tuttle mfa thesis

32

Upload: edward-tuttle

Post on 13-Apr-2017

20 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Tuttle MFA Thesis
Page 2: Tuttle MFA Thesis

Limited Residency MFA in Illustration

Thesis Defense and Exhibition

ILS 970

Edward Tuttle

UHA ID: 16366907

There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly

Summer 2010

Defense Date

DefenseCommittee

Thesis Advisor: Bill Thomson

Committee Chair

Committee Member

Committee Member

Committee Member

R

R

Page 3: Tuttle MFA Thesis

Limited Residency MFA in Illustration

Final Presentation

Edward Tuttle

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the

Limited Residency Master of Fine Arts in Illustration

Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford

Approved

Name

Date

R

R

Page 4: Tuttle MFA Thesis

There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly

R

R

TableofContents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................1

Inspiration ................................................................................................................................................2

Process .........................................................................................................................................................5

The Work ................................................................................................................................................ 12

Marketing ............................................................................................................................................... 19

Program.................................................................................................................................................... 20

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 25

Biography ................................................................................................................................................ 26

Notes .......................................................................................................................................................... 28

Page 5: Tuttle MFA Thesis

1

hat was once a source of pride

became, over time, an obstacle.

For almost 30 years, I found great satisfaction

in letting others know that I had no “formal”

training in the arts—that is, no college education

that led to a degree. Hands-on experience along

with that matriarch of invention, necessity,

seemed to be all that I would need to maintain and

advance my career as an artist. The right

doors always opened. Until I set my

sights on teaching.

The self-sufficiency that

I once viewed as a triumph

now became a handicap.

Everywhere I turned, I was

faced with the fact that I needed

a Master of Fine Arts degree to

enter a new season to which I felt

compelled, even called. I could hear the

voice of my father, a staunchly independent

engineer, trying to persuade me to “beat the

system.” Fortunately, reason, encouragement and

good counsel opened my eyes to the opportunities

available in an academic degree program.

The rewards of following such

wise advice have been many. I’ve

formed a partnership with peers that has

simultaneously humbled and empowered

me. I’ve made helpful connections to

noteworthy illustrators whose diverse presentations

about their lives and work, their failures and

successes, encouraged me to exchange my rose-

colored glasses for a clear view of the challenges

ahead. I’ve blown the dust off of my

pencils and brushes to explore fresh,

innovative expressions with old,

familiar tools. I’ve discovered value

and enjoyment in an artistic style

that I had, at one time, considered

trivial and aimless. Perhaps most

unexpected, I’ve gained recognition

and respect from colleagues, business

associates and academic circles.

I take great pleasure in recounting the events,

the inspiration, the guidance, and the processes

that have all culminated in the creation of a

picture book illustrating the popular children’s

verse, “There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a

Fly,” henceforth referred to as The Old Lady.

The self-sufficiency that I once viewed

as a triumph became a handicap

R

R

Introduction

Airs of importance are

the credentials of impotence.1

—Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801)

Page 6: Tuttle MFA Thesis

2

od is the only one who can create

something from nothing. For the rest

of us mere mortals, using our imagination to

transform what has been into what can be satisfies

our yearning and drive for creativity. The Old Lady

is rich with its own history.

I cannot recount

those who have

influenced this

work without first

recognizing the

foundational impact

of my parents. My

mother, greatly

lacking confidence

in spite of her

talent, saw through a little boy’s scribblings on a

newly painted bedroom wall. She saw the pride

and joy he found in his creativity (Fig. 1). She was

always my biggest fan. My father passed on to me

a love for precision, the tools for problem solving,

and a strong work ethic (Fig. 2). Their combined

influence allowed me to

embrace graphic design,

typography, illustration

and the advent of digital

technology with the

attention and exactitude of

an engineer and the heart

and vision of an artist.

Innumerable

others have either

purposefully or

unintentionally left a

mark on my life as an

artist. However, for

the purpose of this

treatise, I shall focus

on those individuals

whose lives and work

have impacted this

assignment.

In 1980, while specing type and laying out

ads for the San Diego Reader, I saw a number of

promotions containing the line drawings of Rick

Geary (b.1946). I was immediately attracted to his

beautifully thoughtful line work and his characters

that were delightful but never cute (Fig. 3). I

emulated him every chance I could, incorporating

elements of his style in contract work I was doing

for training manuals while living in Pacific Beach

from 1979 to 1981.

I then returned to Connecticut and

was richly blessed to become employed at

Tom Fowler, Inc. (presently TFI Envision)

in Stamford. I entered as a young man with

an armful of drawings and left as a graphic

designer and illustrator. While there, I met a

young freelance illustrator who introduced me

to this new book entitled Jumanji, written and

illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (b.1949).

