ILLUSTRATING

EVER SINCE MY MUM PUT A PENCIL IN MY HAND AT ONE YEARS OLD I HAVE LOVED TO DRAW. I USED TO SKETCH CARICATURES OF MY CLASSMATES WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD. I GOT ASKED TO PAINT CHRISTMAS VIGNETTES ON OUR SCHOOL WINDOWS EVERY YEAR WHEN I WAS IN EARLY GRADE SCHOOL. AND I STILL HAVE THE BINDER THAT MY DAD BROUGHT HOME FROM WORK FOR ME THAT WAS FILLED WITH RECYCLED PAPER. I USED THIS ALMOST DAILY TO DRAW MY CARTOONS AND IMAGES OF THINGS THAT INTERESTED ME.

I LOVED ART CLASS IN ALL MY SCHOOLING ALTHOUGH I DID HAVE SOME PRETTY WACKY TEACHERS. IN HIGH SCHOOL I DID AN OIL PAINTING OF A WOMAN PLAYING THE FLUTE. ONE DAY WHEN I ARRIVED TO CLASS OUR TEACHER TOLD ME THAT SOMEONE HAD STOLEN IT! YEARS LATER AN ADULT FORMER CLASSMATE OF MINE SAID SHE WENT TO DINNER AT THIS TEACHER’S HOME AND MY PAINTING WAS FRAMED AND UP ON HER WALL!

IN UNIVERSITY I HAD A PROFESSOR WHO DIDN’T LIKE MY PENCHANT FOR ‘REALISM’. HE DID SO MANY THINGS TO HUMILIATE ME THAT HE CERTAINLY WOULDN’T GET AWAY WITH TODAY. AT ONE POINT I WAS DOING AN OIL PAINTING OF A ‘STILL LIFE’ AND HE ASKED THE CLASS TO GATHER AROUND MY EASEL. THEN,AFTER ASKING ME TO STAND BACK, HE TOOK A JAR OF TURPENTINE AND THREW IT ON MY CANVAS. I WATCHED MY HARD WORK LITERALLY DISSOLVE AND THEN HE ANNOUNCED TO THE CLASS, “NOW THAT’S ART!”.

ANOTHER TIME HE TOOK MY (REALISTIC) DRAWING OFF OF MY EASEL AND TOLD THE CLASS TO FOLLOW HIM OUTSIDE. WE WALKED TO THE NEARBY (DETROIT) RIVER AND I WATCHED IN DISMAY AS HE FOLDED MY DRAWING INTO A LARGE, PAPER AIRPLANE AND THREW IT ACROSS THE WATER. I WASN’T STRONG ENOUGH TO COMPLAIN AT THE TIME…. JUST SORT OF MORTIFIED AND UPSET. THE CLASS LAUGHED.

SOMEHOW, I STAYED TRUE TO MY LOVE OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND NOW SPEND AT LEAST ONE DAY A WEEK PAINTING.

I HAVE FULLY ILLUSTRATED A FEW BOOKS THAT NEVER MADE IT INTO PRINT. SOME AUTHORS COULDN’T FIND A PUBLISHER. SOME RAN OUT OF MONEY (MYSELF NOT BEING PAID IN EITHER CASE), AND SOME JUST HELD ONTO THE WORK AND WE LOST TOUCH.

BUT FAIRLY RECENTLY, I WAS APPROACHED BY A FEW WONDERFUL AUTHORS WHO COULD AFFORD OR DID VALUE MY WORK ENOUGH TO PAY FOR IT AND I HAVE HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF PLEASURE DRAWING OR PAINTING FOR THEM TOO.

I WAS PREPARED TO ILLUSTRATE ANOTHER ‘POLLY ASTOR’ BOOK WHEN COVID HIT SO THAT IS ONE ON THE BACK BURNER BUT I ENJOYED CREATING INK DRAWINGS FOR KATHY TANNAS‘S FIRST BOOK. I USED ALSO USED THIS TECHNIQUE FOR THE VIGNETTES IN CATHY HARVEY‘S WONDERFUL TRIBUTE TO CANADA’S 150TH BIRTHDAY, SANDY SMITH‘S “IF YOU’RE A DOG, BARK!”, AND FOR A SMALL BOOK WRITTEN BY MY (86 YEAR OLD) FATHER FOR HIS ‘KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS’ CHURCH GROUP.

IT WAS FUN DOING MY FIRST COLOURING BOOK FOR ELLIE ROBSON AND QUITE THE HONOUR TO BE ASKED TO DESIGN AND PAINT THE COVER FOR “THE HISTORY OF MINOR HOCKEY IN EDMONTON” BOOK FOR DARRELL DAVIS. I USED WATER COLOURS AND INK FOR THE SANDY SMITH BOOK,”I WANT MORE” AND EVERY SINGLE ILLUSTRATION IN “HEAVEN IS FOREVER” FOR SANDY WAS DONE WITH ACRYLIC ON MULTIPLE CANVASSES.

I LOVE THE FREEDOM THE AUTHORS GAVE ME TO DESIGN MY OWN ILLUSTRATIONS WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THEIR VISIONS FOR EACH PAGE. I MIGHT WRITE MY OWN CHILDREN’S BOOK SOMEDAY. THAT WOULD BE FUN TO ILLUSTRATE TOO! AND NOW OUR SON, DARREN, IS CURRENTLY ILLUSTRATING A BOOK THAT HIS LOVELY WIFE, JENNY, WROTE. HIS DRAWINGS ARE DIGITAL AND LOOK INCREDIBLE! OUR DAUGHTER, LANA, SELLS HER ORIGINAL, CHARCOAL DRAWINGS ON HER WEBSITE “CHARCOAL PORTRAITS AND NERD CULTURE” AT WWW.LANABACHYNSKI.COM

SO THE ARTISTIC GENE HAS BEEN PASSED ON. NEED AN ILLUSTRATOR? I’M AVAILABLE! PASS IT ON.