new promo that I just sent out featuring Betty White. A limited number of 6"x9" postcards were sent out to prospective clients, as well as an email to a broader range of folks. If you were lucky enough to receive the postcard you also got a cupcake recipe - cool huh?

This was also my first time using PositivePrint for my printed material and I was super impressed with the quality of the work that they did for me. Their printing process uses green technology and a portion of your purchase is donated to one of several great charities of your choice. Check the new PostivePrint website, designed by the good folks over at PRIMER to find out more. Would you like to be included in my next promo? Give me a holler and I'll add you to my mailing list.

Postcard front and back. Click on the image for a larger view (and for the cupcake recipe!)

I Friday - Brave

2010-03-09T23:14:00.002-05:00

I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.
- Abraham Lincoln

Studio 360

2010-02-23T10:30:00.001-05:00

I always love learning about how my peers work. How does an artist fixate on a style? What are their influences? Where does their mind wander when they look up from a project in the wee hours? Whenever I come across a post that shows someone's studio I gobble it up. I can't help oogling, like a peeping tom, another artist's work space to see what they have got. Little bits of of information lying around in a space in which they spend an awful lot of time. These scraps and pieces here and there give you a polaroid with which you make up your own mind's eye picture of who the artist as a person is.

I recently reconfigured my studio into what is more user friendly for me. I thought I'd take you on a little 360 tour where I'll share some of my own little scraps with you. Sorry for the poor quality iPhone photos, but ah well. Enjoy.

Computer, printer and scanning station.

Spiritual guidance?

The line up.

Work table.

Studio manager.

Flat file, upright file, crawlspace closet where the art supplies and monsters live.

IFriday - Muddy

2010-02-05T09:13:00.001-05:00

An oldie but a goodie from the archives. It fits this week's topic perfectly! And yes, that is Mike Rowe from the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs.
Enjoy!

Q & A

2010-02-01T11:01:00.004-05:00

I was recently contacted by a student studying illustration at Grand Valley State University who had some questions about the business. I'm sharing it with you because maybe it will help someone else out. Anyway, it makes an interesting read. Enjoy.

Q. Should I have a very focused portfolio with one or two styles or should I have a wide variety of styles and techniques?
A. On portfolio: To be a successful illustrator, I think it is important to do what you are good at. Draw pictures of stuff that you are interested in. It's simple - If you like what you are working on, you will make better art. A strong portfolio that targets one or two markets is much better than a mediocre portfolio that covers all bases. Do you find in your heart that you love to do children's art and animals? Or do you prefer doing advertising illustration and editorial work? It takes a while to discover where your passions are so don't feel pressured to target a specific market just because a professor says that you should. That happened to me when I was in college and it set me back for a while. Of course, do your assignments but always keep an open mind about what YOU are interested in doing. I hope that this makes sense.

On Style: First, just as it takes a while to figure out what kind of subject matter that you are drawn to, developing a style takes a while too. It's not something that happens over night. Play around, experiment. What works, what doesn't? What do you like? Research other illustrators whose work that you are attracted to. What is it about their work that you like? Take your answers and experiment. It's important.

Second, I felt a lot of pressure while I was in art school to pick a specific style and do a certain thing...which was not the right thing for me. At the time, my professors strongly pushed realism. It's not that they were bad teachers...it's just that at the time I went there, all of the illustration professors were photo realists. That's what they knew well so that's what they taught. That's all well and good, and I can paint something with watercolor that looks exactly like a photograph. BUT so can many other talented artists! Although I admire photo realism, it's not WHO I AM. I feel as though I'm still developing my style. My work is at a point now where I am really happy with it but it is always evolving. I believe that an artist should always be evolving and working on new things, or else you get stagnant.

Third, Creative and Art directors will begin to know you for your style. Look at some different illustrators, I'll use The Heads of State or Marcos Chin or Josh Cochran, for example. They all super talented and have a look that is distinctly their own. An art director wants to hire you for your look and body of work. What they are looking for is an artist or artists who has a look that will fit their assignment.

Q. How many images should I have?
A. I believe in quality over quantity. I think that you should start out with at least 10 strong pieces of work and always be making more. If something is weak, don't bother putting it in the portfolio. It's better to have a small group of good stuff, than a large group of mediocrity. Keep in mind, that your worst piece will be what people remember!!! You constantly need to update your work. Art directors want to see new work. It shows that you are being productive, and that you are not stagnant. Besides, the more work that you do, the better you get into your groove, or style.

Q. What form should I have my portfolio in. . . color copies, original work, digital CD or DVD? If I use color copies and small originals should they be in plastic sleeves or mounted on board?
A. First: The digital age is upon us. Color copies, mounted on board are becoming a thing of the past. Art directors do not have the time to rifle through someones hard copy of their portfolio. They are busy, they want their job to be as easy as possible. What's easier than clicking a button on a computer? Business relies so heavily on computers and the Internet these days, it's super important to keep digital files of everything. I just burn mine to a CD or DVD. Most of my work is sent digitally, via a client's FTP.

Second: You must must MUST have a web presence of some sort. Best case scenario, get yourself a web site. If you can't afford a web site make yourself a blog and post your portfolio there. Every Art director that I know finds most of their artists through word of mouth or the Internet. They might see an illustration that they like somewhere in a book or magazine, and look up the artist's name online. Bam - they're led to your website.

Take advantage of social media network too. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and online illustration groups. For instance, along with my website I also have a blog, a fan page on Facebook as well as a Twitter account where I tweet about my work. I have joined several online illustration groups where I post regularly. Whenever I update my blog, I make sure that I update it on my Facebook and my Twitter. You never know who might be looking at your stuff - so get your presence out there and update often! ( it's the whole productivity, keeping it new and fresh thing.)

Q. How did you make a living when you first started out? Did you get a full-time job first and freelance on the side? Did you start by freelancing full-time?
A. I'm not going to sugar coat it...life as an illustrator is hard, but you CAN do it, as long as you have the drive and you refuse to give up. It takes a ton of motivation. You will not get work if you are not motivated to go out and get it. I work all of the time. Right now, I have a part time job about 20 hours a week supplement my income and I do my illustration the rest of the time. I'm hoping to be doing the illustration full time soon. In the morning I work in the studio then go to the p/t job. When I come home I work in the studio at night. On my days off and on the weekends I'm in the studio. Of course, I do take some time off to have somewhat of a life but I'm just telling you that you have to be motivated.