Inspiration

One of the great joys of life is creativity. Information goes in,

gets shuffled about, and comes out in new and interesting ways.2

—Peter McWilliams (1949-2000)

Fig. 1 Edward Tuttle, Dumbo, 1960, ballpoint pen

Fig. 2 Edward Tuttle, Dad in his shop, 2008, watercolor

Fig. 3 Rick Geary, Lion, 1987, pen and ink, Flaubert’s Dictionary, Prime Cuts

R

Page 7: Tuttle MFA Thesis

3

I was fascinated by the simplicity of the drawings,

the unique and diverse perspective of each

illustration, and

the dream-like use

of Conté dust and

Conté pencils

(Fig. 4).

Van Allsburg’s

work energized me

to create a series of

68 small graphite

illustrations with

watercolor washes for the guests at our upcoming

wedding (Fig. 5). Searching for inspiration in the

volumes of the Golden Book Encyclopedia, books

that I would pore through for hours as a child, the

project became a huge undertaking. It taught me

to maintain consistent quality in my work and to

meet an immovable deadline at the same time.

Van Allsburg’s

work also fueled

a life-long love for

graphite on paper.

While I left behind

my watercolors

with the advent of

the computer as

a design tool, not

returning to them

for almost twenty-

five years, I never

mothballed my pencils. Even though The Old

Lady as a final product does not contain any pencil

beyond the line work of the characters, the use of

graphite is evident in the early stages of creative

experimentation.

There also were influences that I had to

overcome in order to fully embrace this project.

From 1985 to 2001, I was employed as the

Senior Designer at Union Carbide Corporation.

I was often asked to create characters for

announcements, newsletters and invitations

(Fig. 6). I continually played with a host of styles,

finding personal satisfaction in the work, even

though the majority of my clients viewed the

drawings as fun but unimportant. To keep my

skills fresh and to stay awake during long meetings,

I sketched caricatures of the speaker or the creative

staff. But because of client feedback, I never saw

them as something to be taken seriously.

Fast forward to July 2008 at the University of

Hartford and an extremely challenging and gratifying

week under the direction of Ted Lewin (b.1935) and

Betsy Lewin (b.1937). Their energetic, demanding,

but always encouraging instruction opened my

eyes to the complexity of undertaking the creation

of a truly good children’s book (Fig. 7-8).

Fig. 4 Chris Van Allsburg, Jumanji, 1982, Conté dust and Conté pencil

Fig. 7 Ted Lewin, Peppe the Lamplighter, 1993, watercolor

Fig. 8 Betsy Lewin, Click, Clack, Moo, 2008,

watercolor and ink

Fig. 5 Edward Tuttle, Sparrow, 1982, graphite and watercolor

Fig. 6 Edward Tuttle, Union Carbide Safety Award, 1986, ink

Page 8: Tuttle MFA Thesis

4

Twelve months later, Chris F. Payne (b.1954),

in a similar week of information, direction and

enlightenment, dared me to apply the work I had

been doing on my blog (edtuttle.blogspot.com) to

a caricature. I accepted the challenge, and in the

process, refined the style of line work I would later

use on The Old Lady. For many years, I admired

Payne’s ability

to exaggerate

a person’s

features

without being

demeaning

(Fig 9). To

have someone

whose work I

held in such

high regard become genuinely excited about the

progress I made was priceless.

While experimenting with various techniques

for adding color to my drawings, Dennis Nolan

(b.1945), Associate Professor of Illustration at

the Hartford Art School (Fig. 10), reminded me

of the work of David Lance Goines (b.1945).

Nolan rightly suggested that the line work of

my characters was being overshadowed by the

unnecessary detail

I was putting into

the watercolor

and colored pencil

additions to the

illustrations. He

suggested that

Goines’ style might

inspire a new

outlook (Fig. 11). I

had long been a fan

of Goines’ posters,

and the imitation of

his simple, graphic

use of color, shadow

and line became the

perfect complement to my drawings.

My thesis advisor, Bill Thomson (b.1963),

Associate Professor of Illustration at the Hartford

Art School (Fig. 12), made a very important change

to the project. He noted that the old woman was

absent from a number of pages in the middle of

the book. His experience in creating children’s

books taught him it is important to keep the

main character visible throughout the book. This

direction

made a

significant

improvement

in the telling

of the story.

Fig. 9 Chris F. Payne, Tori Amos, 2007, mixed media, RAINN calendar

Fig. 11 David Lance Goines, Twelve, 1983, mixed media, Birthday poster for Chez Panisse Café and Restaurant

Fig. 12 Bill Thomson, Chalk, 2010, mixed media

R

Fig. 10 Dennis Nolan, The Skywriter, 2008, mixed media

Page 9: Tuttle MFA Thesis

5

aybe it was an overblown sense of self-

importance, or the result of being a

corporate designer for too long, or simply the need

to lighten up.

