Cathy the Cartoonist

Toy Fair Fun

2012-02-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

Toy Fair came and went and it was a lot of fun walking around the show. Here are some photos of some of my favorite things that I found to be pretty fun to play with for 2012. I am thinking about joining the group, Women In Toys which is a professional networking base for women working in the toy, licensing and entertainment industry. If you are interested in joining, talk to Heidi Schwartz who is the membership director and really great. More information is at: http://www.womenintoys.com

Here were my favorite fun images that I thought were cool at TOY FAIR

Super huge sock monkey and Hello Kitty by Ty Toys

Very cool USB holder "Mimobots" from Momoco

This Lego girl was around my height at Lego

Tune in for next week's blog on LylaTov Monsters!

CHA Winter Show Recap

2012-02-21T14:39:00.002-08:00

Here I am with my colorful fun designer showcase table

Earlier this year I went to the Craft and Hobby Association Winter show in Anaheim, California. As a CHA designer member for two years, this was the first time I was able to display my artwork in the Designer Showcase section. Over fifty designers participated and it was a great platform to show all sorts of artwork and styles to other designers, manufacturers and retailers. I was able to meet some great contacts one of them including John Menzer, the CEO of Michaels Crafts stores and his creative team.

Besides having the opportunity to meet him, I also met celebrities like Tori Spelling and Deborah Norville. What I love about these conferences is not only being able to reconnect with other CHA designer members and meet cool people in the scrap booking and craft industry, but I learned so much! The educational series was terrific - I was able to beef up my Photoshop skills with the talented Helen Bradley, learn more about the essence of product development, social media marketing and blogging.

If you are interested in learning more about CHA, please visit http://www.craftandhobby.org

The Summer show will be in Rosemont, Illinois at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center July 16th through July 19th 2012. Here were some of the highlights from my experience at the show:

Meeting other CHA Designer members

The 2012 CHA Designer Council: Lisa Rojas, Loraine Mason, Tiffany Windsor, Eileen Hull, Ann Butler, Carol Heppner and Theresa Cifali

Meeting other creative designers and celebrities who love to create

The DCVW booth won best exhibitor at the show

Happy Valentines Day - Celebrating YOU!

2012-02-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Some of you love this holiday and others of you hate it - I get it! But what this day really comes down to is loving ourselves - with or without that Romeo or Juliette!

Enclosed is my fun fat-cat full of LOVE to help us remember some stuff:

Listen to your intuition - it's usually pretty spot on

Observe your actions - are you being nice to yourself?

Value who you are - you are unique!

Embrace all of aspects of yourself- faults and good traits

Face it, we all need LOVE - even those greedy wall street bankers! So do something really cool for yourself today because when you love who you are, it's easier to share that love around.

Have a great day!

Cathy Nolan Launches Licensing Collection at CHA

2012-01-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (January 17th) – Illustrator and licensor Cathy Nolan will be showcasing her fun-loving characters and illustrations at the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) 2012 Winter Conference and Trade Show in Anaheim, California January 29h to February 1st, 2012. Nolan’s lively characters have been known internationally and her energetic images translate well for rubber stamps, stationary notebooks, stickers, greeting cards and promotional items.

Nolan’s work will be on view at the CHA’s Designer Showcase (Table 27) on Monday and Tuesday January 30th and 31st on Level 2 in room 204ABC from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Manufacturers and retailers can meet the artist and pick up a free note pad that features wonderful character designs during the Designer Spotlight Event on Monday evening January 30th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

“I love to create characters that bring joy and happiness to consumers and am so excited to be finally participating in CHA this year” Nolan says. “I believe that CHA attendees will enjoy my art and characters because they show great fun and emotion. My international experience from working with a variety of clients over the years helps me understand their needs on a per project basis.”
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Ms. Nolan launched her career in greeting card illustration in 1999 at SURTEX. She also has exhibited at The Brand Licensing Show in London, The International Licensing Expo and participated in KIDSCREEN and MIPCOM conferences. She has developed two of her own Intellectual properties called SHHHHEEPZ and JUNGLE JOY and has years of experience in product development and licensing.

Clients such as Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, Nicecards.com, The Holiday Channel.com have commissioned Cathy’s illustrations for eCards. She has also illustrated for numerous clients including Scholastic, Scholastic Media, HSBC, Highlights for Children Magazine, American Airlines, London City Airport, WEBEX and US ad agencies. Her work has been recognized internationally and she is now looking to bring her characters to licensing worldwide. For more information or to make an appointment during the show, please contact Cathy at:www.cathynolan.com or email cathy@cathynolan.com.

Off to the David Letterman show today!

