Freelance Fine Artist, Illustrator, Alicia VanNoy Call, & her Adorably Disturbing Apocalyptic Nursery Rhymes
The Zombies are coming, the town must be warned…
We salute our former student, our friend and colleague, Alicia VanNoy Call who is not only an artist/illustrator but also a writer and an all round creative person. She is truly one of those artists that is defining herself. Alicia first caught my attention with some extremely, strait out of the tube, colorful portraits of animals and family pet portraits. Dawgart. But lately I’ve been seeing her apocalyptic nursery rhymes and I was so impressed that I asked her if we could blog about her. We will get to some Q & A with Alicia and what makes her tick, but I want to start with her apocalyptic fables here to catch your attention rather than make you scroll down or read the whole blog before you see what I’m bragging about.
Zombies and Little Boy Blue
Wayne: W (question)- Which one started this series?
Alicia: A- This [Little Boy Blue] was the first. You can see the difference in the art from the rest of the series. I will probably do this one over, and change the trumpet to a trombone. The biggest gripe I got from a few different viewers was that he could definitely still play the trumpet with one arm. That it’s physically possible. I think they’re missing the point. I personally don’t know that I could play a musical instrument after my arm had just been torn off, what with the pain and all.
Jack and Jill were Eaten for Lunch
W- This rhyme made me laugh. It still does.
A- It’s one of my favorites. It’s so gruesome and funny. I went back and forth with what to do for the image. I debated showing people actually eating them, piles of bones, etc. But I eventually decided that the image would be most interesting in the moment before the tension breaks. Just before Jack and Jill lose their innocence. And everything else.
Little Miss Muffet’s city was wiped off the map
W- I love the relationship that she and the rat seem to have. Great design.
A- This is the one that started the series gaining attention. I think it’s just the flat out ridiculous nature of it. That and the pitiful tragedy of this kid left all alone with a rat named Dave. How sad.
Rock-a-bye Baby, The Battle is over, we lose.
W- ?
A- I love how with just a few simple lines and some value, you can convey so much. This one is particularly creepy to people. It’s like, look at this nightmare world these babies have inherited.
Doctor Jack Horner it’s the end of the world
W- How do you maintain the fresh, loose look of spontaneity?
A- One of my goals with these drawings is to keep them quick (I have an art business to run after all), and to deliver something immediately legible and humorous. I couldn’t decide what kind of monster to put in this scenario; I thought zombies initially. But it could be anything, couldn’t it? So I just went with a couple of tentacles and left the rest up to the viewer.
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, it’s fallout.
W- Which one is your most popular?
A- This and Georgie Porgie are the two most popular so far. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s just the expression on his face and the ripped umbrella. Like, “I’m going through the motions of keeping dry, but really, what’s the point?” The Lady Liberty head was an afterthought.
Georgie Porgie Came out of the John
W- What do you think this one is so popular?
A- People love this one. I think it’s the underwear, another doodle afterthought.
W- How long have you known Will Terry and Wayne (Me)?
A- I have known Will Terry for several years. He was one of my favorite instructors at Utah Valley University, where I got my Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree in Illustration. I had him for media tech, drawing and visual literacy, children’s book, and a few others. I think he’s brilliant and generous with his knowledge. Wayne I met a couple of times. What a weirdo.
W- That makes me laugh. What do you think of Folio Academy?
A- I think the landscape of education and publishing is changing and the ways in which those changes are happening is very exciting. I think online education is a fantastic idea, especially when the instructors can present their ideas in a present and compelling way, at their speed and in their chosen medium. Making the classes available as stream-able, content online is a great way to take advantage of current technology. Wayne and Will and the artists (and writers) they work with have the perfect vehicle to disseminate ideas and teach others through Folio Academy.
W- What do you think it is about you that Folio Academy finds so awesome?
I think it’s because I decide to do something with my art and I go for it. I’ve decided that I don’t need permission to be successful. I can use what’s going on with social media, the current publishing landscape, and the viral quality of the internet to get my work out there. And I think that’s just in line with the philosophies of Folio Academy.