Q. How did you market yourself when you started out? Did you use a purchased mailing list, make your own mailing list? Send postcards, CDs? Did you direct people to a website? Did you go around
personally and show your original work, mail samples out?
A. I have purchased a mailing list (Adbase). It is not cheap, but it is a good source. I had an art rep for a while but I recently parted ways with her as she was not getting me the amount or quality of good work that I was getting on my own. I believe that there are probably good art reps out there, it's just that for now I think I am more successful getting work on my own. Someday I might look into representation again. Through Adbase, I send out emailers and postcards. I do the email campaigns a couple of times a quarter, and the postcards a couple of times a year. I send samples if an art director requests them, and always send a link to my website.

Q. Do you currently do graphic design, teach or something else to supplement your illustration income?
A. I just have a part time job to supplement my income and closely watch my budget. I do not teach or do graphic design. In fact, I really suck at graphic design. My goal is to do the illustration full time. I have never seriously thought about teaching but it's not out of the question. Maybe someday I will teach part time? Who knows. I'm always open to new things but for now a career as a full time working illustrator is my holy grail of coolness.

Q. Did you go to graduate school?
A. I never got a masters degree. I have an associates degree in Fine Art from community college, and a BFA in illustration from the University of the Arts. With my working so much trying to get ahead as an illustrator, continuing education would be a waste of time for me.

I Friday, Focused

2010-01-29T09:24:00.000-05:00

What are y'all looking at?

Fun with people and perspective. Click for a larger view.

What are y'all lookin' at?

2010-01-28T12:07:00.001-05:00

Fun with people and perspective. Click for a larger view.

Shop is open!

2010-01-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

Hey all,
In case you have not visited it yet, my Etsy Shop is open with a bunch of new prints for sale from my original art. And now there's a nifty new easy to click on link to the right. Is there something on my site that is not stocked in the shop? Let me know, there's a good chance that I can get it for you.
Have fun shopping!

New Year, New Stuff!

2010-01-03T22:30:00.012-05:00

Happy New Year!
Happy 2010!
Happy New Decade!
Happy New blog design! (as promised)
Happy New work for sale in my shop!
Keep your eyes peeled for more new good stuff from me soon. Yay!

Outside the Yuengling Brewery (circa 1829) in Pottsville, PA 12.26.2009

Last post of 2009!

2009-12-22T11:45:00.002-05:00

Okay, I know that the former post was supposed to be the LAST post on my blog of 2009, but I was just informed that my illo that I did for American Express was just spotted by the folks at PRIMER "in the wild" at Starbucks. Fun! Anyway, I hope you all have a FANTASTIC HOLIDAY! Wooooo!
xox
M

Holiday Sale!

2009-12-11T10:55:00.013-05:00

Hey folks!
This will probably be my last post until the new year because I'm hella busy crankin' out the last of 2009's deadlines and figuring out 2010's marketing strategy. Of course, I'm looking forward to the Holidays...I LOVE this time of the year. Visiting friends, seeing family, shopping, merry makin' etc.

Wait a minute...did I say holiday shopping? Well, this is a chance for you to get your hands on some of my original work for a STEAL. I'm pleased to announce that for the whole holiday season, I've got work hanging for sale at Blue Hair Studio, written up in Philadelphia Style Magazine as the city's BEST full service Salon, among other things - it has a spa,fashion boutique a gallery and live jazz on the weekends. There is still some fantastic work leftover from "Stomping Grounds", my solo show this past September. So, if you missed it then, this is your last chance to get your hands on some fantastic originals at holiday prices! w00t!

I wish you happiness this holiday season and a fan-freakin'-tastic new year. Let's rock it. See you on the flipside!

CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES (From the studio)

2009-11-13T09:45:00.005-05:00

Just a heads up to my loyal readers and stalkers: I am working on a re skin or possible change of blog hosts. It is something that I've been wanting to do for a while because I think that my blog could be so much better. Although this looks pretty clean - I haven't been happy with the overall generic look of it for a while. I'm working on making it more "my own".

Anyway, I'm sorry for the lack of post this past couple of months. I've been hella busy with projects which I'm eager so share with you all. But the holiday season is fast approaching and I've got SO. MUCH. TO. DO. I promise that I will post them eventually! They may end up on this version of the blog or the new improved version. I would like to get the new version up by the beginning of the year but that's not set in stone.

As for the new version of this blog - I'm not sure if old archives will be lost or if I will be able to keep them. Or if I WANT to keep them. I'm kind of liking the idea of starting new? It's like having a fresh sheet of paper in front of me.

I will keep you posted!
xo
M

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T09:57:00.005-04:00

In the case of a zombie apocolypse please remember these tips:
A shotgun works best,
A chainsaw is ideal,
A bat or a crowbar will do in a pinch.
if all else fails, use a shovel.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Pet Peeve

2009-10-19T23:42:00.003-04:00

A pet peeve of mine is people who don't update their blogs. I mean, you gotta update it at least a couple of times a month (if not more) or it gets boring. I hate checking back and seeing the same post that was there 3 weeks before. LAME! I'm afraid that I've become quite lame the past month because I've been slammed busy. I'm not complaining though...a working illustrator is a happy illustrator.

Next time, I'll have some cool new projects to post, as well as photos and tales from a much needed vacay excursion with B for our 5th wedding anniversary. See you when I get back!

Dia De Los Muertos

2009-09-20T16:10:00.008-04:00

I stopped by Proximity Gallery yesterday so that my visiting inlaws could see Stomping Grounds while the show is still up. I was talking to the owner of the Gallery about the next month's show, Dia De Los Muertos, a group show that is being put on by the Autumn Society of Philadelphia. I'm an Autumn Society member, but have not yet participated in any of their shows. She told me that I should put something in the show and as I was bellyaching that I have not had the time to do a piece for it Brian reminded me of a Day of the Dead themed piece that I did a couple of years ago titled, "One Man Band".

I can't believe that I forgot about this piece. It's PERFECT for the event! So I'm happy to announce that I am the 49th artist participating in the show. I don't know if I will be able to make it down to opening night on Friday, October 2nd because PRIMER Microstudio is having an opening of the super talented
Tom Whalen the same night which I am helping out with...but I will try and make it to both! If not, I'll be sure to check it the next Saturday. Yippe!

Mind the Gap

2009-09-16T12:49:00.006-04:00

Here's a spot that I did for the September issue of North Shore Magazine. The article was titled, "Mind the Gap" and it was about high school seniors making the choice to go to college right after graduation or taking a year off to volunteer, travel, work, (otherwise known as a "gap year") before continuing their education.

The Art Director wanted me to depict the recent high school graduate on top of moving trains - both going in different directions (college, year off). Sorry about the not so great photo, I had to shoot the magazine with my iPhone as I seem to have left the battery and charger for my camera where I stayed when while I was on vacation last week. Ah well. Below, is a jpeg of the spot.

