Mr. T as a guru? Yes! He is the originator of the philosophy “Be Somebody or Be Somebody’s Fool” and writer Ken Hegan took that advice to heart when he visited gorgeous Boston Bay, Jamaica. This image was published in the Saturday edition of the National Post for their Travel section. Please click the link to see the sketches and to read more about the job!

External Link: Julia Minamata – “A fool’s paradise”: For the National Post Travel section

Tweet

Cats: Editorial, Illustration, Recent News
Tags: Editorial, HUMOR, Humour, Illustration, jamaica, Julia Minamata, Mr. T, New Work, travel, whimsical

Have you ever taken a sketch that was originally for a job and repurposed it for a self-directed image? Here’s one of mine! This was a sketch I submitted for a National Post job. I really liked the one the art director went with but there was something about the sketch for this one that I wanted to work through. I’m glad I did!

Click the link to see the process work, and happy long weekend!

External Link: Julia Minamata – Happy Fireworks-related Long Weekend!

Tweet

Cats: Editor's Choice, Illustration, Recent News
Tags: canada day, fireworks, Illustration, Julia Minamata, july, long weekend, New Work

Every month the National Post Arts & Life section does a “The Month Ahead” feature, where illustrators get the chance to fill a 6.3×21.3″ space. It’s a real thrill to get the chance to have published work printed that big, and a bit of a challenge!

Please click the link to visit my blog and see my other three sketches, process work, and more!

External Link: Julia Minamata – National Post Arts & Life section cover: “The Month Ahead”

Tweet

Cats: Editor's Choice, Editorial, Illustration, Recent News
Tags: art nouveau, arts and life, Editorial, Illustration, Julia Minamata, june, national post, silkscreen, summer, the month ahead

I’ve self-published a book of my favourite portfolio images using Blurb.com! I recommend the site to anyone interested in producing their own book. It’s a very slick web-based app that makes it so easy!

Please click my link to preview my book and for more info.

External Link: Julia Minamata – Julia Minamata Portfolio Book on Sale

Tweet

Cats: Editor's Choice, Illustration, Merchandise, Publishing, Recent News
Tags: collection, Julia Minamata, minamata, portfolio, Publishing, sale, screenprinting, serigraph, showcase, silkscreen

Twelve spot illustrations for Weekly Alibi’s feature article “The Twelve Wonders of New Mexico”. I had a lot of fun researching this one, and it was a pleasure coming up with a variety of compositions.

Please visit my link to see more and for the sketches!

External Link: Julia Minamata – The Twelve Wonders of New Mexico: Weekly Alibi

Tweet

Cats: Editorial, Illustration, Recent News
Tags: ancient, anthropology, black and white, cowboy, destination, Illustration, natural, new mexico, spot, tourism, travel, travelogue, west, Wild West, wonders

Here’s an illustration I did for Alteratives Journal, for an article entitled “A Brave New Book World”, by Nic Boshart. Boshart writes that new technologies such as e-readers and Print-on-Demand will benefit the publishing industry, not damage it. I depicted an optimistic heroine for an optimistic piece. Click the link to see sketches, colour comps, and some more thoughts!

External Link: Julia Minamata – A Brave New Book World — For Alternatives Journal

Tweet

Cats: Editor's Choice, Editorial, Illustration, Recent News
Tags: e-reader, earth day, environment, Kindle, lucy maud montgomery, new world, pei, Publishing

Here’s the piece I created for Work/Life 2. Dorothy the Poppy Field — dreamy, hazy summertime. Work/Life is a project masterminded by Janine Vangool at UPPERCASE. This second edition features 100 illustrators from all over the world. Visit my blog for details!

External Link: Julia Minamata – Dorothy in the Poppy Field for Work/Life 2

Tweet

Cats: Editor's Choice, Illustration, Recent News
Tags: dorothy, Dream, emerald city, Julia Minamata, poppies, poppy, printmaking, silkscreen, summer, Wizard of Oz