eternal twinkie

a new hope

death of the twinkie

rolling sushi (with avocado and squash)

It’s autumn, and what better way to enjoy this season’s harvest than with a homemade batch of vegetarian sushi? Uh...yeah...

If you need a lesson in rolling, look no further than the current issue of Kiwi Magazine. Better yet, learn how with an avocado and a butternut squash leading the way.  

This was my last issue with Art Director Ridge Carpenter, who’s moving on to bigger and better things. It also marks the my three year anniversary illustrating the “Cooking with Kids” section of Kiwi. 

It’s been a terrific and challenging stint, and hopefully will continue, even with the changing of the guard. 

In the next issue, we’re making breadcrumbs, but to find out which of the recipe’s ingredients shows you how, you’ll have to wait a few months. 

Okay...time to get rollin’!

ny times: the picky eater who came to dinner

I have another piece in the Sunday New York Times—this time in the Sunday Styles section. The story is about how difficult it is to entertain these days with all the restrictive diets Americans impose upon themselves. You can read the full article here.

Just for the record, I’ll eat everything pictured, aside from the milk and table settings. 

are you sitting down? i'm in the new york times

If so, stand up! At least that’s the message from the article I had the pleasure of illustrating for last week’s Sunday Review section of The New York Times.

Art Director Aviva Michaelov sent me a great piece about the many dangers of sitting all day. Admittedly, I have been spending an inordinate amount of time in my chair lately, working on various projects, so this subject has been very much on my mind (and aching joints). Since the finished pieces turned out nicely, I’d like to take this opportunity to share a bit of my process.

Once I got started with sketches, I kind of couldn’t stop. Sometimes you get assigned something that just illustrates itself, the subject/writing is so good. That was definitely the case for me here.

I’m sure I supplied more sketches than were necessary. Above is my first one, followed by a bunch of the others as ideas evolved.

In then end, what started out as one piece turned into four! Aviva was very gracious, redesigned the page and approached the editor with my ideas, even though (unbeknownst to me) they had  discussed images of standing people.

Then the fun really began. Pictured here may look like a pile of scribbles and splotches—which it is. Behold the ugly underbelly of my process. Through the power of the internet—while waiting for some paint to dry—I watched a video of the great Quentin Blake discussing his process, and picked up a great blotting technique to create the texture in the final skull chair.

Oh!...and in the midst of all this, the Space Shuttle flew by.

Here’s how it looks in print, and a link to the article online. Thanks Aviva ~ that was really fun!

eat your peas...

April is the cruelest month, if you are a chicken-hater, and aren’t a fan of fresh peas. Despite all that, this month, in a series of spots in the latest issue of Kiwi Magazine, I show you how to shell the latter. And you will like them!

a long overdue web update

Yes, it’s been a while, but I finally updated my website. Look for lots of new work in ‘children’s’ and a few pieces in ‘grown-ups’ (formally known as editorial). Why the new name? Well, it seems that in 2011, I became primarily a children’s book illustrator, so the distinction seemed appropriate. Because—let’s face it—my grown-up stuff looks like it’s for kids too.

And my lovely publisher, Philip Lee of Readers to Eaters, has given me the go-ahead to provide a few more sneak peeks at Sylvia’s Spinach, due out this November.

Hey, and were you aware that Chicken Month starts in just a few days?

the bathers

What exactly is going on here? You’ll have to pick up the April/May issue of Kiwi Magazine and find out...

(Apologies aux Messieurs Cézanne, Renoir et Seurat.)

cabin fever and other adventures in illustration

When I was asked to illustrate a 4-page special section for the March issue of Kiwi Magazine called “Beat Cabin Fever,” little did I suspect I would come down with a serious case myself! 

This plum assignment—in addition to the regular cooking class spots and end-of-the-book essay pieces (see Measuring Up, above) that I’ve been illustrating for over a year—kept me furiously busy at my drawing board for a few weeks.

The feature includes games, puzzles, a recipe, and a pull-out fortune teller (above) to help kids decide what to do when the weather (or illustration assignments) forces them indoors.

Unfortunately, one of my favorite spots wound up on the cutting room floor, but I’m showing it here in all its glory. It was to go with a piece on recycling household materials into cool craft projects.

And finally, that athletic troupe of dried beans you see is part of this month’s cooking class: How to Measure Ingredients. It’s always a challenge to find an adventurous twist in what can be a pretty mundane subject. Speaking of which, this month we’re washing spinach!

a little process blogging...

With the latest Kiwi Magazine hitting newsstands this week, it seemed an ample time to describe a bit of my my illustration process for this issue’s essay piece:

In “My Special Boy,” a mother navigates a labyrinth of special needs education schools to help ease her socially-challenged son through nursery school. I was excited about the opportunity to illustrate this subject because it allowed me to explore a more serious tone in my drawing.

