Darcy Muenchrath

Here is a sample of one of the illustrations I did for a graphic reader “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. For now, I am only going to post it here and not on my site due to how it was executed. As you can see, it is a little different from the other work I am doing. Usually, I am working in ink but for these, and a few others that [are] on my site, I have worked in graphite. I think one can see they are still somewhat similar, but I guess there is a slightly different quality. One that I am exploring a little and eventually, I may even add another section to my site. For now though, I will post things like this here.

To see more of the images from TBWCW, click the image below.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Things have been a little up and down lately but one thing I have been enjoying is the figure drawing sessions at the Gladstone Hotel. Twenty, or so, people cram themselves into a tiny little room in this historic hotel that has been running these sessions for thirty some years now. As the model moves through a series of well articulated poses, the people in the room explore and record the gestures, contours, and falling light, on the model.

Here are a few samples:

Here is a little drawing I did for the woman in suite 201. A little drawing done for a wedding in India.

So after a bit of a bumpy and very busy aug, sept and oct, I am back here to share a few things with you. Yes, Yes, my showing up here is not as often as I need, or would like, but hopefully this will change.

You see, back in aug I had something terrible go wrong with this little silver box (my computer) I work on everyday. A tool that we all rely on so much to get us through whatever task it is we have in front of us. For the most part, it indeed is a great tool. Much of my work does begin on paper with ink, but more and more, I am working digitally on my images. Either by applying flat color behind my drawings, or adding, and layering washes, that I have scanned. What happened at the beginning of September though was that the hard-drive in my computer decided to stop turning and sharing all of MY info with me. Ha ha. My first thought was, “can this be happening to me?” “nooooooooooooo” “not now”. That week I had so many things due. It was horrible.

In the end, I had only lost a few working psd files, some accounting and scheduling info, contacts, and  a few other things. It was a bit of a daunting process in the first days, but in the end, it all worked out ok. I guess I sort of look at it like, living in an apartment and being forced to move quicklyk, only taking what you can carry in your hands and in a few boxes. You are forced to purge some possbily unimportant garbage and waste.

But now. I back up everything much more regularly.

On top of all of this, I had one of the busiest September and October. It was all a little overwhelming at times trying to sort through the above issue and meet some fairly important deadlines.

One of the projects I was working on was a graphic poetry book. I have done illustration for many applications but I have yet to work through a larger project like this. And I must say, it all went very well. The book itself will not be out until spring/summer of 2009 but I look forward to seeing a collection of my drawings in small 30 page booklet.

Here are a couple links to some of the drawings from these poems:

http://www.darcymuenchrath.com/portfolioA_2.html

http://www.darcymuenchrath.com/portfolioA_6.html

I hope you enjoy.

Only for a moment I come up for a breath. My attempts to write on here over the last little while has not gone so well. Soon though, and I am sure I have said this before, I will maintain a weekly, if not more, updates.

I must say it has been a wonderful and busy summer with many interesting projects I am now finally completing. It will take me a few days to still finalize but in the near future I will be adding several new images to my site. Stay tuned.

Some other exciting news. A couple of weeks ago I received a package in the mail from a client I have, in the past, done quite a bit of work for. So I open the package, and there, all nicely mounted and sealed, was a Gold Award from the Canadian Business Press. Have a look (the section my piece is in is near the bottom): http://www.cbp.ca/eventsPages/KRW08.asp

You can also see the image here: http://www.darcymuenchrath.com/portfolioA_8.html

Anyway. Was nice a nice little surprise and the money I won will definitely buy a few more pieces of paper to keep me drawing a little longer.

Here are a few drawings from one of the last Dr. Sketchy events I attended. Was a fun night. And I realized actually, how much I miss drawing from a model. Especially while being able to enjoy a pint or two of beer.

Just received a book today that I am so excited to be a part of. A friend of mine, and one of my peers, Janine Vangool, has been working on a project called “Work Life” which showcases 63 Canadian Illustrators and Photographers. As I said, I am quite happy to be a part of this project. When I found out about the call for entries for this book I really didn’t think twice about submitting my work. I really just wanted to be a part of it.

Janine is great designer and, most (or all even) of what she develops, will be something that people in the industry will take notice of.

Have a look: http://www.vangooldesign.com/index.php?/project/worklife/

Here are a couple sample Fruit of the Loom T-shirts I had printed last summer. There are only a handful left and will be doing a variety of new ones soon but if these are of any interest let me know and I can sort out getting you one. I will also be adding a product section to my site as soon as I get everything together. Lots of fun stuff.

(sizes left are medium and large)

Having a rather busy spring, both with illustration and a few film/editing projects, has left me little time to be drawing in my sketchbook. Over the next month or so I will be focusing a little more on this and soon hope to be putting some of this here.

Until then-here are a few things I thought I would ad given they won’t go in my portfolio quite yet.

Here is piece I have recently had to revamp for an image and ad I did several years ago. They wanted to ad a bit of info to the ad. So, given that I like drawing, I decided to draw the text they were requiring to bring a more cohesive feel between the licking lady and the words.

Another very hot and stick day. After what seemed to be a much longer and colder winter, we have finally moved into summer. The longer days, warm sun, and people out and about are indeed a source of inspiration for the many projects I have going at one time. Maybe even add to that a creamy decaf latte.

I hope the summer in front of me is as fun and culturally riveting as the one I had last summer in Europe. I guess there won’t be the 6 century (+) old churches to loiter in though.

I am however looking forward to the festival season and wandering the streets here in search of interesting characters to draw. Stay tuned for more of this.

And yes, there is the Jazz fest in Montreal which should be most splendid.

A few of the things from the latest pages in my sketchbook, or bits of paper lying around my studio. Often I have things come to me and immediately feel compelled to draw on anything in front of me.

Wow. It has been much to long since I have written, or posted any work here. I guess having gone for that week, and then being a bit behind when I returned, had left me a little distracted from some of the other things I do wish to be doing-like putting much more here.

Well, not to happen again.

Steadily, I made my way through the tall grass.

Breathing the fresh clean air I continue forward to where I must go.