The Illustrated Poe

2009-09-14T11:08:00.006-04:00

As you might recall, this past February, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction put on a juried art exhibition called "The Great Lincoln! Memorial Tableaux" to celebrate Lincoln's 2ooth birthday. I created the well received "Lincoln's Ghost" illustration for that show, that went on to be a part of the Lincoln 200 exhibition at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in July.

AITA now has an open call for entries for their 200th birthday celebration of writer and past Philly resident, the one and only, Edgar Allen Poe. Here is my submission. I have titled it, "The Illustrated Poe". Click on the image for a larger view. Wish me luck!
Enjoy,
M

UPDATE: He made it in! Come see him in person along with other artist's Poe interpretations at the opening of the Tell-Tale Heart Exhbition at Art In The Age Gallery October 7th!

Opening night pix plus show pieces

2009-09-06T10:30:00.046-04:00

Ahoy mateys!
I'm happy to say that the opening night of Stomping Grounds was a phenomenal success! I am super thankful to everyone who came out to see the show. It is a great feeling knowing that I have such a big community supporting my work. Knowing that my art is going to be up on somebody's wall in their home to make them happy for years to come is what it's all about. One of the sold pieces is going to have a new home in Switzerland! If you did not get a chance to make it to opening night, but would still like to see the show it will be up until the end of September. And if you are interested in any of the work or prints, please contact the gallery. Proximity Gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 1 until 4 PM and Wed, Thurs and Sundays by appt. The Gallery's number is 267.825.2949

As promised, here are pix from opening night & the work for all to see. There are many photos, so I'll post them in two parts: opening night and individual works. I hope that you don't mind scrolling.

Opening night Photos:

Brian and I before the show.
Proximity Gallery
My name up in "lights".
Party in full swing!

The work:
PLACES

Standard Tap
The Franklin Fountain
Pat's King of Steaks
Genos
Kung Fu Necktie
The Philadelphia Zoo
700 Club
Johnny Brendas (View One)
Johnny Brendas (View Two)
Monks
The Abbaye
Eulogy
Liberties Walk
The Khyber
Rocket Cat
Girard Ave. Trolley
The Memphis Tap

PEOPLE

Carefully Careless Mess
Hipster Girl with Mustache
Hipster Abe Lincoln
Swallows
Shoegazer
The Well Dressed Punk

Enjoy the show!

Stomping Grounds

2009-09-03T11:29:00.006-04:00

Stomping Grounds at Proximity Gallery
Opening Fri, Sept 4th 6-9 PM
2434 East Dauphin Street
Philadelphia, PA 19125
267.825.2949

Well, I did it. I cannot believe that the the show opens tomorrow. Many an early morning and late night's work has finally come to fruition. 23 pieces. 6 months of studio time, the last 3 months having little contact with the outside world - at least it felt that way! (Summer? What summer?)

I went down to help Janel, the owner of Proximity Gallery, hang the show last nig I cannot wait to share it with you all. Thanks to my wonderful husband,Brian, who is always a great supporter of my work. Thanks putting up with all of my late nights and weekend working and for your feedback, suggestions and help. Thanks to Russell Underwood Photography for shooting the work! You did a bang up job! Thanks to PRIMER for helping me out with the printing. Thanks to my family for their support and thanks to City Paper and the Philadephia Weekly for the great write ups!

After Friday, I will be posting photos on the blog from the opening, as well as jpegs of each piece so that all of my friends in far away places can enjoy. And the rest of you? I hope to see you all tomorrow!

Write up in the City Paper

2009-08-14T17:38:00.005-04:00

Howdy folks,
I'm a busy bee getting the work for my show at Proximity Gallery ready but wanted to share my sweet write up in the today's edition of City Paper's "Critical Mass" blog. Many thanks, to Holly at City Paper and Janel at Proximity for your kind words and credits. See you all in September!

Win a Print!

2009-08-05T12:33:00.005-04:00

Okay everyone - here's a fun contest where you can win a print of my NoLibs Illustration (pictured). I am currently drawing a Philadelphia building that has a sandwich on top of it for my show at Proximity Gallery. WHAT BUILDING AM I DRAWING? Whoever has the correct answer first, wins! Email me or leave a comment with your answer!

Good luck!
M

UPDATE:
We have a winner!
Congratulations, Ray!
The correct answer was Genos!

SNEAK PEEK round 2: people

2009-07-16T09:40:00.002-04:00

Ha! I'm very excited about some super fun little illos that I just completed for my upcoming September show at Proximity Gallery. I don't wanna let the cat out of the bag, but I just HAD to share, so I'm posting a few pencil studies to give you an idea. Enjoy!

*Side note - it has been decided that the name of the show is going to be "Stomping Grounds". w00t!

Dark Horse

2009-07-15T13:42:00.004-04:00

Here is my latest equine fine art painting for a horse owner client. They used to own this guy as a show horse but had to retire him due to arthritis in his back end. His name was Stanby Slew and he was a grandson of the great, undefeated, 1977 Triple Crown Winner, Seattle Slew. From what my client has said, he looked almost exactly like his famous grandfather. I love his soulful, proud eye (always my favorite part of a horse to paint). Enjoy!

Guerilla Drive In

2009-07-03T09:42:00.009-04:00

Howdy folks!

I wanted to show you a super cool job that I just finished for one of my favorite clients. John Young, a West Chester based entrepreneur who runs the West Chester Guerilla Drive in, asked me to do a rendering of the GDI "mascot". Said mascot is a 1970's BMW motorcycle with a sidecar rig. The sidecar has a film projector in which the movies are shown at a predetermined "secret location". You can read more about Guerilla Drive In here.

Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer is running a story about John and the Guerilla Drive In. Read the story and then go find the MacGuffin!

Have a Happy Fourth of July!

Conundrum

2009-06-30T23:56:00.017-04:00

Question:
Have you ever Googled your name to see what comes up? I know that this might sound strange but I confess that yes, on occasion, I do this out of curiosity. Sometimes I'm really surprised and a little disturbed with the interesting things that I find out about myself and my work.

For instance: Last year, I found out that my work was blogged about on the BlackBookmag .com blog. I would never have known this if I had not Googled myself one night out of boredom. Blackbook is a pretty well known magazine and blog. I was excited that my work was on the blog yet I felt sick to my stomach that I was never asked permission for the use of my Amy Winehouse image. What's worse is that the person who posted it got the image directly from an email campaign that I had sent out through Adbase!

I could have been a ball buster about it and pursued payment but I decided to take the least bridge-burning route and contacted the person directly who posted it, kindly requesting that they ask me for permission the next time. They replied with a quick email,

"Hi Michele, thanks for writing. Liked your stuff obviously, so we'll definitely keep you in mind for upcoming gigs."