W- Tell us about your work.
A- Well, I do several different things. I started doing fine art by commission back in 2002. It kind of fell in my lap, but that’s when I started creating DawgArt, my animal related paintings. I was self-taught back then, and was doing pretty well in Arizona before I moved to Texas. After a few life transitions, I had quit doing the animal art and moved to Utah, got remarried and started school. My husband started encouraging me to pick up painting again, so I rebooted and rebranded the animal art and started doing gallery shows in Utah Valley.
W- We don’t need all of that information. We just want to know what you’re doing now.
A- I think to understand where I am now, you have to understand where I came from, and the process of getting here. Don’t you think process is interesting?
W- Not if it takes this long.
A- I wasn’t going to go on and on. I was just giving you a little background.
W- How much longer?
A- Are you saying you don’t want to hear about this?
W- Uh… Well when you put it that way. Do go on.
(Author’s note, I was trying to be funny here and Alicia went with it. She is awesome and she can take it. She has to have thick skin, she’s an artist after all. lol)
A- Okay. So I started school in the graphic design program, but quickly decided that was way too boring for me, so I switched to illustration. I had a great time there. All of the classes were challenging, but the upper division core illustration classes were very difficult. The work load was staggering. The BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) program is extremely competitive, so I was really happy to get my acceptance letter.
W- What made you decide to go to art school? If you were successful as a self-taught artist, why did you pursue an education?
A- A friend in Texas who worked in the animation industry once told me, “You’re so talented, it makes me sick. If you got some actual technique, you could do anything. You need to go to art school.” So I started with Drawing 1 at UVU and never looked back.
W- Was it weird to take foundation art classes? Did you ever feel like you were wasting your time?
A- I’d had five years of professional painting experience under my belt when I started art school, and by the time I was accepted into the BFA program at UVU, I was having about four gallery shows a year. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have anything to learn. I think that in any situation, there is something to learn. So when I went to classes, even basic classes like Drawing 1, or 2D Design, or Illustrative Media Techniques in Acrylic (which is my specialty), I tried to have the attitude that I don’t know everything. Because I really didn’t, and no one really does. What would be the point of going to school if I wasn’t there to learn? I ran across students who would argue with instructors, basically saying, “I’m too big of a deal to learn this.” I find that attitude to be a real stumbling block to people. I think we all have something to learn from each other.
W- Weill Said. So are you done with your background history blah blah blah process and everything? Are you ready to talk about what you’re doing now?
A- Well, I have one more thing that informs what I’m doing now.
W- Fine. I mean, do go on.
A- When I was in school, I explored creative writing classes as well, because writing has always been one of my higher interests. Actually, when I was accepted into the BFA program and realized that I wouldn’t be able to fit writing classes into my schedule anymore, I was sad. Really, if I hadn’t already invested so much into the art track, I probably would have changed my major to creative writing at that point. But I felt God had put me on this path, and I was carving out my own destiny, and art was going to be my main focus in school, so I stuck with it. I figured I could use other avenues to pursue writing.
W- In your opinion as a writer, can I lose these W’s and A’s?
Yes, your readers will get it.
So what’s the division of focus now, as far as writing and art?
They’re about equal. Honestly, I think I’m a far stronger writer than artist. But the writing doesn’t pay the way the art does yet.
What does the learning process look like now that you’ve graduated?
I still try to learn wherever I can. I attend writing conferences and workshops. I purchase online learning courses from Folio Academy. I attend online SVS courses with Will Terry and Jake Parker. I send my work to peers for feedback. I study the work of artists and writers I admire.
Tell us about your current project. Please. The apocalyptic stuff.
I am currently working on a series of Apocalyptic Nursery Rhymes. Just a collection of nursery rhyme parodies featuring different apocalyptic scenarios and the crap people would have to deal with in those situations. And they’re all illustrated with these stylized, quick and dirty drawings.