Whatever the reason, it wasn’t until we

completed our summer session in 2009 that I

settled on The Old Lady

for my thesis project.

To create a series of

portraits would have been

a safe bet, especially with

the positive feedback I

was receiving from the

images posted on my blog

(Fig. 13). But being safe

wasn’t going to stretch me

creatively. The challenges

awaiting me in The Old

Lady were many, but

once I embraced them, I found an excitement that

grew as the book progressed.

I knew immediately who I wanted

to pose for photo reference of the

woman. Not only has long time friend,

Susan Vaichus (b.1951), been a great

source of encouragement, but the warped

banter that she and I have engaged in over

the years

assured me

that she

would

be perfect for the

part (Fig. 14). Her

enthusiasm during

the photography

sessions made me

even more anxious to

put pencil to paper.

My original

sketch of the woman created in July 2008

presented me with my first test. While the front

view of her face seemed to work well, I quickly

discovered that translating her features into a

profile view was

not as appealing

(Fig. 15). After

viewing dozens

of humorous

photos of old

women through

image searches

on the internet,

and playing with

various features from each one, I settled on a

face that could be devious and sometimes

maniacal, but not evil (Fig. 16).

While instructing us in the summer of

2008, the Lewins stressed the importance

of maintaining the consistency of a character

throughout a children’s book. In order to help

with that, I attempted to sculpt a clay model of the

woman’s head, but I found it beyond my present

Process

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Art is knowing which ones to keep.3

—Scott Adams (b.1957)

R

Fig. 13 Edward Tuttle, Liyah, 2009, mixed media

Fig. 14 Edward Tuttle, 2009, photograph, reference for The Old Lady

Fig. 15 Edward Tuttle, 2009, graphite, Original sketch for The Old Lady

Fig. 16 Edward Tuttle, 2009, graphite, Revised sketch for The Old Lady

Page 10: Tuttle MFA Thesis

6

skill set. Rather

than add more

to my plate

than necessary,

I opted to build

a basic reference

model in Strata

3D CX that I

would rotate

and illumine to match the angle and lighting of

any of my reference photos (Fig. 17).

This proved to be an outstanding aid. While

exploring portrait techniques in the spring of

2009, I became convinced that I could merge

both traditional and digital media without being

forced to choose between one or the other. This

was another confirmation that the blending of

the two would not only be possible, but also be

an asset.

Since the spread depicting the woman

wriggling and jiggling after swallowing the spider

would be the most complicated in terms of

character consistency, I decided to tackle it first.

Silhouetting a number of images of Ms. Vaichus

in Photoshop, I began arranging them on the page

so the reader’s eye would dance from left to right,

enticing the viewer to turn to the next spread

(Fig. 18). I also added renderings of the woman’s

head to match the photos.

Once I

completed the

drawings of the

woman, refining

a style of line

work influenced

by Mr. Geary

(Fig. 19), I printed

the line drawing

onto illustration board to test different techniques

for color and shading (Fig. 20).

I rejected the idea of a separate graphite shading

layer because of the difficulty in registering a scan of

the shading to the scanned images of the outlines.

It would make the process far too complex and

technical, which I knew would all too soon take away

any enjoyment in the work.

In discussing my experimentation

of color with Mr. Nolan, I emailed a

sample of the watercolor and colored

pencil version to him. As mentioned

in the Inspiration chapter of this

thesis, Nolan quickly suggested I look

to David Lance Goines’ style for an

elegant simplicity of outline and solid

color that would not compete with

the line work.

Fig. 17 Edward Tuttle, 2009, digital rendering, various head positions for The Old Lady

Fig. 19 Edward Tuttle, 2009, graphite, Final drawing for The Old Lady

Fig. 20 Edward Tuttle, 2009, graphite/watercolor and colored pencil, Comparison of color and shading tests for The Old Lady

Fig. 18 Edward Tuttle, 2009, photography and digital, Reference for the “wriggling” spread of The Old Lady

Page 11: Tuttle MFA Thesis

7

After a bit of trial and error, I settled on the

process illustrated in figure 21. Starting with a

photo, I then rendered a model of the woman’s

head in the same position and lighting. On tracing

paper I created a number of sketches, translating

Ms. Vaichus’ expression onto the woman’s features.

Once the final outline was drawn, the image was

scanned and cleaned up in Photoshop. The line

work was placed in Illustrator and converted to

vector using Live Trace. A three-point orange line

was added to the image and then placed as a layer in

Photoshop. Finally, color and shading were painted

in on several layers.

Once the

drawing process

and style were

established, I set my

sights on creating

the backgrounds.

Considering Mr.