Whether or not it was sincere, or if it was just to cover their butts I do not know. Either way, it didn't take them long to respond. Just a quick short note. It probably didn't take any longer to answer my request than it would have taken them to ask for my permission in the first place. BTW, I'm still waiting for that gig...

So tonight, while I was taking a break from working I found out that my work was on 2 other blogs, Geekadelphia being one of them. Again, I was never contacted and my name is not spelled right!

Bloggers: Don't get me wrong - I think it is absolutely wonderful that people are excited about my work and they want to share and talk about it. That's one of the best compliments an artist can have. But I'd REALLY appreciate it if I was asked before my work was taken and re posted onto your site. Please, always contact an artist and ask them for permission to use an image. At the very least, notify them that they are going to be published on your blog. It's a small thing to ask but we really do appreciate it. We will, in most cases, say yes, PLEASE DO use our work! We love the exposure.

However, do not assume that by just putting a link to our site on your blog that it will make up for not asking for permission to use our art. Yes, we love you to drive traffic to our site but we need to be contacted when our work is going to be used. Otherwise, it is pretty much copyright infringement (stealing). This gets really tricky if an image that has been re posted is currently under contract with a client who paid for it. The client will, most likely, not be very happy. Some clients are more forgiving than others and will kindly ask you to remove it. Others, might try to sue you! We all work hard to make a living off of what we do. Frankly, in the past 5 years the value of illustration and photography has gone down. We need all of the exposure that we can get in order to get more commissioned work. But you still need to ask if you want to use it, which brings me to my next point:

My husband said it rather eloquently, "Why do bloggers steal photographers'and illustrators' work and try to say they are promoting them? You want content to drive ad clicks? Pay for it." See those ads on blogs? When those ads get clicked - they make the blogger who has them on their site money. But I'm not getting any money for my work being taken and used on the site. You get the idea.

I don't mean to come across as sounding like a snarky, conceited jerk or as if I'm riding on some high horse but the reality of the situation is that this is how I make my living, folks. It's how I pay for my car payment, my groceries, my part of the mortgage, etc... Yes, I do post to my blog a lot. And I frequently post to many other art and illustration blogs. I want exposure. I want to see and be seen. I want to see what my peers are working on. But I'm posting MY OWN work.

I know that content stealing will always be a problem. I just want you to know that the small act of shooting an artist a quick email to ask for permission goes a long way. It's the right thing to do. And please, spell the artist's name right! :)
Michele

SNEAK PEEK!

2009-06-24T22:59:00.008-04:00

My apologies for the lack of updates but I have been super crazy busy the past couple of weeks working on a ton of different projects. I've got some illustration commissions, fine art commissions, a part time job and a ton of my time is going towards creating more new work for my upcoming solo exhibition at Proximity Gallery in September. And it's almost July already - Eeek!

As promised, here are some sneak peeks of some of the work for that show. These are just appetizers! You gotta come to the show to get the whole meal! And it's gonna be TASTY, I guarantee!

*NOTE - you Philly folks should recognize these places! Do YOU? Feel free to leave a comment. :)

Lincoln 200 Exhibition

2009-06-18T10:53:00.003-04:00

Lincoln's Ghost

Hello All,
I wanted to share the news that my illustration titled, “Lincoln’s Ghost”, will be part of the upcoming Lincoln 200 festival at Independence Center in Philadelphia (July 2nd-5th) and that I will be a featured artist!

“July 4th takes a new twist as Philadelphia celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday at the very spot where America was born. Join in to celebrate America’s 16th president with Lincoln200™: The Bicentennial Festival. The Festival theme, “Lincoln Then and Now,” shines the spotlight on period and contemporary takes on artistic, cultural, and culinary works, innovations in technology, and healthcare, and connects the lasting legacy of Lincoln to today’s world.”

Please view the link below for more information on Lincoln 200

Lincoln 200

Thanks!
M

Horses of a different color

2009-05-18T10:21:00.006-04:00

One of my fine art clients has had me paint several portraits of her horses in the past year. I've just completed two more that I thought I'd share with you. The first is of a mare named Suzy (show name, "Sweet as Honey") that she used to own.

The other is of a gelding named Chilton. I have painted Chilton for her before but as his coat changes between dark and light according to the season, she wanted me to paint another version of him with his light summer coat. (see below)

I've also been contracted to paint another former show horse that she used to own, named "Stanby Slew". If that name rings a bell, it is because he was a grandson of the great, Triple Crown Winner, Seattle Slew. Exciting!

I love painting animals. It is a nice break to be able to switch from the hard brain work and conceptualization that illustration heavily involves to the straight fine art of portrait painting. Enjoy!

Suzy, Sweet as Honey

Chilton (Summer coloring)

Chilton (Winter coloring)

For the Young'uns

2009-05-11T09:54:00.010-04:00

As time goes by I've come to realize that although I have a ton of editorial and advertising illustration in my portfolio, and that some of my work crosses over into several categories, it still has a couple of gaps in it. One of the said gaps is material for the childrens market. I have been working with my rep on filling in the gaps in order to make myself available to a broader range of clients, including buyers for childrens art.

Below, is a series for a 6 piece promotion that my rep is putting together with a group of her childrens artists. The task was to build a character while showing continuity in different situations. It was a ton of work in addition to everything else that I have going on but I had a blast creating the characters and the different scenarios. I'm really happy with the final result. Enjoy!

Prints available!

2009-04-20T13:54:00.011-04:00

It's been a while since I have talked about my shop so I figured that I'd go ahead and give you all a heads up that there are some select prints of some illos available & that they are going quick! I will be switching it up adding different ones when these sell out so keep checking back!
:)

Super Cat is Super!

2009-04-15T14:16:00.004-04:00

Super Cat!

Nothing is an impossibilty.
Up, up and away!
:)

I-Friday, "Fleeting"

2009-04-14T00:48:00.003-04:00

Little Deer

Little Deer
A poem:
By Michele Melcher

Caught.
A fleeting glimpse of new spring fawn,
Quick to appear,
But twice as fast gone.

Enjoy!
M

Back with a Vengence!

2009-03-21T17:34:00.040-04:00

Ahoy there!
I'm way overdue for a post. As of late, life has been pretty much been one big "to do" list and blogging has kind of got pushed to the bottom of it. But I'm back! And with new stuff! Hooray!

The beginning of this year has been a roller coaster, to say the least. Unfortunately, with the pinching of the economy, many (most!) agencies and clients have puckered up their budgets and commissioned work has suffered. Illustration work has been on quite the downhill lately. Even with an art rep. I've had to pick up a part time job to help supplement my income. Much of what I used to consider "free time" is now spent working on my illustration so I can keep up making great art!

