Kathleen Marcotte

The Ocean's Invisible Crowd

2012-01-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

I just finished up a very fun assignment for Muse magazine. The article describes the different microscopic organisms that inhabit our oceans. I was asked to illustrate a bunch of cartoonish organisms floating around the photos and bodies of text. Here are the little characters placed so there is space for the article and photos.

Thanks to AD John Sandford for the fun assignment!

The giraffes are insincere.

2012-01-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a while....

I wanted to play around with the same design in two different mediums, so I used the Simon & Garfunkel song, At the Zoo, as inspiration :). The top is digital and the bottom is a mix of collage and gouache.

Edgewater

2011-11-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

Favorite spot in Cleveland...

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

Oh what fun...

2011-10-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Some of the cards I illustrated for the holiday season are now on cardstore.com. It's American Greetings' online card store where you can personalize and order cards. I know it's really early, and I'm a firm believer of no Christmas-celebratory-ness until after Thanksgiving, but they are on sale right now :) You can check out the two sets of holiday cards here and here.

Ten Paces and Draw

2011-10-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to participate in the collaborative illustration blog Ten Paces and Draw this week! The theme of the week was circus and I received a lovely sketch from the talented Mika Nakano. Check out the blog to see my piece as well as other circus-inspired work.

Thrift Store Fun

2011-10-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

Snowy Morning on Lark Street

2011-09-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

I finally have new work to share! I created several illustrations for a sweet little story called "Snowy Morning on Lark Street." These illustrations will be in the January issue of Ladybug magazine. It was another fun assignment from the awesome people at Carus Publishing :)

Thanks to AD, Sue Beck for great art direction!

P.S. I'm still in Cleveland working at American Greetings :) ... at least for the time being. I've been working on some freelance projects for them as well, so hopefully I'll be able post some of those cards once they come out.

Muse and Cicada Magazine

2011-08-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

The magazines came this week!! The top four images are the Muse illustrations for the carrier pigeon article. The bottom image is the cover and back cover for the September issue of Cicada magazine. The theme was helping hands. Both were really great assignments!

The Race to Home

2011-08-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

I was really lucky with my first freelance assignment: it was a great article with a fun layout for an art director, John Sandford, who gives his illustrators a lot freedom and support. These four illustrations will run along the bottom of the article, The Race to Home, in the September issue of Muse magazine. The story is about carrier pigeons and how they have been used throughout history. I was asked to illustrate this progression for the 6-page article. I love illustrating for children and hope to get more work like this in the future :)

O HI O

2011-08-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

My poor neglected blog... It's about time for an update. I've been very busy this summer with my internship and other projects (that I can't show until later :) ) Overall, it has been a really fun summer: exploring Cleveland, meeting new people, receiving a real paycheck... I've also been enjoying my new running route, and I'd thought I'd share...

The stairs may be a slight exaggeration...

Cleveland Rocks!

2011-06-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Soo... after a few lazy weeks of summer back home I'm ready to start working again :) I'm heading to Ohio tomorrow morning to get settled into my temporary home for the next 10 weeks. I'll be completing a 10-week internship at American Greeting designing cards in their Alternative Humor department. I'm pretty excited to start working and to get a taste of the corporate world of illustration and design! Here's a little gouache painting I've been working on to send out as a thank you note to a few friends and family. It's been a while since I've done something without any digital assistance.

Oh and I bought a new scanner... first receipt to put in my working-illustrator-tax-write-off-receipt-accordion-folder... Allan Comport would be so proud. :)

Graduated!

2011-05-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already been a week since graduation. The above picture is from my commencement show. Everyone's work looked amazing! Below is one of the last projects I worked on for my thesis. A silly little book about tofu.

Flash Cards' Packaging

2011-04-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

My thesis is finally coming together. I'm just working on a few last elements and then everything should be complete :). This is the design for the front and back of the box that will hold the 20 flashcards that I designed. I can't believe that a week from now I will be finished with all of my classes at MICA.