2012-01-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

One of my dreams is coming true! Today I will be going to the David Letterman Show! Years ago before I moved to New York City, I loved watching him on television during late night. Back in the days there was a lot of controversy regarding him leaving NBC for CBS. As a pop culture fanatic, I was getting caught up in media hype (kind of like with what went on recently between Conan vs. Jay). I was "drawn" to draw Mr. Letterman's caricature because he had a great face - especially those teeth!

I love this piece because it shows the depth and texture of his face with great detail. Trust me, this took quite a while to complete.

My technique was to layer the skin tones first starting with pink pencils diagonally in one direction, then yellow tones in the opposite direction. Slowly the flesh tones begin to surface a bit with these two colours. I then with flesh tone pencils fill in the gaps of the image and the face starts to shine. With a bit of pastel to blend tones the artwork came together. The finishing touches were done with black ink and then highlight the eyes - In my view the eyes are most important because they capture the soul.

Now whether Dave has a soul is another story! Maybe I'll bring this to the studio with me today.

What do you think? :0)

2012 - The Year of the Dragon

2012-01-12T06:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all! 2012 is going to be a great year for us all and it's because it's the year of the dragon! What does the dragon symbolize? In Chinese culture, the Dragon is to be a deliverer of good fortune and no one messes with this creature. Being a master of authority, the Dragon is a free spirit , colorful and flamboyant creature who commands big ideas, big dreams and big ambitions. This is to be a transformational life-changing year! 2012 will be a good year to improve oneself, take calculated risks and build wealth. The year 2012 holds a lot of great promise and may be a major transition in your life.

Every January most of us like to set goals and aspirations - whatever they may be, keep it simple.
Here are a few tips to keep focus and clear on your goals:

1. Tap into your hearts desire - what do you really want to accomplish this year?
2. Ask yourself what baby steps you can begin with towards that one goal? Make a list of 3 small steps.
3. Surround yourself with positive people who can cheer you on bit by bit and ask them to hold
you accountable via Twitter, Facebook, email or a phone call.
4. Check in with yourself once a week to see what step(s) you were able to acheive. Reward yourself!
5. If you weren't able to achieve it, ask yourself why and regroup and reassess - but don't be so hard
on yourself-Rome was not built in a day!

Here's wishing you a wonderful year full of abundance and success! Cathy xo

Happy Birthday Lady Liberty!

2011-10-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today I had no clue that Lady Liberty is 125 years old today! A few years ago I did this Christmas card and thought it would be fitting to post in honor of her. There is nothing like taking the Staten Island Ferry in NYC to Staten Island and seeing her up close as you pass her by.

Cathy Nolan - 3rd Ward Open Call

2011-10-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I have blogged but had A LOT going on! In any case, I am asking all of you to please vote for me. It's been a while since I have entered a contest but what does one have to lose by trying? I'm submitting some of my favourite pieces so please click the pink url below and vote! Thanks so much and more to come!
Cathy Nolan - 3rd Ward Open Call

Row, Row Row da Boat!

2011-09-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

So today my friends Alia and Richard are getting married on a boat! As a present, I wanted all of their guests to sign the caricature to wish them well. Since they have some crazy friends, I was worried about them scribblin' on the artwork after much alcohol intake so I placed celephane on the artwork to protect it. I think this is a great idea and makes a wonderful keepsake for years to come! Now... how to keep a pen steady to write on it while the boat is rockin' should be interesting! ESPECIALLY after a few cocktails! :-)

Tossing Corn on the Bride and Groom

2011-08-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

A client of mine down South asked me to created two caricatures of her which they will upload onto a wooden box, have a hole in the middle and use it at their wedding for a corn toss game. Yup. Throwing ears of corn at my caricature of the bride and groom! Should be a fun game!
Here are the two caricatures I did of them recently.

FINAL WEDDING PICTURE

2011-08-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since I have blogged - been having a lot going on! Moved from Queens to Brooklyn, still unpacking, meeting client deadlines, dealt with a hacker who got into my websites (fixed now) and soon to be hosting out of town guests from France! Yes, it has been THAT BUSY!

In any case, my client finally decided to go on a NYC / LONDON themed caricature. Her finance is from London and she's from NYC and their relationship has always been about traveling on the trains to see one another. Her son is a huge enthusiastic caricature lover! She loved it!