Compared to the amount of work I had this time last year, I feel that this year, so far, has been about treading water until clients start buying art again. I am very thankful for the little jobs that some faithful clients are keeping me busy with at the moment. I've also been doing some fine art commissions for private buyers which is a refreshing change of pace that I am thankful for as well.

For a while, I thought it was just me and I was becoming discouraged. It is hard not to. But talking with friends and acquaintances who are all in the business of creative in one form or another, this lack of work is widespread. These be scary times! On the flipside, it can't stay like this forever. I'm just going to keep pushing forward, promoting, and making new work. After all, it's not really a job or a hobby for me as much as it is a lifestyle. I have to do it. I can't not make art. It's in my blood! Perserverance will triumph. If keep working and promoting exploring new ways to do it, good things will happen. FYI - On top of my Rep's site, and my own website, Michele Melcher Illustration is now on Twitter. Look me up and follow the goodness! My handle is "MMelcherillo". I am also now on HAI, so you can check out my profile and porftolio there as well.

Thankfully, with the bad news, there is good - I will be having a solo exhibition of my illustration work coming up in September at Proximity Gallery. Whoo hoo! Proximity Gallery is one of the newer Philadelphia galleries that has sprung up over the past year and a half. It's a fantastic gallery space, located in Fishtown, and they really know what is the cutting edge hotness coming up in the art world. They have shown super cool talented up and comers like like Chris M. Clark and Pat Kinsella. Forget about Old City, Fishtown is where it's at!I'm honored to have been asked to do my own show there and excited to be working on a new series for it. I plan on making good use of all of this recent downtime by creating creating and creating!

Below, is a sneak peek of one of the new pieces for the show. It's a larger format than I'm used to working - so I could not scan it. Heck, I couldn't even scan it piece by piece and photoshop it together. I had to shoot it outside with my camera, so it's not the best picture. There are some scanned crops that you can see for detail. I'm really happy with the way that it turned out and excited to move onto the next. Enjoy!

Standard Tap

Detail

Detail

Friday, February 6th

2009-01-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Great Lincoln! Memorial Tableaux

2009-01-24T10:44:00.009-05:00

Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction has announced the "The Great Lincoln! Memorial Tableaux", opening Friday, February 6th 6-8 PM until the end of the month. My illustration titled, "Lincoln's Ghost", will be part of the exhibition. I'm looking forward to seeing the other artist's portrayals of our 16th president. Stop on by and check it out! Hope to see you there!

In honor of tomorrow's inauguration

2009-01-19T10:05:00.003-05:00

Best of luck to Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden on their presidential endeavors!

Lincoln's Ghost

2009-01-06T21:01:00.004-05:00

Local Philly artist collective, Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction, has announced a call for entries for a tribute exhibition for Abraham Lincoln's 2ooth birthday. Here is my submission. I wonder if it will make the cut? If not, it's still a pretty cool, albeit eerie piece.

*Also for this week's Illustration Friday topic "Resolve", as in , "Lincoln was a man of resolve".

Wild West

2009-01-06T20:46:00.003-05:00

I was experimenting with color this is what happened. Who doesn't like cowboys? Yeeehaw!

Happy Holidays - 2008 Reflections.

2008-12-23T14:27:00.007-05:00

Wow. It's the end of the year already?

I want to take the time to reflect back on 2008:

I worked my butt off this year. Always creating new material in between commissions. Sometimes I would be slammed and stressed out wondering if I could possibly get it all done on time and if I would ever be able to work on the things that I needed or wanted to put in my portfolio. Other times, it would be so quiet for weeks I wondered if everyone forgot about me. Two of my goals for 2008 were to get more illustration work and try to find an art rep. I did both and it felt good. I truly believe that if you dig in and never lose sight of your goal (whatever it is) , that you will eventually succeed. Even though the economy is in pretty sad shape at the moment, I'm keeping optimistic that things will get better. I know that it might take a while but I'm willing to work and wait. I'm not quite sure where the road ahead will take me with my illustration, but I just keep moving forward on the path I'm slowly but surely laying down in front of me, brick by brick.

I want to honor family and friends who have passed on this year. My Grandmother, Marian Sontheimer, lived a long full 92 years. She was the best grandmother in the business. Judy M. Levinson, 58, and Dr. Charles Alpert, 51, were two friends who were taken from us way too soon. All of these people were from different walks of life. All of them brought goodness to the world. Their stars will shine on brightly and they will never be forgotten. May they rest in peace.

I'm so thankful for everything good in my life. I am blessed to have my family, a great collection of friends (old, new & "reintroduced" - you know who you are!) and especially for my loving husband who is the absolute BEST. I'm thankful for good health a happy cat, a car that runs and a roof over my head. I'm thankful for a lot more but need to cut this off or I'll be rambling on forever. That's a good sign. I'm wishing you all a happy holiday season and the best New Year ever. Bring on 2009.
Cheers!

New work

2008-12-17T21:14:00.018-05:00

It's been a while since I have posted and with good reason. I've been crazy busy with work, end of year paperwork, and getting promo stuff together for 2009 all while gearing up for the Holidays. That being said, I've got some new work to post!

Here is a logo redo that I did for the band, 56 Men The former logo was of the same subject matter and had the same colors and everything but the band was not happy with the artist's final artwork, which was produced digitally. They asked that I redo the logo in my illustration style. This is the final result. Keep an eye out for their CD coming out in March!

I'm also VERY excited to announce that the book,"Quality Workday Distractions - Selected Stories and Nonsense from UsedWigs.com", for which I recently had the honor of illustrating the cover, is now for sale!

I'm loving the way that it turned out. I have yet to get my hands on the hard copies that author has sent, but from the photo it looks great. To read more about it and to find out how to purchase it, visit their site.

Thankful for...

2008-11-27T12:38:00.002-05:00

- My super supportive husband, Brian. He's the best!
- Family and friends (old and new!) They make the good times even better =)
- Good Health
- Food on the table and a roof over my head
- The chance to do illustration for a living, which is what I love. (and I'm Thankful for every job that comes my way!)
- The HOPE for a bright future and another day that will bring better things. (Yay Obama!)
- Pets and all animals in general
- This beautiful planet :nature and all of it's wonder. Let's preserve it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm featured on Illustrophile this week!

2008-11-20T10:32:00.004-05:00

Hey all,
I'm delighted to find out that I've been featured on Illustrophile this week. Illustrophile is a blog dedicated to illustration and commercial art. Yay!

Boynton

2008-11-13T23:02:00.003-05:00

I've been really busy working on a series of fine art paintings (among other things) for a client who has horses. She has commissioned me to paint the three horses that she and her daughters ride as Christmas gifts for her daughters. This is the first of the three, a bright chestnut thoroughbred gelding named Boynton. He's a gentleman, very business minded and loves to hunt. If he could talk he would have a British accent. A lovely, well mannered fellow!

