Aimee Johnson illustration

Babes + tots

2012-01-16T23:32:00.006-06:00

Is there any sweeter subject than an cute wittle honey-pie? I'm talking about babies and toddlers, with those rosebud cheeks and crème fraîche complexions. I could illustrate wee folk morning, noon, and night! And sometimes I do!

Click to see bigger.

I know it's barely Halloween, but...

2011-10-26T23:28:00.026-05:00

I can't help it! I'm so excited to show you this meaningful and beautiful holiday gift card that's going to make holiday shopping a lot easier for folks who like to go the "a gift has been made in your honor" route. I designed and illustrated this uplifting card for Noel House, a nonprofit organization that is truly making a difference in the lives of homeless women in Seattle, Washington.

I love giving these types of gifts (not to mention designing them) -- it gives me a chance to help sustain organizations whose missions I support, and, as far as gift-giving is concerned, it's so gloriously hassle-free. For a gift of $10 in honor of someone you love, you'll help provide food, warmth, and safe shelter for homeless women in Seattle. What an extraordinary gift for everyone involved!

Email Noel House's Anna Cronin at annacr (at) ccsww (dot) org if you'd like to give one -- or more -- of these cards during the holiday season. Click the back of the card, below, to read more about Noel House's mission to provide a safe place for homeless women. (And then click "show original" for best quality!)

New work in Spider magazine

2011-09-28T11:56:00.011-05:00

Being a lover of art and craft (and bubble wrap), I appreciated the inventiveness of this step-by-step craft project I was asked to illustrate for the September issue of the always-delightful, award-winning kids' magazine.

Because the project involves using paint and bubble wrap to decorate a brown paper bag book cover, I decided to try out some bubble wrap printmaking myself. Painting the bubble wrap and then pressing it against some pulpy paper results in what looks like rainbowy lizard scales, so I used the technique when painting the background, the itty-bitty little book covers, and even the subtle scales on my lizard-girl's skin. And to be a bit more precise, lizard-girl is actually -- by special request -- a gila monster. She's also a cross between Blossom and Punky Brewster.* (Okay, that part was not by special request. But isn't she sassy? Totally sassy! And definitely not at all venomous.)

* Two of my childhood fashion icons.

Illustration Friday: ferocious!

2011-09-27T23:12:00.008-05:00

Here's a sweet quickie for Illustration Friday. Pretty sure this guy is mad because his Nordic sweater is scratchy.

March issue of Babybug!

2011-04-04T15:55:00.007-05:00

Everything the Cricket/Cobblestone folks do -- namely, Cricket, Spider, Babybug, and the rest of the "bug" mags -- turns out so prettily. I'm excited to show you that last month's Babybug included a beautifully-printed six-page spread that I illustrated. As always, I couldn't be more content with the design and quality of the magazine. Everything printed splendidly; click pics for an elephant's-eye view!

This was fun to paint: a refreshing bath for this little guy.

Oh, and to stay on top of my new illustrations and publications, click "follow" in the right sidebar!

Take the prize!

2011-03-25T12:18:00.006-05:00

**Closed!**

Congratulations, Sarah and Kimberlee! You win!

Guess what, milkshakes? It's giveaway time!

I'm giving away two signed and numbered linocut prints on handmade paper! I printed a series of thirty and then destroyed the linoleum block, so there shall be no more once these delicious little bits have been eaten up.

The illustration is in navy blue ink, and I made the paper from cotton and other fibers.

To enter, just mention this contest on Facebook, your blog, Twitter, or elsewhere on the vast worldwide Interwebs, then leave a comment here. I'll choose two winners (using a random-number generator) on Friday, April 15th!

The winners can choose between white and tan paper with pretty, irregular edges. Good luck!

A recent piece for Spider

2011-03-02T15:44:00.000-06:00

I illustrated a sweet little recipe for Spider magazine last month. It printed beautifully -- the colors are vibrant! My favorite part is the vaguely banana-shaped puppy.

Mixed media: acrylic, watercolor, cut paper, and digital.

Illustration Friday

2010-10-21T16:46:00.006-05:00

"Spooky" is this week's theme over at Illustration Friday. That calls for a bit of Halloweeny fun, am I right?