Wedding Caricature Sketches

2011-07-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
Hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend - I've been busy moving into my new home and have been busy packing, celebrating and working for a client of mine. She's getting married to a British guy so I'm enclosing some of my ideas for them. They love to travel and spend most of their time on the train and meet up frequently at Grand Central Station. Of course, what matters is making the client happy. I usually like to meet and interview clients, find out what they are interested in and then capture their personality and things they like to do in the artwork. These are just concept sketches to put the idea onto paper. I've done six sketches and would love to know which one do you like? Looking forward to hearing your input

Indiana Jones - My hero

2011-06-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

I love Harrison Ford - he's one of my favorite actors and I really enjoyed watching most of the Indiana Jones movies. Except for the Temple of Doom - Kate Capshaw's character screaming the whole time just irritated me. No offense, Mr. Speilberg! So now they are in talks of doing an Indiana Jones 5 movie which is pretty amazing since Mr. Ford is practically 70 years old. I think I'll have to redo this portrait I did of him and start adding grey hair and do some botox on him. What I love about this character is his love for history, sense of humor, adventure and traveling the world. If there are any Indy fans out there, I plan to sell this so send me a tweet if you are interested. Gotta make some wall room for my new art studio!

Teaching English with a Caricature

2011-06-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I just got back from a three week trip to Asia. I was in Singapore to do some chalkboard design work and then in Bali for my friend's wedding. Bali is an AMAZING, magical place! People there are so friendly, want to know all about you and are willing to barter with you to give you a good price. Bali folks are amazing and talented! It's an arts and crafts haven. If you want to buy some cool wood sculptures, you go to this town called MAS. Further down you go to CELUK to buy silver from the silversmiths and then for soap stone sculpture, a town called Batabulan. My friend Theresa and I went to this family's house (yup - you just walk right on in!) and started bartering for some nice pieces of silver jewelery. The man's son was very cute and I noticed on their drawing board that he was trying to learn English. So, I offered to draw him in his own home and teach him English! I have to say, making him happy was one of the highlights of my trip!

BALI WEDDING

2011-06-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

My dear friend from high school got married a few weeks ago- as a gift I did this caricature of her and her fiance for their beach wedding. The wedding was at the Villa Sahita in Bali and I did the reading. Using photos, I did the sketch first, then filled out the background with pastels, used aqua colored pencils. To do the faces I overlap in different colors for the skin tones using yellow, pinks, then the flesh tones. A bit of bold marker to make it look brighter and finishing with black ink. This took me about two and a half days to do because it helps to step away from the art to really see it clearly. Of course, it's a caricature so it is to resemble them but be a bit cartoony. However in my opinion the most important feature when drawing someone's face is to capture the eyes - "the windows of the soul." Of course, the bride and groom loved it!

SINGAPORE SANDWICH ART

2011-05-27T04:24:00.000-07:00

So, I safely arrived to Asia this week and am loving the sunshine here and the weather! It is FAB!
I'm doing some chalkboard design work at my friend's sandwich shop called MADISON DELI. While I won't be able to fit a caricature on the chalkboard I will be recreating the whole board. There are lots of great sandwiches to chose from. So, if you are traveling to Singapore and missing those good ol' New York style deli sandwiches, this is the place to be! @madisondeli on twitter

Doing a chalkboard design is NOT easy - you need to measure everything out, be sure that the writing can be clear and easy to read from a distance and then also a lot depends on the chalkboard itself. If you make a mistake clearly you need to wipe the board down, wait for it to dry and then try again. The small breakfast board took me about a half an hour but the larger board with the coffees took me about two hours. I have yet to do the third one but will try to squeeze that into my schedule here.

I'm off to try a Singapore Sling at The Raffles Hotel -it'skind of like a Long Island Iced Tea - a good way to end a hard days work!

Sending out a Surprise

2011-05-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Tamara had to move to Florida from NYC and so I thought it would be nice to send her a "Keep in touch" card from us gals here in New York. She was delighted to get the card and sent me these fabulous photos of her. Now when it's freezing here in NYC, I'll be able to go visit her!Tamara makes great accessories and jewelry so be sure to contact her at BLT gems

KIDS DAY SUCCESS!

2011-05-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday May 21st I was up in Carmel NY to do caricature work for proceeds going to Putnam Hospital. The main attraction there was Dr. Bear who was very kind to get his caricature drawn out of his busy busy schedule. To be honest, I had never drawn a live bear before but he was a great sport. I also got to draw a dancer named Grace who was a lovely. Kids Day was a success!

Trends for 2012

2011-05-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

So, do you have a great art idea?

While you want to stay with your unique artistic style, being up to date with what's going on in the market place in regards to color, fashion, home decor (aka Trends!) will help you incorporate that great idea into a marketable, valuable piece of artwork that manufacturers will want to buy.

So, today at SURTEX there was panel of industry experts who gave their insight as to what trends are to come for 2012.