It's A Dance Off

2011-04-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Soo... this is something I've been working on for book illustration. I had to put my character, Gil, in a scene with a character that one of my classmates created, Catuska the chinchilla. It's been a great excuse to draw lots of animals :)

Bus Pattern

2011-04-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

Promo Materials

2011-04-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Business card

Postcard

My promotional postcards came this week! The postcard folds in half so the recipients can walk away with their very own English-Japanese flash card. Thank you Gotprint for doing such a fabulous job.

lo·qua·cious

2011-04-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

For Illustrated Book we were given three to four adjectives/nouns and had to sketch up some different characters based on those characteristics. My words are imposing, loquacious, retro, and Neverland. I think I'm going to go with the Fresh Prince inspired crocodile.

Citizen of Gravity

2011-04-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

For my Illustrated Book class we had to illustrate a book cover for a nonexistent book. We had a whole list of titles to choose from, and I chose "Citizen of Gravity" by Arthur Heller. I have to say it was challenging designing a cover for book in which there was no existing plot, but here's what I came up with:

Also I'm now on twitter! :)

Chotto...

2011-03-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Itadakimasu!

2011-03-24T06:31:00.001-07:00

Skunk Hotel

2011-03-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back in Baltimore after week at home for Spring Break. Over break, my dad asked me to create an illustration for a short article he wrote for our local news website. The article is about his current ongoing war with the skunks that reside under our porch. Here's the link to the article and illustration:

http://elmhurst.patch.com/articles/deluxe-accommodations-at-the-skunk-hotel

Weather Wheel

2011-03-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Here's another component to my second semester thesis that I have been working on. It's divided up into segments, (head, midsection, legs, and feet) so once it's constructed the student will be able to align the outfits to match the season.

Possible Patterns

2011-03-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

It's spring break time, and I've been working out some possible pattern ideas for the back of the Gomoku bus game. Can't wait until I can start assembling everything.

New Flash Cards

2011-03-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few new flash cards, along with some minor edits to some of the older ones. I still have a few more cards to create, and then stay tuned for some other components to this activity set :)

Uninvited Guest

2011-03-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

My assignment for Book Illustration this week was to do a black and white illustration for a line of text that was assigned to us out of context. My line was entitled the uninvited guest: "His heart was pounding he was sure he had seen the doorknob turn." One of the concepts I came up with was a musically gifted alley cat who has a love for the piano and sneaks into this family's home when they are away. Here is the point in this story when he fears that the family has returned home and he will be caught in the act.

2011-02-28T21:51:00.001-08:00

Flash Cards

2011-02-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

Here are few more things that I have been working on:

Japanese Flash Cards: They are double-sided (English and Japanese). More to come!

New Version of Gomoku Game: it's more bus-like :)

Robin Hood: Two Page Spread

2011-02-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

My assignment for Book Illustration this week was to illustrate a two page spread using one of the characters we created. I went with the Robin character who is at summer camp and who steals from the boys' camp across the lake. This piece depicts a scene that would take place in this alternate version of Robin Hood.

Second Semester Thesis

2011-02-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

So... for my second semester thesis project, I'm developing a series of activities/games/flash cards/etc. for kids. My idea was to focus in on one of the cities I created a map for last semester. So this is a Japanese game called Gomoku. It's basically tic tac toe but five in a row. It's been really fun working on it. Here's the game so far:

2011-02-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

Robin Hood Characters

2011-02-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

For my Book Illustration class I had to choose a familiar character from a known story and re-imagine that character in five different ways. I chose Robin Hood. Here they are:

Robin who wears a Hood: He's a Bill Gates-esque character who is very computer savvy; Stealing money from large corporations and giving money to the poor;

Robin: Spending her summer at Shearwood Forest Camp; Camp's best archer; stealing food and other goods from the boy's camp across the lake

Rob: mobster; stealing money from corrupt banks; giving money to those in need

Robbie: a noble raccoon who steals food from the gluttonous humans; giving it to his animal friends

Robyn: Mission Impossibe-esque heroine; Using high tech gadgets to sneak into the homes of corrupt business tycoons; Giving money to those in need

Alliteration Illustration

2011-01-31T07:40:00.000-08:00

This is my first assignment for my Book Illustration class. I had to illustrate a four word alliteration. My phrase was "Diabolical Dingoes Dig Dude ranches"

Second Semester Begins

2011-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

I'm back and ready for my last semester at MICA (what I keep telling myself). Just finished my first week of classes, so I don't really have any new work to put up yet. But I'm an RA on campus, so I did create some new door tags for my residential community. :)

Senior Thesis: Fold Out Accordion Maps and Packaging

2010-12-30T08:41:00.000-08:00

Above is my first semester senior thesis project at its most updated state. The top five images are the packaging for the maps that fold up, accordion style, to fit into their individual folders. I hope to take photos of them sometime soon to put on my website, which I'm trying to work on. Currently reading HTML for Dummies but getting nowhere.

