Mural Design at the Bridgewater Commons Mall, NJ

If you've shopped at the Bridgewater Commons Mall, NJ lately, you might have seen the mural that my studio designed for General Growth Properties. The piece is eighty feet long and was unveiled last year. The structure and title is based on the Lenape Indian's ingenious method of agriculture that plants corn, beans and squash simultaneously on the same plot of land. This method was called "The Three Sisters."

Two intro panels tell the whole story behind the mural.

There's a section for every season.

GGP wanted fashionable imagery that would compliment their high-end retailers as well as something that would illustrate the history of the Bridgewater community.

These two cuties can give you a sense of the mural's scale.

It's great when shoppers stop to look.

This is one of the mall's busiest entrances.

The artwork started on my drawing board with the biggest roll of Canson paper I could find. This roll is 60" wide and is terrific stuff to draw on. I picked it up at New York Central, a very cool supply store, where the paper department is top notch and highly recommended.

We created high resolution scans of my final artwork which was then reproduced on scratch resistant vinyl that was installed at the site. With the art being reproduced to 80 feet long, I needed to work large to be sure the design would be clear.

A detail from Autumn.

Springtime means Easter, rebirth and shopping!

Detail from Winter; President Washington and valentine's Day.

Detail from Summer.  A June bride.

Detail from Spring.

The final art was done with a combination of Pentel Brush Pen, Rembrandt Soft Pastels and Prismacolor Pencils. They all worked well together on the Canson paper.

These Stad One Push pencil holders were handy for using a Prismacolor pencil right to it's very end. Find them at Jet Pens.

Just some of the Rembrandt Pastels that were passed on to me from my late uncle Tom Cutter. He kept a grand, meticulous set that was invaluable for this illustration. I am so pleased to be able to used them for a project like this! 

These Faber-Castell pastel pencils had very good reviews on Blick. I was glad that I picked them up for this project.

Detail from Spring

Summer in Bridgewater, NJ

Detail from Spring.

These are just a few of the preliminary sketches of The Three Sisters. The preparation and design for the whole job entailed weeks of research. The sketches and thumbnails could fill a post alone.

These intro panels stand at either end of The Three Sisters and describe it's design details and philosophy. If you have a chance to see the mural, I 'd love to hear what you thought!

Hand Made Christmas Cards

I just can't bring myself to send store bought cards at Christmas. This year I made a simple Christmas tree design using Strathmore watercolor cards, Canson art paper and glitter paint.... The same material a third grader would use. The foam adhesive dots make it pop off the page.

An assembly line process always makes quicker work.

Merry Christmas!

MERRY! MERRY!

These are two more paper cut outs that decorate our hallway for Christmas. A Nutcracker and a little tree join Chilly. They are made from a combination  of Canson art paper, Avery labels and Folk Art craft paint.

Wishing everyone who is kind enough to visit this little blog a very Merry Christmas! I'm looking forward to posting and sharing more stuff throughout the New Year.

Merry, Merry and Happy, Happy to All!!! 

Thanks so much!

—Tom

The Sargent Major.

The Sargent's humble little tree.

The Sargent Major flanked by "Chilly" and his humble tree.

Snowman Advent Calendar

Meet "Chilly"... Frosty's cousin.

The kids are counting down the days til Christmas with this snowman advent calendar. He's made from large sheets of Canson art paper, white masking tape and Avery dot labels.
Each window in numbered and has a little brush pen sketch inside.

I've used these Staedtler Marsgraphic Duo pens for years, they're awesome.  They are water based markers with a spongy tip brush on one end and a fine point marker on the other. This is a brand new pack that I could not wait to break open.

Peek-a-boo

The fourth day is a merry pug.

Herbie the elf.

 

I added glittery accents with Folk Art glitter acrylic. I keep separate brushes to use just for this kind of paint to keep glitter from getting into everything I'm working on!

 "Chilly" is not alone, he's got a few buddies with him, who'll be in another post.

Paper Cut-Out Turkeys!

I made these cut out turkeys to decorate the kids rooms for Thanksgiving. I love working with paper and try to make new little friends to join us for the holidays.

This is "Chubby..."

... and his girlfriend "Hildie."

They are made from Canson acid free art paper. It comes in large individual sheets in different textures. It's suitable for drawing with dry media and light washes and the range of colors are great. I use it often for cutouts.

"Chubby" up close.

I like how the light shows through the cut out shapes.

Large sheets are great for bigger designs.

Westcott "Extreme Edge"shears are awesome;

 they're a great addition to your studio 

if you work with paper. I can't operate without the 

stand-by Xacto knife; I misplace everything, 

so I keep at least a dozen throughout the studio.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! I have much to be grateful for; including you taking the time to check this out. Have a terrific holiday weekend!!!