Most trends start on the runway from fashion and usually France is ahead two years from the USA. French home decor magazines like Maison Francaise and Elle Decoration are best references to get trending ideas. However, what may be trending in France does not mean it's trending in Italy at the same time therefore it's key to be aware of what's trending in your surrounding area.

Where do you get good trend info from?
Go out to the market, speciality shops, visit www.etsy.com, walk gift and home trade shows, and constantly see what's out there selling. There is also the Color Association of the United States that shows color trends in home decor from fabric and paint manufacturers. So, look them up as well. Since these manufacturers are buying your art, you may want to ask them how your art art can help take their business to the next level.

Both color trends and themes are important - in a nutshell, here's what's to come for 2012:

COLOR
Neutral beige tones in home decor, browns in fashion this fall with an accent of bright colors
Different shades of blues and greens on the color spectrum, honeysuckle, demin, marigold and spicy colors and bit of hot pink, red but maybe not too much - just to accentuate the design

THEMES
Vintage is hot but it'll be evolved to vintage with a twist of modern, hip, cool, edgy design
Eiffel towers, global baazar, word inspired artwork, connection and real feelings during these difficult economic times. Instead of drawing one coffee cup, draw two because it's "connecting"

OUT
Long skinny ladies walking their poodles! Owls! Anything Sex and the City or indulgent

I hope this all helps - trust me, I'm no expert! But hope this inspires all of you artists to stick with your style, throw in some change of color and content and make it happen! $$$

I love EVOO and Rachael Ray

2011-05-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

So, early tomorrow morning I will be going to the Rachael Ray show as an audience member. I love watching her show and really am into 30 minute meals. Who has time to cook a ton of stuff? Rachael makes it quick, easy and fun! I'm crossing my fingers in hopes of giving her this caricature I did of her. Wish me luck!

Shopping for A Better Sense of Self

2011-04-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

I love to shop. I love getting a good bargain, finding a piece of clothing or funky jewelery to make myself feel good. While a piece of clothing can make you look fabulous, what really is important is to FEEL FABULOUS from within. Not easy to do at times. I'm currently taking these cool online classes to help improve oneself from within - conquering fears, going for the dream, and changing for the better. What I have learned is that once you accept where you are at this moment, that is when the doors to change can really occur. So if you are feeling frustrated with a particular part of yourself, learn to befriend and embrace it. Accept it as part of this process called life. And while you are living it you might as well look fabulous along the way! So go out and shop to celebrate YOU. Within budget of course!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

I've been home in Chicago all this week and it's been quite crazy with family obligations. When I was a kid, I loved Easter. One of my favorite memories was the "Easter Bunny" would leave paper footprints from our bedroom doors that would lead to the living room. Following these footprints was so magical. In the living room would be these Easter baskets and then we'd hunt for those plastic eggs full of M&Ms, jellybeans and good stuff. Easter not only celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection, but also renewal and life. I always like to think of Easter as an opportunity to renew ourselves and as a "rebirth" as to who we are meant to become. Happy Easter!

Earth Day Week with The ScrapKins

2011-04-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

A typical family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk and 26 gallons of bottled water a year. That's a lot of containers! Why not make some cool art projects out of them with The ScrapKins?

My buddy author / illustrator Brian Yanish created The ScrapKins from his childhood drawings that his mom saved over the years. The ScrapKins are a group of fun-loving monsters that live in a recycling center and build their world out of the things we throw away. The ScrapKins mission is to encourage creativity and resourcefulness through stories and recycled art projects. In honor of Earth Day, there are many events that The ScrapKins are doing throughout New York City. New Yorkers are invited to attend to these events and also purchase the book: The ScrapKins Build It Book: Volume I. 12 Things You Can Make from Junk which you can find on AMAZON. For more information go to http://www.thescrapkins.com

Get Your Ducks in a Row

2011-04-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Spring is here which means April Showers - and lots of rubber duckies! I'm currently working on some sketches to help my client out for her book. She runs a company called Duckies In A Row
and it's about getting your goals in gear and organised. My friend thinks this one duck looks like Glenn Beck - can you pick out which one? In any case, here are a few suggestions to get your ducks in a row:

1. Get a clear vision on what you want
2. Understand your values, purpose and mission
3. Understand and embrace your essence - Be who you really are
4. Get a master plan organised by having the right people join your team
5. Master your mind - clear out negative thinking and embrace the positive

I'm the first to admit I'm quacked and have a lot to work on within myself. Hopefully these guidelines will at least get you inspired and get your ducks in a row! Have FUN with the process!