Watercress Seed Packet and other Food Related Things

2010-12-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

The top image is an illustration for our last assignment for illustrating the edible, a seed packet design. The rest are a few things from my sketchbook for that class. I'm going to miss that class next semester. It has been fun drawing food-related things :)

Spiced Holiday Pecans

2010-12-19T06:31:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of November I submitted this illustrated recipe to be a part of the theydrawandcook.com holiday recipe contest. During the month of December they have been posting the holiday inspired recipes on their website and featuring one each day on the food network blog. My recipe was featured a couple of days ago!

You can see it at on the food network blog along with many other lovely illustrations including one by my good friend Kristin Nohe.

map packaging!

2010-12-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

Finals...

2010-12-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Illustrating the Edible Assignment

2010-11-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

Amaretti-Stuffed Peaches

Kyoto in Progress...

2010-11-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tote bag design

2010-10-31T21:30:00.001-07:00

Here is my illustration from the farm trip. The assignment was to create an image that would be placed on an eco tote bag. I also created a few patterns based off the turkeys and chickens.

Thesis in Progress

2010-10-22T07:47:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of the pieces I have been working on this semester for Senior Thesis. I'm illustrating 6 accordion fold out poster-maps of 6 different cities around the world. Initially I wasn't going to post any of my thesis work until I was more settled with it, but these two are pretty close to completion. There are a few more details I'd like to add, and I'd like to clean them up a bit. The top one is Chicago and the bottom one is Cairo. I am currently working on Kyoto. The real challenge is how am I going to print these without taking out another loan. :) Any suggestions????

Happy Fall

2010-10-14T16:46:00.001-07:00

Fall Break is here!

Barnyard Fun

2010-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today, my Illustrating the Edible class took a field trip to a local farm. I had a good time roaming around the farm and sketching.

Poor turkeys, Your days are numbered...

Station North Restaurant Guidebook

2010-10-09T12:21:00.001-07:00

Illustrating the Edible Updates

2010-10-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pieces I'm working on for my Illustrating the Edible class. The class is working with the graphic design department to put together a book that will highlight different restaurants in the Station North Arts District. My assignment is Baltimore's newly opened Bohemian Coffee Shop on North Charles. It's a fun quirky little place with great vintage decor and excellent coffee. Also, our class is being featured on theydrawandcook.com! Check it out!

T-shirt design

2010-09-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

This summer's RA training theme was Star Wars! I designed the t-shirt and the ResLife staff wore them on move in day. Thanks to Mika, Tori, and Hanna who helped me screen print them. (Or should I say I watched them screen print and I helped fold and organize the t-shirts)

Korokke Recipe

2010-09-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Korokke and Tonkatsu Sauce!

2010-09-05T15:43:00.001-07:00

Food Journal

2010-09-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hellooo! I finally have new work to post. School has begun, and my first class for the week was Illustrating the Edible. Part of our homework for each week is to keep a sketchbook dedicated to food! Here are few things I've made this week.

Summer Sketchbook

2010-06-10T18:50:00.001-07:00

finally... I have some work to put up. I've just been working here and there on some stuff in my sketchbook this summer. I decided to try and illustrate a few of my running routes. The top one is Druid Hill and the second one is from back at home... I'm going to try and continue with this theme as the pressure of senior thesis hangs over my head.

Illustration Concepts Final

2010-04-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here are my finals for illustration concepts II. They are about the health and environmental issues surrounding our food system. I just watched the documentary Food Inc. to do some extra research on the topic. It was very eye-opening... highly recommend it.

Vice & Virtue

2010-04-28T08:07:00.001-07:00

Our final assignment for my Lifestyle & Behaviors Illustration class was to illustrate a vice and its corresponding virtue. I chose Acedia/Sloth and Industria/Diligence. I made a couple of changes to to the top one since our class critique. I am so ready to be a sloth...

Game Change Revisited

2010-04-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

I decided to try and rework one of my previous assignments: an illustration for an article about the book The Game Change. I think it reads a little bit more clearly now.

