I just started a tumblr blog of photos from my studio with works in progress. Check it out at http://marksloniker.tumblr.com/
Search for the Sugar Puff Hollow
A limited supply of Search for the Sugar Puff Hollow is now for sale at East Side Story in the 1108 Shops at Woodland in East Nashville. Here is a sampling of images from the book:
My Cat's Life
For about the last year my living room has been a forest while I've been taking pictures for my latest book. In an effort to cope with her new surroundings, my cat, Ella took to finding nooks within the trees and flowers where she could hide or nap. Near the end of the process she even starting jumping into the shot. Bad kitty was never so cute.
Busy as a Bee!
AHHH! My studio shrunk!! Photos start for the new book in a week. Hope I make it.
Gift: Book
I've done a few of these books where I write a poem about someone and then I illustrate it. Here are some illustrations from one of those books.
Illustrator Favorites: Adrienne Segur
I found this book illustrated by Adrienne Segur in a used and rare book store. Very elegant illustrations.
Lizzie Thomas Web Images
A little over a year ago I was asked to create some images for my friend Lizzie's website. Some of the images were tweaked a little from the images I'm posting but you'll get the idea. The theme was Art Deco. I did a bunch of research into Art Deco jewelry and graphic arts before setting down to illustrate. These were done 100% with Adobe Illustrator, which is unusual for me as I like to draw ideas out by hand first.
Frederic and Jacques
These are some of the illustrations I did for a story I wrote for a friend about a timid bear and a boy who became friends.
Illustrator Favorites: Fritz Eichenberg
A couple of years after I first moved to Nashville, I attended an exhibit entitled,"Witness To Our Century: An Artistic Biography of Fritz Eichenberg", put together by Vanderbilt University. Seeing this exhibit was one of those moments in my life that has given me the desire to work hard at making excellent art and always seeking to allow my work to express the complexity of emotions and meanings I feel are present in my work. I still feel I struggle with getting that full expression communicated. Much of my work is very light-hearted but in my head there is so much more drama and depth. Alas, for me, my work will never be perfect, but every artist finds room for improvement for themselves. Here are some illustrations by Fritz Eichenberg from books I have collected in the years since that exhibit.
Wuthering Heights
Tales of Edgar Allen Poe
Heroes of the Kalevela
Heroes of the Kalevela
Reynard the Fox
Gulliver's Travels
Crime and Punishment
Funny Old School Book
I have a few old school books ranging in age from 1908 - 1948. Some of them have very funny mistakes or miscommunications in them.
As far as I know and have found, neither Kangaroos, nor tigers, NOR LIONS, nor camels, nor many of the other animals listed here actually live in jungles. Neither the tiger nor the kangaroo even exist on the African continent. Hmmm...
This is supposed to be a picture of people preparing to teach people who are blind.
This particular book from 1936 is very open minded.
I don't know what to say about this one. It's just strange and makes me laugh.