'

A Rise to the Occasion

2011-04-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

A few years back while I was working at Scholastic I was asked to do what seemed to be the impossible - a caricature of Ms. Deborah Forte who is the President of Scholastic Media. She is an Emmy-award winning producer of over 300 productions and including films such as The Indian in the Cupboard, The Golden Compass and Clifford's Big Movie. Currently Ms. Forte is working on future films such as Mortal Engines, Goosebumps (Columbia Pictures)and will be producing the The 39 Clues movie with Steven Spielberg. She's extremely talented, super smart and one TOUGH business woman.

I was very nervous and challenged to really do something special - and rose to the occasion. I remember being up all night trying to think of something creative and different and of course to do a caricature that would make her look fabulous! I remember doing her in pencil, pastel and mixed media to give her a nice "soft" look and really enjoyed drawing the Scholastic book characters. I used a shadow box and made the characters pop out by having it look 3-D.

After the department presented the art to her I had no idea what she thought of it. A few days later I was stepping out of the elevator from my long day at work. Ms. Forte saw me, ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug and said, "OMG Cathy! I LOVE IT!"

I'm proud to say it is STILL in her office to this day and has been one of my most challenging but rewarding pieces of work! I always seem to get a surprised response when I tell people I did Ms. Forte's caricature so I thought it'd be fun to show it to you all.

How to Pitch for Animation

2011-04-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last night the Women's in Animation (WIA) and Women's in Children's Media (WICM) hosted a great event at animation studio Curious Pictures here in NYC. Was a great talk about how to pitch for animation lead by Kristin Martin and Marina Grasic. Here are some great pointers for those of you who'd like to pitch to tv companies:

FIRST START WITH AN IDEA
Who are my characters? Character development is most important in this process. What are these characters like? Where do they live? What is their world? What are the elements of your show idea being funny? Adventurous? Interesting?
Why is the show unique and different?
What style of animation? There is 2D, 3D, claymation, computer generated
What network do you visualize your tv show to be on? Be sure to do your homework and watch episodes and programs on their channel before doing a pitch. Look for what is "lacking" in their programming schedule and fill that niche!

DOING THE PITCH BOOK
A pitch book is what you present to a broadcaster so they can get an idea about what your show is about, what is the setting, and who your characters are. In regards to character development, here are the roles:
The Artist draws the characters
The Producer coordinates the information and ideas
The Writer outlines the characters, describes the scene and setting
The Showrunner is the executive producer/writer and outranks the director.
Main responsibility is to manage day to day production. Usually has a close relationship
with the broadcaster.
COVER PAGE:
An image of all the characters and their environment ought to provide the broadcaster a sense of what the show will be about and if it is humorous, a drama, live action, etc. Of course mention the show title as well!
PAGE ONE:
Have a brief introduction page showcasing all of your characters with a two sentence blurb.
PAGE TWO:
Then have one page of each character and in 2-3 paragraphs describe the character's personality, background, relationship to the other characters, hobbies, interests, quirks, etc. Keep it brief.
PAGE THREE:
Background setting - describe the setting, have visual backgrounds showcasing the environment, town, homes, etc.
PAGE FOUR:
Visual development - the characters and backgrounds are showcased but plays with the color, design, style and their world
PAGE FIVE:
Written treatment - describes the main concepts and characters of the show in less than 6 pages.
PAGE SIX:
Episode ideas - builds on the treatment and visual development to lay out episode ideas. Use only 4-5 ideas and keep them no more than half a page. About 2 paragraphs should be enough.
Can a pitch book be more than six pages - of course! But keep it brief and to the point so that the person you are pitching to is not overwhelmed at all and "gets" the concept of your show.

For more information about WIA go to http://wia.animationblogspot.com/chapters/new-york/
For more information about WICM go to

In the WhiteHouse! (well, almost!)

2011-03-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was asked to do a caricature of Congresswoman-elect Nan Hayworth. She represents the NY state district 19 area. I really enjoyed the challenged do doing an elected official and it's now hanging in her office in Washington, D.C! Who knows? Maybe she'll run for president someday! Whether someone is an independent, democract or republican - to me it's just a person whom I'd love to draw! For more information on Nan, check out http://www.nanhayworth.com

Eat Pray Draw

2011-03-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the best selling novel, Eat Pray Love. I loved her book and she was amazing in person. She spoke at the Academy of Life here in NYC and was witty, charming and very funny. Everyone kept asking her about the meaning / secret of life and even she is still figuring that out! I did her caricature and she loved it. For more information on Liz, check out http://www.elizabethgilbert.com

Why I love doing caricatures

2011-03-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

I love doing caricature work and have been doing it for over 20 years - check out my website http://www.cathynolan.com and thanks for visiting! More to come soon - promise!