And the winners are...

2008-11-09T18:22:00.021-05:00

Wow! There was a HUGE response for the Illustration Election. Votes poured in from everywhere! Saturday morning I handed the ballot box off the the guys at PRIMER.

Once at the Microstudio, Lawrence and Brian gave the ballot box a good shake, poured them into the makeshift Tupperware "hat" and picking commenced. That afternoon, I received from them an email with the winners. And the winners are (drum roll)...

Terence Bishop of Bishop Brand.

Kate Garchinsky of Penguinart.com

David Miles of David Miles Illustration

Congratulations guys! And thanks to everyone who participated. All of your votes made this contest a great success! I had so much fun doing it - I've got to think up some ideas for what my NEXT contest might be! Any ideas?

*PS - In case you're wondering which illustration "won" the election. It was definitely the McCain/Palin illustration. It actually got quite a few votes from self-proclaimed Obama supporters!

Illustration Election - Winners to be posted this week!

2008-11-08T10:38:00.003-05:00

Hello all! The votes are in and the polls have now closed. Winners to be announced this week. Check back soon!

Vote In the Illustration Election!

2008-11-03T01:07:00.008-05:00

UPDATE - We may have a new president but this contest isn't over yet! So far I'm getting a fantastic response. You still have until Friday at midnight to vote!

Welcome to MicheleMelcher.com’s ILLUSTRATION ELECTION 2008! In keeping with the spirit of this week’s upcoming presidential election I thought that it would be fun to have a contest where participants can vote for the illustration that they want to WIN! Not a U.S. citizen? No problem! This contest is free and open to ALL who would like to cast their vote!

Please keep in mind that it is just for fun. Although it is politically themed it is not about which party or candidate that you're rooting for. What matters in this contest is which ILLUSTRATION you're voting for. After all, you have a chance to win a signed print of the illustration that you voted for! Please take a look at the two illustrations and then scroll down to find out how to vote and other important details.

Illustration #1

Illustration #2

HOW TO VOTE!
-Please email me your first and last name with your email address and a link to your blog or website (if you have one) and the number of the illustration that you are voting for (number 1 or 2) to Info@michelemelcher.com before the polls for this contest (midnight Friday, November 7th).

WINNERS ETC.
-There will be THREE winners picked at random courtesy of Brian and Lawrence, the good folks over at PRIMER. Announcement of winners along with their link (if provided) will be posted on the blog the week of November 10th. Winners will receive a signed print of the illustration that they voted for. I will also be contacting the winners to find out their address where to ship the print.

So have fun and get your votes in before the polls close this Friday night. Good luck!
=)
M

I'm Having a Contest!

2008-10-31T00:58:00.009-04:00

Happy Happy! I'm pleased to announce that Michele Melcher Illustration is holding it's first ever Contest! This contest is free and open to everyone plus there will be a cool illustration prize for the three winners! Check back REAL soon for details!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-28T09:31:00.010-04:00

Due to some response we have received it looks like the mailers have begun reaching their destinations so without further ado:

Brian Von Frankenstein
Miss-Hell Melcher with Simon "Scaredy" Cat

This year we decided to do something a little different than a regular card and came up with the idea to do cut out decorations. We got them printed and they turned out fantastic! Because of time constraints we ended up cutting them out by hand. (over 150 of them!) Thankfully, no finger tips were lost in the process. =)

TRICK OR TREAT!

Illustration Friday, "Late"

2008-10-22T09:54:00.002-04:00

Roland and Sylvia were late on too many mortgage payments and so the bank foreclosed on their house.

The "spirit" of Halloween

2008-10-16T09:43:00.005-04:00

Many of you know that the fall and Halloween is a favorite time of year for Brian and I. Every year, for the past 8 years we have made some sort of Halloween card or mailer and sent it to friends and family. I can't post this year's Halloween treat yet because it would spoil the surprise but I'll post a few from years past to get you in the spirit of the season. Enjoy!

Halloween 2007 - Hotrod Halloween

Halloween 2006 - Vintage Halloween

Halloween 2005 - Headless Halloween

I think this was from 2002? Inspired by a trip to New Orleans, we made small Voodoo Doll refrigerator magnets and sent them out in little pouches as part of "Brian and Michele's Trick NOT Treat Halloween Kit".

Happy Birthday Brian!

2008-09-30T10:06:00.008-04:00

Today is September 30th and Brian's 36th birthday. Happy Birthday, my love!

This past weekend, we took a trip to Newport, Rhode Island in celebration of B's birthday. We found it to be a very interesting historical town. I loved the architecture. There were gigantic mansions and grand old victorians and beautiful seaside cottages galore. There was a hurricane off shore, which did put a damper on our goings about (it literally rained buckets for three days) but we managed. We had a great time, nonetheless. Here are some pictures from our visit so please scroll down to check them all out!

The Black Pearl restaurant, Bowden's Wharf. The best clam chowdah in town! (Captain Jack Sparrow was nowhere to be seen)

Evening fog at Bowden's wharf.

Twilight fog.

At the forty steps, hair wet after being clobbered by a rogue wave.

I found a slimy little friend at the forty steps.

Snails, snails everywhere!

Rain on the dashboard, Bellevue Avenue

Front gate at the Breakers.

The Breakers. The Vanderbilts' "summer home". ONLY 70 rooms!

Brian taking a picture in the Breakers rear garden.

What an imposing building.

A view of the Newport bridge from the shore of Historic Jamestown on our way home.

The inside of Norm's diner. It's a 1954 Silk City dining car.

The GTI out in front of Norm's Diner in Groton, CT. It was a wild goose chase but we found it thanks to the iPhone GPS!

New work

2008-09-29T14:26:00.006-04:00

Business Lunch

The latest piece for the portfolio...

New Work & a Publication

2008-09-18T09:01:00.014-04:00

Hello!
I'm back from an interesting weekend in the mountains of North Carolina. We did a ton of stuff: saw my inlaw's mountain home that is under heavy renovation (but it will be awesome when it's finished!), went to an amusement park on the top of a mountain that was only accessible by chair lift, saw a kickin' bluegrass band (I was secretly pleased because the geetar-ist commented on my Fryes and I'm SUCH a boot girl), ate tons of bad fried food, saw wild elk and turkeys, went antiquing and scouted out all of the other cool things to do for when we visit again. I've been playing catch up since my arrival and this is the first chance I've had to post.
That's a looong way down.

So without further ado, here is the latest. This illustration was a big challenge for me because there's ALOT going on in it. AND it's all in primary colors which is something that I have never done before. Overall, I think it works and I'm tres happy with the finished piece even though I almost gave up like 20 times while figuring it out. Do you like it? There are prints available in my shop!