Remember, for updates and new work, be sure to click the follow button on the right!

C is for Carrot Cake

2010-09-09T16:44:00.006-05:00

Alright. I'm tired of this illustration being stolen.
This image is © Aimee Hagerty Johnson and may not be reproduced
without permission. To do so violates federal copyright law. To license
this illustration for use, contact me using the button in the right sidebar.

Hey, Baby!

2010-08-27T15:28:00.005-05:00

Acrylic, cut paper, and digital illustration (2010).

Oink

2010-08-27T12:35:00.005-05:00

Click to enlarge this editorial spot for the Minnesota State Fair. In our part of the world, the state fair is fondly referred to as "The Great Minnesota Get-Together."

Mm, corn!

2010-07-01T12:23:00.004-05:00

Another spread for A Storm Comes to Hamlin Street, by Sam Johnson. The space that looks like it's reserved for text is indeed reserved for text.

Character design sketches

2010-06-17T18:15:00.006-05:00

These are the sketchiest of character sketches for my graphic novel-style illustrations of O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi." Do you remember this story? With the pathos? And the deliciously heart-breaking twist ending? The M. Night Shyamalan of American literature,* O. Henry was so great at those literary surprises!

Haven't read it? Well, that's why I'm here to provide a precis! Here's what happens! James and Della are a young couple in love, and have no money to buy one another Christmas gifts. Without one another’s knowledge, each sells their own prized possession (Della sells her hair and Jim sells his gold watch) in order to buy the other a Christmas gift. In a poignant twist, it's discovered that they have given one another gifts that are suddenly useless – a chain for Jim’s newly-pawned watch, and combs for the hair that Della cut off and sold.

* except, unlike Shyamalan, O. Henry wrote more than one great story.

Big Sister, Little Brother

2010-05-28T21:43:00.011-05:00

The Children's Theatre Company asked me to create this image to
promote the play Big Sister, Little Brother, a cute and lively
adaptation of the familiar "Emperor's New Clothes" story. The
play is full of motion, with the two children making their
getaway, so I wanted to suggest movement with a landscape
whose undulating forms reinforce that sense of motion.

Pancakes!

2010-05-26T13:20:00.010-05:00

"Early" is this week's topic over at Illustration Friday,
the worldwide, everyone-welcome, online illustration
challenge. This breakfast scene is my contribution.
Click to see bigger!

And if you'd like to keep up with my illustration work,
click the "follow" button on the right!

Women's Press spots

2010-05-17T12:42:00.015-05:00

I had the pleasure of illustrating the annual readers' poll issue for
the MNWP. This is the "best of the Twin Cities" issue that comes
out each May and it's a really cool Twin Cities resource!

Fearless!

2010-05-10T08:01:00.018-05:00

Click to enlarge!

This Little Lamb Riding Hood illustration is my response to
the week's Illustration Friday prompt.

Later this week I'll be posting pages I illustrated for the
Minnesota Women's Press' annual reader survey. They're
a series of brush and ink + digital color spots, and they
printed nicely.

For updates and new work, click the follow button on
the right!

"Someday you will be old enough tostart reading fairy tales again."

2010-05-05T16:41:00.015-05:00

This week I was inspired by a C.S. Lewis quote, and the resulting
illustration is also a perfect fit for this week's Illustration Friday
topic: cocoon. Click to enlarge!

To follow this blog and see new illustrations and sketches, click the
follow button on the right.

Robins in the rain

2010-05-03T16:00:00.014-05:00

This mixed media piece is a spread for Sam Johnson's A Storm Comes to Hamlin Street, a children's book I'm illustrating on spec. And that
space that looks like it's reserved for text? Well, friends, it's reserved
for text. I've decided not to share too much of the story at this point,
and I think the illustration is kind of lovely on its own as well as with
the beautiful text that goes with it.

Click to see bigger!

Mother Robin

2010-04-30T12:37:00.005-05:00

This is a single page for a story I'm illustrating... I've finished
sixteen pages so far and am eager to share a few! This illustration
has a cute conceptual twist because the bird is shaped like a robin's
egg.

