Kevin McCarthy
My path as an artist has taken a lot of twists and turns but can be simplified into two main directions. First, a love of children’s books and creating a reflection of the story that engages even non-readers and prompts the same feelings I had as a child looking at books. The other is a desire to approach a more adult-ish idea or subject in a fanciful way that triggers thoughts ranging from nostalgia to total fantasy…with some odd stops between.
I enjoy exploring new mediums but always seem to gravitate back to pencils and ink. I think it’s the tactile aspect of blending the tones and colors with my fingers that I find so satisfying. I guess my all time favorite tools that work for both directions are watercolor pencils. I can use a combination of fingers and smudge sticks that make the blending so smooth and so fun. The black ink outlines add a cartoon-like quality to the children oriented pieces and allows for more depth in the other category. But at the same time the pencils allow a certain graininess to the pieces that keeps a human, personal feeling and lets the viewer become a part of the art.
My artistic background starts more or less around seventh grade. Growing up on the beaches of Los AngelesI started drawing by emulating Rick Griffin ( https://www.rickgriffindesigns.com ) and his character Murphy. Seeing or sometimes even just thinking of his work is an instant artist block curing dose of inspiration. By the time I was in my mid-twenties, fresh from UCLA, I began getting jobs creating logos, unusual professional “leave behinds” for Hollywood types and local businesses, and the occasional catalog or other publication. I began aiming at children’s publications like Crickett and Highlights to satisfy that urge to draw for children. My big gift came when moved to a small beach town on the shores of Puget Sound. It was soon after that a series of fortunate “coincidences” lead to to working with the famous children’s book author Stephen Cosgrove ( http://stephencosgrove.com ). I truly enjoyed ding the Earth Angels series with him ( https://www.goodreads.com/series/93709-earth-angels). That lead to opportunities like working with Learning A-Z (https://www.readinga-z.com/book.php?id=685 ) creating Speedier Than A Meteor and countless others.
I now find myself in a place I could hardly have imagined back in the day. I can pick and choose assignments (or not!) and indulge my muse by designing lines of original note cards or producing single pieces as I wish. I hope you take the time to check out my gallery for a visual tour of my career so far.
Thank you for stopping by !
Artbear Studios 