I mentioned in my last post that I finally received the Illustration 45 printed annual from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. It's two years late! I don't know why it took them so long to produce it. I had just about forgotten about it because the call for entries for Illustration West 47 just went out but I suppose it is better late than never? My PRG poster from way back is on page 133.

General update

2008-09-11T14:02:00.008-04:00

Huzzah! Huzzah! Remember that big project that I was working on and wrote about back in July? I was just emailed by a friend who said that someone just dropped off decals featuring my illustration at his place of business. They are point of purchase decals for a large financial company and will appear in business windows, etc. in the greater Philadelphia area. So exciting! I'm honored that I was picked to represent our fine city. So keep an eye out for it!

I've been working on some other great projects that I will post as soon as I get back from vacation. Brian and I are taking a long weekend trip to the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina to visit his parents at their new house. They are renovating a mountain home and have invited us to come and check it out. Work is not yet finished on the house, so we will be staying with them in a cabin that they are renting (whoo hoo!). We've actually been planning to visit them in North Carloina for a while, but have been so busy this was the first time that we were able to break away. I love traveling and visiting new places and am SO looking forward to it! See you when we get back!
=)

UPDATE on the update:
The mail just arrived and enclosed was the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles Illustration West #45 printed annual, with my Philly Roller Girls poster illustration on page 133. It's only 2 years late (they are already having a call for entries for Illustration West #47). I guess better late than never!

Shop is open!

2008-08-29T10:27:00.006-04:00

Hey folks,
I've had quite a few inquiries asking when prints would be available for sale. It's been a busy summer and I've neglected to update but the time has finally arrived! I'm happy to announce that you can now buy signed prints at my online shop. Here are just a few samples of some of the stuff that's for sale...

Amy Winehouse
Northern Liberties, Philadelphia
1963 Vespa

Illustration Friday - Routine

2008-08-22T11:23:00.001-04:00

Just another routine day in downtown Philadelphia

Good news!

2008-08-21T10:45:00.009-04:00

I just wanted to share the good news that I have signed on with artist's rep, Deborah Wolfe. She represents an impressive stable of illustrators from around the world and I'm honored to be on board. I have worked very hard for this and am super excited about the opportunity! My work is not up on the website yet, but it will be soon. Hooray!

Blackbook Magazine.

2008-08-18T10:32:00.004-04:00

An exciting piece of news: My work was recently featured on Blackbook.com. I was written up in a small article about Amy Winehouse where they used my illustration of the "Rehab" rocker. You can see the work and read the article here.
Enjoy!

A Night at the Fair

2008-08-17T09:59:00.017-04:00

There are a couple of things that just scream summer to this suburban Philadelphia girl. 4th of July fireworks, the Jersey shore boardwalk and a night at the Middletown Grange Fair. Not only can you get all of the standard carnival staples like funnel cake or a ride on the ferris wheel, you can also see a showcase of the area's local agriculture. Fresh baked breads and pies, giant vegetables and prized livestock, this fair has got it all.

One of the first things that we happened upon was a team of Belgian horses giving a wagon ride demonstration around the fair grounds. If you think that these guys look big, you should have seen the Percherons housed in the barn next door!
Hooves the size of dinner plates.

Walking through the cattle barn, we literally saw tons of bovine perfection in every size and color. Holstein, Black Angus, Brown Swiss, Jersey...bulls, steers, calves, heifers and dairy cows. Personally, I think that the cows have very sweet faces with dainty little muzzles in contrast to their huge bodies.

Sleeping ladies.
5 day old calf. Look at those ears, what a cutie!
This big boy was being bashful for the camera.

By the time we got through the small animal and chicken exhibit barn, where I got to pet a fancy chicken's crazy "hairdo", the sun was setting over the midway.
Ah, the aroma of funnel cake and manure in the air.
Sorry guys but the K.K.K. look is totally OUT of fashion.

The antique farm machinery show is always interesting.

What would a night at the fair be without a healthy dose of junk food?
Brian takes a photo of his "meat on a stick" meal, my french fries are front and center. (Ice cream cone not pictured.)

Good stuff is happening!

2008-08-16T17:34:00.001-04:00

New news soon! =)

Step by step

2008-08-06T09:23:00.006-04:00

I almost forgot. I snapped some pix with iPhone as I was working on my sister's painting of Porter last week. I used six colors. ultramarine blue, indigo blue, ivory black, chinese white, burnt sienna and indian red. You can see the step by step progress below.

Ultramarine first, then a little indigo and burnt sienna

Repeat, darken and add some washes of burnt sienna over to create the brown reflections.

Darken some more and mask out areas in mane and forelock to be highlighted.

Add highlights to mane with some chinese white mixed in with indigo blue. Lay down a wash of burnt sienna into the halter.

Add eye - I always paint the eyes last. If you get too detailed in the eye first thing, it might cause distortion. (This rule applies to teeth as well, in case anyone wants to know) Plus, painting details like they eye is fun. Why not save the best for last?

Put a coat of indian red over the halter, add some stitches and there you have it!

A Painting? Perhaps.

2008-08-04T13:04:00.005-04:00

Porter

I painted my sister's horse, Porter, for her birthday. It was nice change of pace to do something other than illustration and it's a good feeling knowing that I haven't lost my fine art skeelz. I got skeelz, man!
Enjoy!

We love you, Grandmom S.

2008-08-01T09:11:00.005-04:00

My grandmom, Marion Sontheimer

Many of my best childhood memories involved my grandmother. At Christmas, she would tease us and tell us, "Look! Out the Window! I just saw Santa Claus peeking in!" to which my brother, sister and I would freak out and look. Of course, we always "just missed him" because we were not quick enough. We would beg her for the maraschino cherries at the bottom of her glass, and she'd give them to us.
Christmas 1975

My Grandmom was a real hoot. We would go to her old house in Pineville and sit at her kitchen table spinning around in the big bucket seat chairs that had yellow vinyl upohstery. She would serve us treats like coffee with lots of milk and sugar or tiny cocktail weiners with creamed corn or klondike bars and mini cans of Tab Cola. We thought it was the fanciest stuff ever. It's funny how a kid's mind works. Later on, we would beg her to take out her false teeth because when she did it made her mouth pucker up and we'd scream in terror and joy. We'd make her do it over and over again.

Summer vacation at the Seaside Heights seashore was something that I'd look forward to all year around. You could always find grandmom on the beach, just look for the "bird hat". The bird hat was not so much a hat as it was a head scarf which served the dual purpose of keeping her big hairdo in check as well as being easy for us kids to see on a busy beach. It was hot pink, and it had feather like protrusions sticking out of it all over the place that waved around in the breeze. You could spot it a mile away.
Later on, after dinner we'd all go to the boardwalk. Grandmom and my mom would pass time that my sister and I spent ride after endless ride on the carousel by picking out jewelry or fudge at the nearby concession stands. Other times they would sit on a bench and she would wave every time we came around.