Nolan’s direction to

avoid anything that

would compete with the line work of the figures, I

opted to create wallpaper patterns that were ghosted

back between 75 to 85 percent, depending on the

color and contrast of the pattern.

In keeping with the character of the old woman,

I searched the internet (Fig. 22), googling phrases such

as “ugly wallpaper 1960s.” It was quite an excursion

down memory lane. Friends who visited to view the

progress of the book laughed, rolled their eyes, and

invariably recognized a pattern once seen in the house

of a grandparent or an elderly aunt, or a pattern that

graced the walls of a long forgotten apartment.

Each wallpaper design was redrawn as a seamless

tile in Illustrator

or Photoshop,

depending upon the

nature of the graphics

(Fig. 23). The tile was

then used to define a

pattern in Photoshop

and a base layer was

created and filled

with the pattern. The

opacity of the layer was scaled back and a graduated

fill was multiplied over that layer.

Lastly, I focused my attention on refining the

images of the animals (Figs. 24-25). Using multiple

reference images of each critter, I refined my

original sketches in order to be more accurate with

their anatomy.Fig. 22 Monica Roddey, 2008, photo-graph, Wallpaper, accessed March 23, 2010 from http://www.flickr.com

Fig. 23 Edward Tuttle, 2009, digital, Detail of wallpaper pattern

Fig. 21 Edward Tuttle, 2009, various media, Progression of images in The Old Lady

Fig. 24 Edward Tuttle, 2010, graphite, Final drawing of dog for The Old Lady

Fig. 25 Edward Tuttle, 2010, graphite, Original drawing of dog for The Old Lady

Page 12: Tuttle MFA Thesis

8

The following are the original sketches created for the book in July 2008.

There was an old lady...

I dunno why she swallowed that fly,

Perhaps she’ll die.

...who swallowed a fly.

Fig. 26 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite and digital

Fig. 30 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 27 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite and digital

Fig. 29 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 28 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite and digital

Page 13: Tuttle MFA Thesis

9

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -

Perhaps she’ll die.

That wriggled and jiggled

and wiggled

insid

e h

er.

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,

She swallowed the bird to catch the spiderThat wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -

Perhaps she’ll die

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird

How absurd, to swallow a bird!

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.

Fig. 35 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 34 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 31 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite and digital

Fig. 33 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 32 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Page 14: Tuttle MFA Thesis

10She swallowed the goat to catch the dog...She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird...She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.

But I dunno why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a goat.

Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.What a hog! To swallow a dog!She swallowed the dog to catch the cat...She swallowed the cat to catch the bird...She swallowed the bird to catch the spiderThat wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.But I dunno why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a horse -

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.I don’t know how she swallowed a cow! She swallowed the cow to catch the goat... She swallowed the goat to catch the dog...

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat...She swallowed the cat to catch the bird...She swallowed the bird to catch the spiderThat wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.But I dunno why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she’ll die.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird...She swallowed the bird to catch the spiderThat wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.But I dunno why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she’ll die

Fig. 40 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 39 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite and digital

Fig. 36 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite and digital

Fig. 38 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 37 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite and digital

Page 15: Tuttle MFA Thesis

11

She’s dead, of course.

R

Fig. 41 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Fig. 42 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swal-lowed a Fly, 2008, graphite

Page 16: Tuttle MFA Thesis

12

he following verse, There Was an Old Lady, is

the text for The Old Lady. The illustrations are

presented in sequential order.

The Work

I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

Perhaps she’ll die.4

—Rose Bonne (dates unknown)

Fig. 43 Edward Tuttle, 2009, digital, Rendering of 3D model used for the spider in The Old Lady

R

There was an old lady (Fig. 46) who swallowed a fly (Fig. 47).

I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

Perhaps she’ll die (Fig. 48).

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider (Fig. 49)

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her (Fig. 50).

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly

But I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird (Fig. 51).

How absurd to swallow a bird (Fig. 52).

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly

But I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat (Fig. 53).

Imagine that. She swallowed a cat (Fig. 54).

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly

But I don’t know why she swallowed that fly.

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog (Fig. 55).

What a hog to swallow a dog!

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly

But I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a goat (Fig. 56).

Opened her throat and down went the goat!

She swallowed the goat to catch the dog.

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly

But I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow (Fig. 57).

I don’t know how she swallowed the cow.

She swallowed the cow to catch the goat.

She swallowed the goat to catch the dog.

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly

But I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a horse (Fig. 58).

