Character drawings of Passepartout, Mr. Fogg, and Sir Francis.

Traveling by Elephant.

See more of my work here.

I went looking for palms in January

Thinking of a warmer place

When I found the coast was clear, mostly

Where the boats all are wrapped in cellophane

And my footsteps have no echo, no refrain

Out by the bridge, swans huddle in low-angled sun

Just a weary wedge on the run

Fleeing the snarling spike-wheeled motorbikes

With only dark mallards for company

Just birds and me, looking for palms in January

My beaches should all wear white sugar sand

Thinking of a warmer face

And my footfalls should wash away in the wind

Except here, they’re just frozen in crystallized time

Where I’d rather walk with that very good friend of mine.

The Odd Fellows Hall is closed, shuttered, and gone

But steelheads whirl in the sky

Only working ships hug the river of this harbor town

No umbrella drinks sipped by the Genesee today

Lighthouse is dark, and the plastic palm trees don’t sway

I went walking a coastline in January

Thinking of a warmer place

But the north coast holds no winter mystery

It’s just frosted in frigid topography

Where I’d rather walk with that very good friend of mine.

-
D. Kassnoff 1/31/2011

Today is the last day of Illustration Month. Hope you are having fun drawing, painting, taking photos, or sculpting! Send your finished images (in .jpeg format), along with a link to your own blog or website, to illustration.month@gmail.com, and they’ll be posted on the blog throughout February.

Drawn. Chronicling everything from sketches to films and everything in between.

Urban Sketchers. Sketchbooks in cities.

The Big Picture. Photo essays from around the globe.

Design Milk. Where form meets function.

Escape From Illustration Island. Collections of drawings, interviews, and articles about the field of illustration.

Wooster Collective. Street art from all over the world.

The Cool Hunter. Painting, photography, advertising, architecture, and industrial design. It’s all here.

Have fun drawing! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, & send your finished drawings to illustration.month@gmail.com.

Do you usually draw with pen and ink? Try using a dipping pen instead of brushing your ink. Prefer pastels? Try working in charcoal or conté crayons, for a black & white or sepia toned drawing.

How about painting? It is always intriguing to switch from oil to acrylic or even work in watercolor. Or delve into the world of batiking and silk painting.

Are you a printmaker? If you’ve done lino cutting, try some screenprinting.

Perhaps you like editing with a pen and digital tablet; why not try stripping down to the raw files and taking photographs with a point and shoot camera or DSLR?

Are you a sculptor? Try handbuilding your clay. Maybe you enjoy working with glass. Try etching on the glass in addition to blowing forms.

Send your finished illustrations (in .jpeg format), along with a link to your own blog or website, to illustration.month@gmail.com.

News sites:

• The New York Times.
• The Chicago Sun-Times.
• The Los Angeles Times.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer.
• The Seattle Times.
• The Miami Herald.

Libraries:

Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago.

• The New York Public Library.
• The Chicago Public Library.
• Los Angeles Public Library.

Try a new genre! Re-create a graphic novel in your own style, sculpt scenes from a work of fiction. Paint a point in time from a mystery, design an illustration from a science fiction novel. Portray an event from politics. Photograph moments for a memoir or biography. Send your finished illustrations (in .jpeg format) to illustration.month@gmail.com. Have fun!