Baby blues

2010-04-20T09:28:00.010-05:00

In contrast to last week's "sweet nothings," today's post is an editorial quarter-page about post-partum depression and that "I'm not happy but I don't know why" feeling.

This is watercolor, ink, and digital. You can click to see bigger!

Sweet nothings

2010-04-14T14:35:00.005-05:00

Every artist needs to doodle sometimes!

Click each to see a little bigger.

Magazine cover

2010-04-05T14:45:00.009-05:00

I illustrated the cover of this month's issue of
the Minnesota Women's Press, which you can
see here!

Illustration Friday

2010-03-26T12:29:00.007-05:00

I did an illustration this week that's perfect for the new Illustration Friday theme: rescue. The illustration is actually an editorial piece on the subject of bipolar disorder. As always with serious subjects, my aim was to address the issue in a way that is respectful, un-cliche, and free of unnecessary angst. Click to see larger.

And please click the "follow" button to the right to follow this illustration blog!

Halloween in March!

2010-03-15T16:50:00.007-05:00

If you've got any Laffy Taffy left over from last October, now is the time to break it out. Click here to see the first three images in the story!

Lemon juice and freckles

2010-03-08T12:18:00.008-06:00

I finally had time to bring these sketches to life! Are those freckles getting any lighter?

Click to enlarge!

Magazine spots

2010-03-02T13:35:00.003-06:00

I recently finished a series of twelve spots for the Minnesota Women's Press's annual "What Women Want" issue. It comes out May 1st in the Twin Cities!

I thought I'd a share a handful of the illustrations. These are brush and ink, with digital color for that flat, matte look.

Illustration Friday

2010-02-26T16:20:00.003-06:00

This week's topic over at Illustration Friday is "perspective," so I'm sharing an illustration that has a skewed and fantastical point of view. I used ink and a crow quill, and added color digitally.

Her name is Mrs. McCall, and she is very, very tall.

Moose in show

2010-02-26T12:54:00.008-06:00

My illustration Sasuga (which, roughly translated, means "I always knew you were amazing) was accepted into the Made@MCAD show, an annual juried competition here in Minneapolis! This year's juror was Diane Mullin, curator at the Weisman Art Museum.

Reception: Friday, March 5, 6:00 pm
Where: MCAD Main Gallery
Runs: Friday, March 5 - Sunday, March 21

Freckle sketches

2010-02-17T16:55:00.006-06:00

Click to enlarge these sketches, which are for a series of illustrations about a tiny redhead. In the first, she's rubbing lemon juice on her freckles, and in the second she's cuddling with her mom, who's also freckled. There's going to be a spotted kitten or puppy too, and plenty of polka dots!

Adrift

2010-02-16T10:33:00.008-06:00

I'm participating in this week's Illustration Friday, with this mixed media illustration about imagination, childhood, and deep blue oceans.

Click to see larger.

And visit my professional website!

Baths and conferences!

2010-01-27T19:28:00.010-06:00

Click to enlarge.

I'm heading to New York for the SCBWI conference this week. But first, I'll share this new illustration, one that makes me really of miss the bathtime fun of childhood... sadly, nothing but boring and utilitarian showers for us grown-ups.

See you in New York!

The frog maiden

2009-12-04T14:08:00.006-06:00

The Frog Maiden
Acrylic and watercolor

This is the second in my series about mythical animal brides and grooms!

The girl who married a crow

2009-12-01T11:20:00.008-06:00

The Girl Who Married a Crow
Acrylic and watercolor

This painting is the first in a series of illustrations about mythical animal brides and grooms, based on the many myths and folk tales about marriages between people and animals. Variations of the stories are found in nearly every region of the world, but the basic plot is that an animal assumes human form and marries a human man or woman, but makes the human spouse take a vow of some kind -- usually it's something that will protect the animal spouse's secret, like a fish-wife asserting, "You must promise never to enter the room when I am bathing."

In most versions of the story, the couple lives more or less happily together, and sometimes has children, but eventually the human spouse (generally the husband) violates the prohibition, causing the animal spouse (usually the wife) to revert to her animal form forever. She leaves, taking the kids with her.

In some animal bride tales, special items of clothing are involved. The animal becomes a woman by removing her pelt, and she has to get it back in order to resume animal form. My favorite of this variation is the story of the swan maidens and their Bjork-like feather dresses.

