Gouache – RUSSELL NELSON

Images from class

About nine years ago as I was settling in as chair for the art department, I realized I wasn’t getting much done creatively. Other than a few freelance book cover designs, I was not producing at a level I wanted. My gouache technique was too time intensive for the time I had available. Fortunately, muchContinue reading “Images from class”

Better late…

Amazingly, I find myself with a few moments of free time. So, I thought I would post a couple more class demo pieces that I did last semester for my illustration class. One demo bird and a gouache demo. The gouache piece is a portrait of a teacher my daughter worked with in Lesotho, southContinue reading “Better late…”

Something about barns

There’s something about barns that appeals to me. Images of barns have made appearances in several of my illustrations over recent years (Winter’s Grip, Missouri Spring and Honeybun and Momma Midge). These old structures dot the landscape throughout the mid-west. Most are slowly falling into ruin, the result of modern farming practices using tractors. Winter’sContinue reading “Something about barns”

Traveling Team

I found this great photo in my grandmother’s collection of old family photographs. It was an image of a traveling black baseball team that was in Simpson, Kansas playing the local team. My great grandfather was a catcher for that Simpson team and probably is why this photograph was shot. I loved how the wholeContinue reading “Traveling Team”

Big lives

This illustration was a technique demo for my illustration class. I like doing faces for this technique. It typically yields positive results for the students. I found and chose an image of Del Corning, a distant great uncle. I liked his moustache and the photo had strong lighting which helps in this illustration technique. My paternalContinue reading “Big lives”

Farm Team

Farm Team features a couple great uncles that were very active in sports as young men. I only remember them as old men and not that active by that time. The story is that they were so good that they played football for University of Kansas, but didn’t go to college there. I told thatContinue reading “Farm Team”

Put a dog in it

I’ve used dogs as subject matter in many of my illustrations. It wasn’t a deliberate decision, I just noticed that they were showing up frequently. Growing up in rural Kansas, on a farm, dogs were just natural companions. They kept things under control with all the wildlife that came out at night. We raised sheepContinue reading “Put a dog in it”

Indian Lookout

There is a rock formation about five miles south of Delphos, Kansas that has been a local feature and tourist destination since the settlers arrived in the 1870’s. Of course the Indians of the area knew about it and used it as a lookout over the valley. Hence the name. It is a relative highContinue reading “Indian Lookout”

Homegrown

Homegrown is work that I developed in graduate school. My overall emphasis for my graduate thesis was in traditional illustration. I wanted to better understand water-based media, a topic that was ignored in my undergraduate studies. At that time, I was experimenting with a variety of new media – I was sick of acrylic, oilContinue reading “Homegrown”

Sicilian montage

This image was inspired by the trip my wife and I took to Sicily. This sculpture and the architectural elements were at a Catholic church in the city of Modica. The media is gouache in a subtractive, pick out technique.