Grandmom always had dogs. Pammy, Vicki, Flipper, Baby, Suzy, Stinky...those were some of their names. Every Saturday morning you could look forward to a visit from her. She would always stop by after she went to the hairdressers to get that big hairdo coiffed to perfection. Sometimes she would bring her dogs with her and we'd play for hours.

We took many vacations with my grandmother. Williamsburg VA. California. Hawaii. My mother traveled even more places with her after us kids got "too old and cool" to go on family trips. They traveled around the country on bus trips, they went to Canada, they'd drive down to Florida and visit my brother, they went everywhere together!

My grandmother was tough as nails. She always had a bright outlook and no matter what lemons life threw at her, she always managed to somehow make lemonade. She never complained. She and my grandfather were hardworking people. They were chicken farmers in the depression. They'd be up before dawn, counting eggs and getting them ready to ship to market. And that was before making breakfast! She worked on the General Motors assembly line in Trenton, NJ for 20 years. Even after my grandfather died suddenly in the late 1960's, she went right back to work on the line. When we were kids, she worked as a parking lot attendant in the lot behind Kenny's Bookstore in Doylestown, PA. In the snow or the heat, she'd be out there punching tickets and always greeted everyone with a smile.

Making faces

In her later years as her memory began to fail she became frail but she was still fiesty. She'd forget people's names but she'd be able to tell you detailed stories about life on the farm in the 1930's. It was always interesting to hear what she had to say. She'd make my brother in law or my husband blush by telling them how handsome they were at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Or she'd turnaround and whisper to me "I think he's a real nice guy, but don't tell him that because I don't want him to get a big head". She'd stick out her tongue at you or make faces when you were trying to take a picture, or playfully try to hit you with her cane. She'd make friends with anybody who returned her smile. Doctors, nurses, the old lady sitting across from her at the her lunch table. She brought smiles and joy to all those around her. Everyone loved my grandmom. She will be sorely missed. I'm am so lucky to have had her in my life.

R.I.P. Marion Sontheimer
Sept 25th, 1915 - July 31st, 2008

Stuff, things and the P8TCH!

2008-07-30T16:35:00.013-04:00

I usually roll my eyes at cliche sayings like "everything will fall into place". That kind of stuff always sounds like something that you would read on the inside of a sappy greeting card. Last week was not the greatest for me on the creative front. It was one of those weeks where it felt like all that I was doing was spinning my wheels and no matter how hard I tried to get something accomplished everything that I worked on didn't turn out. On top of it I was totally uninspired.

The problem had alot do with a part time job where I had been working for the past year. Although it was close to my house, most of the people that I worked with were nice and the hours were flexible enough so that I could pursue freelance illustration, there was a certain aspect of it that was becoming way too toxic for me. As much as I tried to remain unaffected by the chaotic nonsense that went on in the office while I was there, many times I would find myself coming home annoyed and in a terrible mood. That did not bide well for my happiness or creativity (two things that go hand in hand with me - when I'm happy, I'm creative). So after some careful discussion with B, we both decided that the best thing for me to do was to quit. It was a little scary but a lot of relief. Scary because I like to have some steady income. I've always had some sort of a gig. A relief because now I am free to aggressively pursue my career in illustration. I need to take this risk in order to get closer to what I want. I'm very thankful for my husband, family and friends supporting me in this decision.

I actually gave my 2 weeks notice 2 weeks ago and last Thursday was my final day at the job. It took more than the whole weekend for me to start feeling creative again. I think I needed to detox badly! So far, this week has been a complete opposite of last week. Suddenly good things have started to happen. Dare I say it feels "things are falling into place"? Some exciting things are happening for me and it seems like a lot all at once. Some of the stuff I am going to hold off on talking about too much here for fear of jinxing it (I'm a little superstitious!) but I can tell you about some of the other cool stuff that I've been up to:

COMPETITIONS:
I've entered a few illustration related competitions. You can never predict what the outcome will be, but it's always kind of fun to wait and see what happens. Who knows, maybe this time I'll get picked for something?

ILLUSTRATIONMUNDO:
You can now find me on IllustrationMundo, a very cool site devoted to quality illustration. Poke around and check out the awesome work from illustrators all over the world.

P8TCH & COMMANDO NERD:
P8TCH

I've been commissioned by John Young of Guerilla Drivein fame to create the mascot for one of his latest projects, the P8TCH for iPhone scanning. It's super nifty and geeky but also a totally cool thing. You can read all about the P8TCH, how to get a P8TCH of your OWN as well as how to get the QRCode application for your phone here.
I got mine, you got yours?

Getting back to the mascot, John really wanted a "commando nerd" of sorts. Think a mixture of 1980's machismo, gadgets, Ghostbusters etc. It was a ton of fun coming up with the preliminary concepts. Here is a sneak peek of the nerd that was picked. Don't worry, I have permission to post these pix, John is posting about it over on his blog too. He thought it would be fun to give the general public a sneak peek at the concept and get some feedback. So far it's a little more commmando than nerd, so we are working on nerding him up a bit via gadgets and stuff. I will wait and see what info comes in from John and then I'll go onto a revised sketch. So anyway, here's a peek at the commando nerd!
Check out that macho facial hair!
What do YOU carry in your boot pocket?

One of the latest

2008-07-25T15:38:00.002-04:00

A while back I blogged about a big project that I was working on. Since I do not have clearance to show the whole piece yet I can only post a sample crop. Hint: If you're in the Philadelphia area, keep your eyes peeled!
More news to come.
Have a great weekend!

New Work!

2008-07-14T12:19:00.007-04:00

Ahoy there! I hope you all have been having a great summer so far. I'm sorry for my blogging absence as of late but I've been swamped working on jobs and new material among other good stuff that I'll discuss when I have some time.

A while back I asked for some constructive criticism on a celebrity likeness piece of Amy Winehouse that I had been working on and struggling with. I got a pretty good feedback response via the blog, email etc. and carefully listened to what you all had to say. Thanks so much for the input. Hearing your opinions of what was or wasn't working and why was very helpful. It's good to get an outside audience other than Brian, Simon the cat and my goldfish. Especially because Simon and the goldfish never seem to have much to say. Here is the third and most successful rendition of the Amy Winehouse illustration. I can finally say that it is finished and I'm super happy with the way it finally turned out.
Amy Winehouse
Detail

In other news, I've updated the gallery page of my site with some new work, so go and check it out!
Rock on,
M