 

Primarily, the mother’s frustration lay in a system with limited resources that assumed the worst in her son. I submitted three sketches (two of which you see here). In the sketch on the right, the super-imposed words—those used to describe the boy—would loom ominously over an otherwise innocent looking child. Yet it seemed to me, the way to express the emotion of the piece was through gesture rather than expression. Luckily, the art director agreed, and we went with the idea on the left. Here is the finished piece—not far from the original sketch:

annaraff.com—updated

As of this week, and after a few months of neglect, there are now several new (and new-ish) images up on my website. Incidentally, Mayor Bloomberg has officially proclaimed this “Illustration Week.” Thanks Mike!

Look for lots of work from the past few issues of Kiwi, along with some political concept pieces, and of course, birds like this guy at right, named “pluck” (a new favorite). Click on the children’s and editorial sections.

political punting...

Don’t jump into an empty cup! Vote on Nov. 2!

annaraff.com version 3.0 is live!

After a few fits and starts, I’ve finally completed the relaunch of my new html-based website. Earlier this year, I decided the time had come to let go of my old, animated flash site, to speed up the experience and make it readable for people with mobile devices.

The new site showcases my portfolio with cleaner navigation, and the help of thumbnails and slideshows.

Also featured, is a new books section (see below) which allows viewers to page through portions of my books and links to places where they can purchased.

If you miss the little animations, never fear. No doubt, I will be making more of those in the future. In case you’ve never seen one,  here’s a little something I made for National Pencil Day back in March.

kiwi magazine - august/september 2010

The people at Kiwi, the magazine of organic parenting, have been keeping me busy with another back page essay piece (above), and five spots for their cooking section (below) in the latest issue. Their recipe for “chicken fingers minus the chicken” looks delicious. I had a great time working on these—it’s not often one gets to draw a block of tofu shimmying in a bowl of eggs, or wearing a winter coat.

illustrationmundo editor's favorite

For a little over a year, I have posted to illustrationmundo, a great online resource for illustrators and art directors for all things illustration. The other day, I was selected as an “Editor’s Favorite” by the site’s creator, illustrator Nate Williams. Needless to say, as a huge fan of Nate’s, I’m very pleased. You can share the love by going to the IM home page here, scrolling down the right hand column until you see my “Henna” image under my name and clicking on the heart. There is an incredible wealth of talent to peruse on illustrationmundo, so be sure to take a look around the site. Thanks Nate!

daniel cooney fine art | emerging artists auction: june 18th—july 8th

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Chelsea gallery owner Daniel Cooney, of Daniel Cooney Fine Art, to submit something for his “Emerging Artists Auction.” He chose “Moon Ice,” a piece I made last fall, shortly after NASA found evidence of ice deep in the craters of the moon.

Curated by Cooney, this online auction at iGavel, begins on Friday, June 18th and ends on Thursday, July 8th. All lots start at $200.

My one of a kind digital print of “Moon Ice” is signed, dated, and completely archival, thanks to my fellow freelancer-at-arms, the amazingly talented photographer and designer Symon Chow.

I celebrated my delivery of the piece this afternoon with a stop at nearby Billy’s Bakery to partake in one of their stellar red velvet cupcakes. Now that’s something that sends me to the moon!

annaraff.com version 3.0—under construction!

After months of planning, annaraff.com is officially under reconstruction! During this time of transition, you can see virtually all of my work by going to annaraff.com, and clicking on the links to various portfolio sites and blogs. For those of you who just can do without your dose of the sandwich—and have flash player capabilities—click on the lunch lying on the lower right of the home page. Or click HERE.

kiwi magazine - april/may 2010

Next time you’re in Whole Foods or Barnes & Noble, check out the current issue of Kiwi Magazine. In addition to the illustration for the back page essay, I did another series of spots for their “cooking class” section. This month, they’re teaching kids how to roll out pizza dough.

And just a few moments ago, I finished the cooking spots for their next issue—but more on that in a later posting.

mocca art festival 2010 - table G13

Come on down to the MoCCA Art Festival this weekend!

Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11th, 11 AM—6 PM

69th Regiment Armory at Lexington and 26th St.

Table #G13

Every year comics lovers and creators converge at MoCCA to show their latest work. Once again this year, I’ll be sharing a table with the fabulous Sophia Wiedeman (featuring her latest comic, The Lettuce Girl—her best one yet, I think) and the extraordinary Dunja Jankovic. 

As for me, I’ve got a few new offerings. Hot off the presses (see above) is a book of selections from my daily bird image blog “Ornithoblogical” along with old favorites like The R. U. Fauna Department Store Catalog, Alphabetic Ballyhoos, and lots of handmade stationery, and more! And come pick up your official Ornithoblogical button. I hope to see you there!