She’s dead, of course!5 (Fig. 59)

Page 17: Tuttle MFA Thesis

13

Fig. 45 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 44 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 46 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Page 18: Tuttle MFA Thesis

14

Fig. 48 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 49 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 47 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Page 19: Tuttle MFA Thesis

15

Fig. 51 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 52 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 50 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Page 20: Tuttle MFA Thesis

16

Fig. 54 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 55 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 53 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Page 21: Tuttle MFA Thesis

17

Fig. 57 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 58 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 56 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Page 22: Tuttle MFA Thesis

18

Fig. 59 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Fig. 60 Edward Tuttle, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, 2010, mixed media

Page 23: Tuttle MFA Thesis

19

lthough the focus of this thesis is The Old Lady, the fact is that two distinctly new illustration styles

emerged from this program—a whimsical character form and a portrait technique incorporating

graphite, watercolor and Photoshop layering. As a result, I will be marketing the book as well as these new styles.

TheBooku Contact publishers and authors with whom I

currently have a working relationship.

u Send or visit them with finished, bound copies

of the book for their consideration.

u Use publications such as 2010 Children’s

Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market to select

appropriate publishers.

u Send queries accompanied by press kits.

u Set up appointments with schools to give

presentations to students on what is involved in

creating a children’s book.

u Create and post online a video that narrates and

animates the book.

u Direct traffic to the video via web links, blogs

and social networking sites.

TheArtu Update my current web site (www.eklektos.com)

to include these new illustration styles.

u Send promotions via ADBASE’s emailer to

creative buyers in North America.

u Mail traditional postcard campaigns.

u Create a portfolio of new characters based on

the style produced for the book.

u Create a new web site around each new style,

promoting each separately—one to focus on

character development and the other on

portraiture for corporate and individual clients.

Marketing

Advertising isn’t a science. It’s persuasion.

And persuasion is an art.6

—William Bernbach (1911-1982)

R

R

Page 24: Tuttle MFA Thesis

20

’m sorry, sir, but you must have a masters degree

in order to teach at this university.”

After hearing those words more times than

I can remember, I was finally convinced that my

experience alone was not enough to qualify me to

teach anything more than a few evening courses.

Thus, I started my search for an MFA program

that would allow me to maintain my business,

respect me as professional, and challenge and inspire

me to explore places I was afraid to go to on my own.

I found all of that in the Limited Residency MFA

Program at the University of Hartford.

Rather than engage in ethereal exercises in

theory, the program connects students to a host of

seasoned professionals who share practical advice

based on years of real-world experience.

Being treated like an adult was greatly

appreciated. This program has been designed to give

a student everything he needs to

succeed without any hand holding.

It is not a course of study for anyone

who lacks self-motivation.

The camaraderie among the

students was a pleasant surprise.

The intensity of the first two weeks

in the summer knit many of us

together. Rather than an unhealthy

spirit of competition, there was a

genuine desire to spur one other on

to succeed.

I recall plotting to drive home on Thursday

morning of the first week of classes and inquire

how to get my money back. It had been a long time

since being pushed to the perceived limits of my

creativity, and I wondered if I made a mistake. Now,

two short years later, I am excited about the years

ahead. I have not been given these skills for myself.

“Much is required from the person to whom much

is given; much more is required from the person to

whom much more is given.”8

TravelandSummerProjectsThe illustration assignments given each time we

met as a group were an integral part of the program.

Summer assignments were based on the History of

Illustration presentations. Travel projects needed to

reflect our experience at or impression of the locations

we visited. In addition, we produced two illustrations

during our second summer session under the

direction of established professional illustrators.

In July 2008, Vin DiFate

(b.1945) gave a presentation on

several genres of illustration,

including science fiction, movie

posters and pulp fiction book covers.

Guided by DiFate, we were directed

to create a poster in our own style for

one of our favorite movies.

I created a poster for the 1962

classic, The Miracle Worker (Fig. 61).

Program

Experience: that most brutal of teachers.

But you learn, my God do you learn.7

—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

R

Fig. 61 Edward Tuttle, The Miracle Worker, 2008, mixed media

Page 25: Tuttle MFA Thesis

21

After studying a number of screen shots of the

film, I created a 3D model of Anne Bancroft (1931-

2005). Ms. Bancroft played the role of Annie

Sullivan (1866-1936), instructor and companion

of Helen Keller (1880-1968). I photographed my

daughter, Emma Tuttle (b.1999), to represent

Patty Duke (b.1946), who played the part of young

Ms. Keller. Bancroft’s large scale represents the

enormous influence she had on Keller. The field in

the foreground was created with several Photoshop

brushes made from

grass stalks drawn

in Illustrator.

In November

2008, we visited

New York City.

On a visit to

the Illustration

House, we met

the founder, Walt

Reed (b.1917). Mr.

Reed’s pleasant

features were

intriguing, so I

decided to create a portrait of him for my New

York travel project (Fig. 62). I challenged myself

to dig out my watercolors for the first time in

25 years. Woven into the two images of Reed are

illustrations that were on display during our visit.