Where did the idea come from?
A little over a year ago I was brainstorming ideas with another artist friend, Nate Call, and our spouses, about a project of his. The creative energy that we made just talking about ideas was incredible. That night, I was writing parodies in my head (because that’s something my brain does when I’m creatively overloaded) and the first rhyme just came to me. I approached Nate with the idea; I could write them, he could illustrate. He liked it, but he ended up being to busy with other projects, so over Christmas I started adding to the initial series of rhymes. There are about sixty now. I started posting them on February 1st.
Why the Apocalypse?
As a writer, I’m a reader, and the end of the world has figured big in a lot of the science-fiction writers I focused on as a kid – Bradbury, Asimov, Heinlein. Also, The Cold War was still a big topic in my childhood, so I had nightmares about nuclear holocaust. Some of my favorite movies feature apocalypse scenarios, even if it’s just the end of one character’s personal world – Planet of the Apes, Empire of the Sun, Fight Club, Shaun of the Dead. Of course, apocalypse-fiction is very big right now, so it’s a great time to get this project out there.
How do they evolve? Does the image come first, or the words?
The rhymes definitely come first. I go through the list of more familiar rhymes and then take the character or setting and pull it into the twisted landscape of my mind.
What’s the medium for the artwork?
The first one was traditional, in India ink with a dip pen. But logistically, I couldn’t work as fast as I wanted to, especially with the probability for mistakes (pen dripping, unintentional spatters, etc.), so I switched to mixed media. I scan the traditional background in, and then using a crow quill pen in Painter 12, I draw the scene and add a little value with a digital airbrush. I’ve gotten a few people asking what medium I’m using, so it’s a nice compliment, that the look of the work doesn’t have people assuming digital.
Where have you tried posting them?
Well, I really believe that the greatest exposure and possible virality will happen when visibility is maximized, so I have them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, deviantART, Imgur, Reddit, Tumblr, and Google+.
I see you used Google+ last.
Yeah, who really likes Google+? But the Google-overlords will force us all to use it eventually, so I might as well. Anyway my website is powered by Google, it’s Blogger, so it goes on to Google+ automatically.
What has the response been like?
So far there’s been a really great response. A lot of people sharing them on their Facebook pages and repinning them, retweeting them. I’ve had lots of people tell me they would buy them in a book. Artists and writers I admire have been giving me a ton of positive feedback, so that’s very encouraging.
What’s your goal for this project?
I would really like it to be picked up by a publisher for a quirky gift book. If it doesn’t, I’ll just keep posting them, and eventually Kickstart it into an independently published book.
What advice do you have for students, artists, or people thinking about pursuing art or writing as a career or hobby?
To people considering a foray into the creative: if you love something, follow it. Work it into your life somehow. That blank sheet of paper, or blank canvas can be very intimidating. Just start. Pick up the pencil and start writing, start drawing. Unless you put it out there, the only person that gets to enjoy what’s in your head is you. Share your vision with the world. Like Jake from Adventure Time says, “Sucking at something is the first step to being sort of good at something.” To students, I say, be humble, be teachable and practice, practice, practice. To artists I say, keep expanding your projects, evolve when it’s time, don’t be afraid to try something new. It’s because of you, the rest of us have something new to inspire us every day.
I’m glad I asked. Where can we find you online?
You can find my books on Amazon, just put my name in the search box. For writing and illustration, visit www.aliciavannoycall.com. You can find the ongoing Apocalyptic Nursery Rhyme series there. And they mentioned this series on BuzzFeed.
Earlier I mention your ultra colorful dog paintings, where can we find some of those?
For DawgArt, visit www.dawgart.com and you can find links to everywhere else. Or you can appease the Google-overlords and Google “alicia vannoy call” and see what comes up.
I picture the Goocle-overlords with glass bellies and little babies in them. That is all the questions I have, thanks Alicia, you rock.
Thank you Wayne, and thanks to all your readers too for reading.