You can read about the girl who married a crow here, and look for tomorrow's post about the frog maiden -- the second illustration in my series.

Pumpkin-carving!

2009-11-13T16:18:00.019-06:00

Click to enlarge.

Editorial pieces intended for a family magazine, these are brush and ink with digital color. They came out of the below sketches, which emerged from a series of fifteen or twenty thumbnails.

Garish and grotesque!

2009-11-11T17:55:00.009-06:00

This is an illustration for Kafka's Metamorphosis. I used pastel,
acrylic, and cut paper to get the appropriately garish look.

Florida's Pet-Friendly Beaches...

2009-11-03T10:54:00.006-06:00

This spot illustration was assembled digitally from scanned watercolor backgrounds. At the time (about a year ago) I thought I'd ruined a fourteen-dollar sheet of watercolor paper, but these watercolor panels bring a lovely handmade element to a piece that might otherwise seem "too digital." Click to enlarge!

Kidnapped

2009-10-30T14:10:00.011-05:00

The subject of this illustration is the Lindbergh kidnapping, in which the infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh was taken. It's acrylic and digital.

I'm always aware that this is the kind of subject matter that requires sensitivity. I mean, even though the event happened more than sixty years ago, it's still a kidnapping and murder -- terrible! And addressing serious subjects, especially violent or disturbing subjects, can require tact. So, to me, the really exciting challenge with this sort of subject is to create an illustration that is simultaneously striking, clear, perceptive, and respectful.

Here's another example of my work that addresses serious subject matter.

Oh, poster

2009-10-30T09:09:00.007-05:00

I've been doing a lot of posters over the last few months. Here's a sweet one advertising a performance by Chicago-area band Oh, Alchemy. Click to see larger and better!

Willy and pathos

2009-10-12T14:55:00.009-05:00

Poor Mr. Loman was an empty suit. I created this poster with acrylic and Photoshop, with one of Ben's suits as a model. The type is essentially Futura medium, but I made the individual letterforms myself (again with acrylic paint and Photoshop) for a more impactful, hand-lettered look.

Something a little different

2009-10-06T11:43:00.011-05:00

I've been pushing myself lately to create work that addresses more serious subjects (more serious than, say, corndogs or dancing giraffes), which has resulted in the use of some interesting techniques that are nice to have in my repertoire. The above illustration is a mock-up for an article about sex workers--or, more accurately, for a review of a book written by sex workers.

I thought for a long time about how to address a subject that is at times both disturbing and violent. Naturally, I didn't want to make images that appear to make light of the subject, but I didn't want to sensationalize or get explicit, either. Only a tiny bit of luridness seemed necessary. Anyway, I decided to address the mood of the subject with jarring colors and a collection of disjointed images that come together to tell an intense story.

A nod to all the book nerds

2009-10-04T13:29:00.008-05:00

Click to enlarge.

To shake things up a little, I thought I'd throw some product design into the mix. Does the average high school student want a binder with Emily Dickinson's mug on it? I don't know, but I pesonally would have spent my babysitting money on this.

Pick up your ointment and look at my art.

2009-10-04T13:01:00.011-05:00

This week I put up my extremely cute show at the pharmacy. That's right, the pharmacy*! The folks at Bioscrip in Uptown (Mpls) asked if they could display some of my illustration work beginning in October and going through the end of the year, and I was happy to oblige. Check it out, this is a community-minded business with the coolest pharmacists in town! If you come in to see the artwork, they promise not to try to sell you any medicine.

Bioscrip is right across the street from the Wedge co-op (next to Urbanimal), so pop across the street next time you're buying hazelnut milk and arugula.

* Artist friends, what's the funniest place you've ever had a show? I've heard some wonderfully wacky ones, from the frozen yogurt shop to a bike repair place to the dentist's office.

BFFs

2009-10-02T14:47:00.003-05:00

I finished this piece just a few weeks ago, using a fiddly but satisfying technique involving painting enormous sheets of tissue-thin paper with acrylic, then cutting the forms out of that and assembling them to recreate my original pencil sketch. I work medium-large when I use this approach, because you're not doing yourself any favors when you try to cut lots of tiny forms out of thin paper. In this case, the original is about 17 x 22".