During the critique of our work I was advised

that my composition needed to be more fluid and

dynamic, and I agreed, though I believe the return

to watercolors represented a real achievement.

Our trip to San Francisco in March 2009 was

a turning point for me. One of the illustrators

who presented his work was Kazu Sano (b.1952).

I was particularly drawn to Essence (Fig. 63), and

the way that Mr. Sano masterfully blended tight

and loose elements together. The piece reminded

me of my love

for portraiture,

reinforced the

need to return

to my pencils

and watercolors,

and ultimately

inspired me to

explore new possibilities by mixing these media.

His lecture also challenged me. He spoke of

the important discipline of painting every day. I

came home with a personal mandate to start a blog

and regularly post my own experiments in mixing

graphite and watercolor.

This became an important and enjoyable

exercise. Playing with scans of tight graphite

drawings and loose watercolor splashes, I began to

explore various layering and filtering techniques in

Photoshop (Fig. 64). Ken Wilder (b.1945), friend

and photographer, granted me permission to use a

number of his photographs as reference.

Fig. 62 Edward Tuttle, Walt Reed, 2009, watercolor

Fig. 63 Kazu Sano, Essence, 1996, mixed media

Fig. 64 Edward Tuttle, Thai Farmer, 2009, mixed media

Page 26: Tuttle MFA Thesis

22

The project for San Francisco, entitled

Finding My Voice, is an illustration of the personal

and professional transformation I experienced

as a result of the program (Fig. 65). The left half

of the image is entirely digital. The model of my

head is technically accurate but devoid of life and

expression. The computer, represented by the

rusty bird cage, was at one time liberating, but

unknowingly became confining. The color from

Sano’s Essence running down the middle of the

image indicates the turning point. The imagery on

the right half—my smiling face looking upward,

the burst of color, and the chain morphing into

butterflies—represent the creative freedom I found

in pursuing this new direction.

In July 2009, we reconvened in Hartford

for two weeks of instruction by four gifted

illustrators—C. F. Payne, Gary Kelley (b.1945),

Nancy Stahl (b.1949) and Jean Tuttle (b.1957).

During the first week, under the tutelage of Payne

and Kelley, I created a portrait of a gentleman I

photographed at a maple sugar demonstration.

Payne continually challenged me to take the portrait

a step further and create a caricature. Using the

layering technique I developed since our visit to San

Francisco, I created Maple Man (Fig. 66). Figure 67

illustrates the four layers used to

create the final image. It is important

to note that the graphite outline style

I developed while working on this

project was used for the line work in

The Old Lady. Maple Man received an

Illustration Award from Applied Arts

Magazine in March 2010.

The following week we worked

in the computer lab which was

very familiar territory for me. Our

Fig. 65 Edward Tuttle, Finding My Voice, 2009, mixed media

a b c d

Fig. 66 Edward Tuttle, Maple Man, 2009, mixed media

Fig. 67 Edward Tuttle, 2009, graphite and watercolor, Representation of the four layers used in creating Maple Man: a. graphite outline on tracing paper, b. graphite shading on tracing paper, c. watercolor on paper, d. water-color spatter on illustration board.

Page 27: Tuttle MFA Thesis

23

assignment was to create a portrait of a famous

Connecticut resident using only digital media.

Knowing that Ms. Stahl was very proficient in Corel

Painter, I decided to challenge myself and create

the assignment in Painter rather than use programs

with which I was already acquainted.

Robert Mitchum (1917-1997), born in

Bridgeport,Connecticut, was the subject for my digital

painting. Mitchum

played the part of

Reverend Harry

Powell in the 1955

thriller, The Night of

the Hunter. In the film,

Rev. Powell murdered

Willa Harper, played

by Shelley Winters

(1920-2006), and

disposed of her

body in a nearby

river. Integrating the

watercolor, pastel and

charcoal tools, I created a movie poster, portraying

Mitchum as a dark, ominous figure whose snarling

visage is looking down at his victim (Fig. 68).

For our summer assignment we were told to

choose an illustrator, a popular magazine cover, and

a famous person that were all from the same time

period between the

years 1900 and 1950.

We then had to recreate

the cover with a portrait

in the style of that artist.

I have long admired

C. Coles Phillips (1880-

1927), particularly his

“fade-away lady” style

(Fig. 69). I painted

a portrait of Gertrude

Ederle (1905-2003),

who, in 1926, became

the first woman

to swim across the

English Channel. The

painting was scanned

into the computer

and the image run through the Color Halftone

filter in Photoshop in order to simulate the coarse

printing screen from the 1920s. The image was then

multiplied onto a photograph of worn paper (Figs.

70-71). The type and masthead that were created in

Illustrator were set in place, and, as a final touch, an

image of a period mailing label was added.