Paper Doll

2010-04-13T11:11:00.001-07:00

Accessories and Style Buddy

2010-04-07T09:18:00.001-07:00

Paper Doll

2010-03-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

Accessory Assignment Sketches

2010-03-31T09:36:00.001-07:00

CD Project

2010-03-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

Here are my illustrations for the Getz/Gilberto album, featuring some beautiful jazz bossa nova music. This piece folds out so that the images act as two long landscapes, one on the inside of the package and one on the outside.

Spider Magazine

2010-03-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

Here is another piece that I completed over the summer for Spider magazine's February issue. I <3 silly little animals.

New Outfit

2010-03-10T14:41:00.001-08:00

Lifestyle Illustration

2010-03-10T14:35:00.000-08:00

This is my illustration for my Lifestyle Illustration class. We were each given a movie and had to create an illustration that conveys the feeling/style/fashion of that movie. My film is the Hobbit. I'd like to go back into it at some point and refine a few things.

Will Arnett Portrait

2010-03-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of difficulty in trying to capture the likeness of Will. I was trying to play up the sort of goofiness/delusional confidence his characters have.

A Night Out

2010-03-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

Here's my piece for the date night assignment. I decided to illustrate a cooking class date. Please ignore the terrible type in the second one.

New Ouftit

2010-03-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

Seeing More Color

2010-02-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

This semester I'm taking the taking the class Seeing More Color. It's been really great to just focus on observational drawing. I've really enjoyed working in pastel. It's a new medium for me. Here are a couple of pieces: top one was from in class and the bottom one was done for a homework assignment.

Paper Dolls Wardrobe Change...

2010-02-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

Birdwatching

2010-02-09T18:53:00.001-08:00

Game Change

2010-02-09T13:52:00.001-08:00

Evolution of Style Buddies

2010-02-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

I think I've finally decided on the characters I want to use...

Illustrations for Babybug!

2009-12-29T15:13:00.001-08:00

Last summer I completed an internship at Carus Publishing in Chicago. The art directors there were really nice and gave me a lot of good advice. I was able to get some stuff published! They just sent me one of the magazines. The cover illustration is not mine... but this is:

I apologize for the crummy scan...

Christmas Concepts Assignment

2009-12-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

The assignment was to illustrate a Christmas quote.

"There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child"

Oregon Trail

2009-12-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

Illustration Concepts Assignment to illustrate the cover of a computer/video game. I miss the days of Oregon Trail...

Character Development Final/Jet Pack Kid Shenanigans...

2009-12-14T14:53:00.001-08:00

New Character

2009-11-23T19:20:00.001-08:00

TOSHI

2009-11-08T21:47:00.001-08:00

A new character for Nintendo Wii's Mario Kart. Don't get in his way.

Fall Arts Festival

2009-10-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

2-color Post Card

4-color Invitation

Illustration Concepts

2009-09-27T05:57:00.001-07:00

A Few Characters

2009-09-27T05:48:00.001-07:00

Updates

2009-09-25T04:54:00.001-07:00

Color Palette for GD 1 Assignment--- Next step: create invitations for this event!!!

Summer Internship

2009-06-12T07:36:00.001-07:00

Here are a few things that I've been working on for my internship... more to come

Chris Ware Animation

2009-05-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

A great animation short for This American Life created by Chris Ware.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid271557392?bctid=666401814

Printmaking Updates (cont.)

2009-05-03T12:21:00.001-07:00

Printmaking Updates

2009-05-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Dress for Success

2009-04-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

Visual Journalism Part Deux

2009-04-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

I think I can, I think I can...

more visual journalism

2009-04-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

Intangible Product

2009-04-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what it is?

Top of Box

Bottom of Box

Side 1

Back of Box

Side 2

Front of Box

Ug Photoshop

2009-04-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

This is for my package design project in Illustration II. We have to create a package design for an intangible object. After countless hours experimenting with photoshop, I realize that I am not digitally inclined. oh well. I plan to use watercolor for the final instead. There are a six illustrations total. I'll post the final piece once it's completed.

2009-03-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

More work

2009-02-27T09:03:00.001-08:00

Printmaking

2009-02-26T21:55:00.001-08:00

Visual Journalism

2009-02-26T17:42:00.000-08:00

Some sketches from Visual Journalism... I'm still trying to figure out how to work back into them.