Below: original pencil sketch.

My love, my addiction

2009-10-02T14:37:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's possible to be an artist and not drink a lot of coffee, but I have my doubts.

For this illustration, I used gouache for the first time (some digital color too). So, gouache: I didn't connect with the medium like some artists do. When I'm aiming for flat, matte color, I prefer to work digitally. But I like this piece nonetheless, because the characters have real personality.

Mrs. Mcall Is Very, Very Tall

2009-10-02T12:35:00.007-05:00

As you can see, I indulged in some cross-hatching for this drawing, and for instruction in the hatchy arts I turned to the king of black and white hatching. Have you ever noticed that Edward Gorey almost never cross-hatched? He stuck with hatching unless he really wanted to emphasize (or even sometimes de-emphasize) a form. Que interesting!

I used a crow quill and added flat color digitally. This little illustration is inspiring me to write down some rhymes that have been popping into my head as I worked on rendering poor Mrs. Mcall... For example, "Mrs. McCall is very, very tall;/ She stoops in the kitchen/ and crawls in the hall."

Ella!

2009-10-02T12:31:00.002-05:00

Ella Fitzgerald, known for her gorgeous, horn-like voice, said that she developed her vocal style by listening to the horn section and imitating what she heard. "I stole everything I ever heard," she said, "but mostly I stole from the horns."

House Beautiful mock-up

2009-10-02T12:21:00.002-05:00

My series of bullet illustrations for a magazine mock-up was created using acrylic paint and Photoshop. The drop shadow feature in Photoshop is lovely for building a cut-paper look, but choose a low opacity setting to keep it subtle.

C is for carrot cake.

2009-10-02T12:16:00.006-05:00

A recent cut paper illustration about one of life's greatest sweet treats.

Only 51 weeks until the next Minnesota State Fair.

2009-09-30T17:10:00.008-05:00

These are editorial spots about the great Minnesota get-together. Did you know that fairgoers drink 20,000 gallons of milk each summer at the fair? Hope they brought Lactaid.

Blogger really chews up the colors on these, but, hey, that's why this is a blog go and not my professional website. You could there to see a truer representation of the colors, or you can just enjoy how Blogger's inadvertent desaturation of the colors sort of simulates the tendency of newsprint to muddy up color illustrations. See, Blogger imitates life!

Giraffes can't dance!

2009-06-16T17:17:00.002-05:00

Click to large-ify! This is acrylic, collage, and digital illustration.

Meal Maison

2009-04-28T11:34:00.002-05:00

Brush and ink with digital color. Click to enlarge.

Sasuga...

2009-03-09T22:18:00.008-05:00

...means, roughly translated, "I always knew you were amazing."

Daydreamin' at the Natural History Museum!

2009-02-04T10:49:00.002-06:00

Click to enlarge... and I mean really enlarge!

Three bears, a million hours spent illustrating

2008-12-12T10:58:00.001-06:00

Below: two more children's book pages! The first
two are here. Click to enlarge!

Francesca et un Dîner

2008-12-09T12:13:00.002-06:00

My first full-color comic is three pages long. It's done
with a brush and ink, and digital color. Bon appetit!

Oh yeah, click each page to enlarge. Voilà!, etc.

New stamps

2008-11-14T10:24:00.001-06:00

If you're like me, your disappointment when the post office only has flag stamps is palpable. They're so boring and ugly! That might be why my illustration instructor had our class design postage stamps for our current assignment, and why I chose a subject much cuter than flags, Ronald Reagan, or even chili peppers: dresses! Disclaimer: for entertainment purposes only (as they say); don't go using them on your phone bill.

Gnomes honored

2008-06-16T11:51:00.003-05:00

My husband Ben* and I were semi-finalists in this year's Adobe Design Achievement Awards! See the cartoon here, or watch our small catalog of animations (some hand-drawn, some vector) on our YouTube channel.

*Ben is in charge of sound and music, and I animate.

Thanks, Thinktopia!

2008-02-08T22:56:00.004-06:00

I won $250 in a design contest held by a national think tank!