We travelled to Pasadena, California, in

November 2009, enjoying the presentations of some

very excellent illustrators, as well as visits to the

Disney Archives, DreamWorks Studios, and the

J. Paul Getty Museum. The instructions we received

for our Pasadena project were succinct—create

something that “reeks” of Southern California.

Fig. 68 Edward Tuttle, The Night of the Hunter, 2009, digital

Fig. 69 C. Coles Phillips, The Saturday Evening Post, 1923, mixed media, Cover

Fig. 70 Edward Tuttle, Ladies’ Home Journal cover featuring Gertrude Ederle, 2009, water-color and digital

Fig. 71 Edward Tuttle, 2009, water-color and digital, Detail illustrating the application of a 4-color process screen

Page 28: Tuttle MFA Thesis

24

As I searched the internet

for Southern California icons,

I found many photographs

of movie theaters in the Art

Deco style of the 1930s. One

theater I found intriguing was

the Regency Lido in Newport

Beach, California (Fig. 72).

I searched through multiple

sources and found a number of

excellent reference photos.

Originally, the intention

was to build a 3D digital model

of the Lido, change the name

to Hartford MFA, and create a

Doug Johnson (b.1940) style

illustration (Fig. 73). However,

once I created the model, I

began to experiment with

lighting and chose to use the digital rendering as my

final image, rendering the model at four different times

of day—dawn, midday, dusk and evening (Fig. 74).

The finished illustrations reminded me of album

cover art I wanted to emulate when I was a teenager.

That reminiscence prompted me to take the project one

step further and

create an album

cover, complete

with record

labels (Fig. 75)

and album

sleeves.

Our final trip was to Fort Worth, Texas. The

assignment was similar to other travel projects: create

an illustration that reflected the flavor of the location.

In the months following this visit, I spent a great deal

of time completing the images for The Old Lady,

continually refining the style of the art. I opted to use

the style used in the thesis project to

create this last assignment.

The bandana

pattern in the

background,

normally

found as

a border

around

a square

scarf, was

redrawn in

Illustrator to

wrap it around a

circle. I employed the

“fade-away lady” technique

once again, letting the young lady’s shirt blend in with

the red of the bandana (Fig. 76).

Reviewing the work that I created over these past

two years, I am both surprised and impressed with the

scope of what I have accomplished in such a short time.

I pray that the lessons learned, the connections made

and the skills acquired will stay fresh and continually

provoke and inspire me.

Fig. 72 Jordan Shaw, Regency Lido Theater, 2009, photograph, accessed April 29, 2010 from http://www.flickr.com

Fig. 73 Doug Johnson, Ain’t Misbehavin’, 1978, mixed media, Record album cover

Fig. 74 Edward Tuttle, Hartford MFA – Pasadena in November, 2010, digital

RFig. 75 Edward Tuttle, Hartford MFA – Pasadena

in November, 2010, digital, Record label

Fig. 76 Edward Tuttle, Rodeo Queen, 2010, mixed media

Page 29: Tuttle MFA Thesis

25

ny success I enjoy from this program

is due to the many people whose

contributions, large or small, worked together

to make this possible.

In particular, I would first like to thank

Murray and Carol Tinkelman for their vision

and selfless dedication to the program and, more

importantly, to the students. To say that working

alongside them has been a privilege would be an

understatement.

Thank you to Dennis Nolan, whose nurturing

example as a teacher drew me out and reminded

me of why I want to teach.

Thank you to Bill Thomson, whose keen eye

and unsettling aversion to mediocrity kindled a

fire in me to settle for nothing but excellence.

Thanks to my classmates who offered a rich

diversity of perspective, encouragement and

friendship. They helped me see things in myself

that I previously would not or could not.

Finally, I am forever grateful to my wife,

Donna (Fig. 77), for her tireless and faithful

encouragement. While reluctantly settled on

applying to Savannah College of Art and Design for

my MFA, her inspired

proposal that I search

just one more time

for another program

led to the discovery

of, and subsequent

admission to Hartford

Art School’s Master of

Fine Arts program.

Conclusion

…No matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of.

…No part is important on its own.9 The Message

—Paul of Tarsus (dates unknown)

Fig. 77 Edward Tuttle, Donna, 2009, mixed media

R

R

Page 30: Tuttle MFA Thesis

26

ith almost 30 years of experience in

the field of illustration and graphic

design, Ed Tuttle (Fig. 78) offers his clients a wealth

of practical experience, as well as a broad range

of creative services. Working for 16 years as the

Senior Designer for Union Carbide Corporation,

Ed created annual reports, capabilities brochures,

trade show displays, invitations, and magazines.

He worked closely with everyone from senior

management to sales people and scientists to

plant managers. He understands the need to stay

within or below budget, yet produce work that is

of the highest quality. Ed offers a sensitivity and

professionalism to each project. He is very familiar

with the deadlines and politics of corporate work.

