Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Apologies for the radio silence! I was in the midst of many things on this bleak earth.

Anyway, this papercut was for a joyous occasion: my dear friend Meg and her husband had their first child, and I cut this illustration of Noah's Ark for the baby's room. Never mind that I didn't actually manage to hand the thing over until after Finn was a year old--I'm assured that children don't have the greatest recall at that age.

This was a lot of fun to cut (and I didn't sustain any injuries, which is an added bonus). It's about 22" and was cut from a single sheet of Canson Mi-Tientes drawing paper, and set against another sheet of the same paper. I used a lot of #11 exacto knife blades. Toddle on over the the Ankle Cemetery flickr account to see more (and more detailed) images of this papercut.

Beer With Me: It's For the Kids [badge]

Beer With Me: It's For the Kids [badge], a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Beer With Me: It's For the Kids [badge]

VIP Badge created for a beer tasting event benefitting a children's charity.

"Beer With Me: It's For the Kids"

Hand-drawn illustration colored in Adobe Illustrator CS5.

Traveler series: Brain [whole]

Traveler series: Brain [whole], a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

I make anatomical diagrams on coffee travelers; this is the third in a series of three, and maps out instances that cause one to catch one's breath. The brain was completed in 2010.

While I used an anatomy textbook as a reference, the illustration was drawn freehand. This traveler illustrates things that get stuck in one's head (both analytical and emotional, the good old right brain-left-brain dichotomy).


To see more images of this project, check out the Ankle Cemetery Flickr account.

Colored paper, colored pencil, ink. Drawing is inserted in a Starbucks "Customizable" coffee traveler.

Traveler series: Lungs [detail]

Traveler series: Lungs [detail], a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Back in 2006/7, I started making anatomical diagrams on coffee travelers; this is the second in a series of three, and maps out instances that cause one to catch one's breath. While I used an anatomy textbook as a reference, the illustration was drawn freehand. This detail headline, "The air is like getting older, they say," is from a Dave Eggers short story.

Colored paper, colored pencil, ink. Drawing is inserted in a Starbucks "Customizable" coffee traveler.

Traveler series: Heart [detail]

Traveler series: Heart [detail], a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Back in 2006/7, I started making anatomical diagrams on coffee travelers; this, the first in a series of three, maps out instances of or relating to the human heart. While I used an anatomy textbook as a reference, the illustration was drawn freehand.

You can see the whole image in the coffee tumblr at the Ankle Cemetery Flickr account.

Colored paper, colored pencil, ink. Drawing is inserted in a Starbucks "Customizable" coffee traveler.

Wildflower invitation

Wildflower invitation, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

The digital invite for an author event with Charlotte Adelman ("The Midwestern Native Garden"), sponsored by Lake Forest Book Store and Woodlands Garden Club. I also designed a postcard invite.

Digital painting done in Adobe Illustrator. Font (ADELE 21) by Font Squirrel.

Book Club Flyer

Book Club Flyer, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

This flyer advertises the monthly selections for two book clubs affiliated with Lake Forest Book Store (the Southgate club is also known as "Food for Thought").

Freehand illustration in Adobe Illustrator (CS5).

I am not a pawn

I am not a pawn, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Woodblock print. It's (mostly) a joke, and I think I made it in reaction to a horrible art professor. (He was the worst! Although he never hit on his students, which is supposedly something of a rarity in the academic art world, so that's something.)

Oil-based ink on rice paper.

Man

Man, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

There are a lot of reasons why I don't draw much, and here is one of them!

Micron ink on brown paper. No reference used.

H is for Hedgehog

H is for Hedgehog, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Like the booby before it, "H is for Hedgehog" is part of an illustration project I did for a design class: create thumbnails for a themed alphabet, and produce three full-size letters from that alphabet.

Prismacolor pencils and micron ink on illustration board.

Approx. 13"x18", not counting the borders. Framed and under glass.

B is for Booby

B is for Booby, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

B is for Booby ("I'd rather dance with you,") is part of an illustration project I did for a design class: create thumbnails for a themed alphabet, and produce three full-size letters from that alphabet.

The booby is from the "unusual animal" alphabet series. I was totally going to do an "obscene/awkward animal" alphabet, but I chickened out / didn't want to draw the Cavendish Dik Dik, because goat-like things are hard to draw.

Prismacolor pencils and micron ink on illustration board.

Approx. 13"x18", not counting the borders. Framed and under glass.

Begone, Sadness

Begone, Sadness, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Inspired by Okkervil River / William Schaff.

I cut this while working the reference desk in college, and used it as wrapping paper for a gift. Through a series of downright odd events, I reclaimed it! And mounted it! And now you, dear reader, get to look at it. Win-Win.

Printer paper and a cardstock envelope mounted on textured backing and under corrugated matboard. Cut with #11 xacto blades.

Charlie

Charlie, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Long story short: we had a dog, and he was the best dog. He died last year. I carved a wood block with his image and here is a print.

Oil ink print on rice paper. Actual image size is about 2"x3".

The Only Way

The Only Way, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Title from Twyla Tharp: "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

I created this design for the Alpha Rho Tau t-shirt for 2010. Alpha Rho Tau (ART) was the art honorary at my undergrad (based in Michigan, in case you couldn't guess).

Pencil on paper (8.5" x 11"), cleaned in Adobe Illustrator.

Blue-footed booby + announcement

Blue-footed booby, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Hey, I take commissions! If there's something you'd like to see, please suggest it; if you'd like me to make something for you or for a special event, ask me!

Send requests to: m.katierose [at] gmail dot com, with a subject heading of "Ankle Cemetery"

On to the illustration: those who know me know that I am particularly fond of the blue-footed booby. I drew this guy for my business card and letterhead when I was in college.

Pen and ink, scanned and colored in Adobe InDesign. No real reference used, but I have pages of doodles of this awkward little bird.

Letter to a new husband

Letter to a new husband, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

"Went home, unpacked wedding gifts, and put them on our shelf."

I cut this piece from a single sheet of black paper; it was a wedding gift for my college roommate and her husband.

Artagain black paper, #11 xacto knife. 18"x22"

Nativity

Nativity, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

I made this for St. Nicholas Day (December 6), but haven't been able to mount it yet. It's pictured here against brown Canson Mi-Tientes drawing paper.

The cutting was partly planned and partly freehand; I drew a basic overlay that became more detailed the longer I worked on it. This one took about a week to complete.

Cut from Strathmore drawing paper (18"x22") using #11 xacto blades.

(Thanks to my sister for photographing it with her iPhone. My camera wasn't working too well.)

Wycinanki, Lowicz-style Flower

Wycinanki, Lowicz-style Flower, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

An homage to the wycinanki style of papercutting. I actually made this piece specifically for the frame, which I found in Racine, WI for $15.

Silhouette paper, xacto knife. Mounted on bristol vellum. Papercut is approx. 3" high.

(I know, I know--nothing new these days. Well, I'm writing a paper on papercut art, so I haven't ignored it entirely.)

Orders of Magnitude

Orders of Magnitude, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Each number was cut freehand from a 4" square of black paper. It was an exercise in consistency. While "23" is my favorite number, I think the "4" is a particularly lovely specimen.

Artagain black paper, xacto knife. Mounted on illustration board, framed and under glass.

The Skin I'm In

The Skin I'm In, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

I haven't mounted this papercut yet (it's pictured on top of one of my bookbinding assignments here), but I thought I'd post it anyway.

I got the idea from an old anatomy textbook; I love seeing the skeleton within the context of the body.

Silhouette paper (cut with #11 xacto knife). I haven't measured it, but the cutting is fairly small, probably less than 6" high.