Ed started eklektos in 2001 while continuing

to freelance for UCC’s new owner, Dow Chemical.

His skills expanded into non-profit and religious

organizations, publishing, music, retail, and

health care.

Ed’s passion is deeply rooted in the

conviction that he must first be a

father and then an artist. This, in

part, fuels his desire to expand his

teaching/training efforts by

mentoring students to integrate

life, art, and business.

Teaching Experience

2009—Faith and Creativity – 13-week course,

Berlin, CT

2008— Computer Illustration – Spring semester,

Paier College, Hamden, CT

2006—Masking and Compositing with Photography

and 3D Models – Guest Instructor, University

of the Nations, Kona, HI. View sample tutorial

at http://www.eklektos.com/PDF/Masking%20

lessons.pdf

2004—Life Drawing – Instructor, West Haven, CT

1989-2001—Mentor – Directed corporate design

staff in both one-on-one and group situations.

Took responsibility to keep department current

with industry standards in hardware, software

and printing methods. – Union Carbide

Corporation, Danbury, CT

1984—Workshops in Graphic Design and Marker

Rendering – Instructor, Waterbury, CT

Professional Experience

February2001topresent—Principal/Owner of

eklektos, Waterbury, CT – Provide electronic and

print design and illustration to a wide array of

clients, from start up businesses to large non-

profits to corporations.

April1985toFebruary2001—Senior Designer

for Union Carbide Corporation, Danbury, CT –

Created and directed design, illustration, layout,

and production, as well as directed photography,

for in-house marketing team.

Biography

Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of a man

– the biography of the man himself cannot be written.10

—Mark Twain (1835-1910)

R

Fig. 78 Edward Tuttle, Self portrait, 2009, graphite and digital

Page 31: Tuttle MFA Thesis

27

January1984toMarch1985—Creative Director,

Ads & Images, Waterbury, CT – Served as hands-

on art director, supervising a small staff of artists

and a typesetter.

January1982toJuly1983—Designer/Illustrator,

Tom Fowler, Inc., Stamford, CT – Managed

projects from the conceptual and pencil stage to

color comps, type specing, and mechanicals.

August1979toAugust1981—Illustrator,

Telemedia, Inc., San Diego, CA – Executed a

full range of illustration techniques ranging

from realism to technical to cartooning for

international training manuals.

Awards

2010—Illustration Award – Applied Arts Magazine

2002—American Graphic Design Awards

– Poster for non-profit event

– Dow Chemical Company sales event invitation

– Self promotion

1999—Special Recognition Award – Union

Carbide Corporation

1990—Special Recognition Award – Union

Carbide Corporation

Featured Artist

2009—Featured Case Study on www.Strata.

com for a series of Barnes & Noble book covers

(http://www.strata.com/showcase/case_studies/

tuttle_barnesnoble/)

2005—Featured Artist - www.Strata.com

2005—Featured Artist in 3D Idea Book included

in Strata 3D software

Judging

2009—Graphic Design graduating class at Paier

College

R

Page 32: Tuttle MFA Thesis

28

1. “Johann Kaspar Lavater Quotes.” Find the Famous

Quotes You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web.

28 Apr. 2010. <http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/

airs_of_importance_are_the_credentials_

of/151529.html>.

2. “Peter McWilliams Quotes.” Find the Famous Quotes

You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 28 Apr.

2010. <http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/one_of_

the_great_joys_of_life_is_creativity/330373.html>.

3. “Scott Adams Quotes.” Find the Famous Quotes

You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 28

Apr. 2010. <http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/

creativity_is_allowing_yourself_to_make_

mistakes/14700.html>.

4. Bonne, Rose. Lyrics. “I Know an Old Lady.” ©1952

Peer International (Canada) Ltd. Web. 28 Apr.

2010. < http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/

music/17-07.htm>

5. Ibid.

6. “William Bernbach Quotes.” Find the Famous Quotes

You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 28

Apr. 2010. <http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/

advertising_isn-t_a_science-it-s_persuasion-

and/155271.html>.

7. “C. S. Lewis Quotes.” Find the Famous Quotes

You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 28

Apr. 2010. <http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/

experience-that_most_brutal_of_teachers-but_

you/201060.html>.

8. Luke 12:48. Good News Bible: the Bible in Today’s

English Version. New York: American Bible Society,

1976. Print.

9. 1 Corinthians 12:19,20. The Message: the Bible

in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs:

NavPress, 2002. Print.

10. “Mark Twain Quotes.” Find the Famous Quotes

You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 28

Apr. 2010. <http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/

biographies_are_but_the_clothes_and_buttons_

of_a/191836.html>.

Notes

R

R