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I always look forward to the first Sunday of every month here at 7-Imp, since that’s when I feature student or recently graduated illustrators, and today is no exception. I’m happy to introduce you to Esm\u00e9 Shapiro<\/a><\/strong>, a recent grad. Let’s just get right to it, since she says a bit below and shares even more artwork. <\/p>\n I thank her for visiting. <\/p>\n (Please note that all of the images below are at Esm\u00e9’s site<\/a><\/strong>, as well as her Tumblr presence<\/a><\/strong>, and you can also read further at those cyberspace stops about the ideas behind the images. For instance, the above is an illustration for a story she wrote, called “Carmella Chameleon.”)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Esm\u00e9<\/font><\/strong>: Hello! I\u2019m Esm\u00e9 Shapiro. I just graduated in May from the Rhode Island School of Design<\/a><\/strong> with my BFA in Illustration. Now I am a freelance illustrator living on a tree-lined block in Brooklyn, New York, with my puppy, Chebini. <\/p>\n I grew up amongst the palm trees of Los Angeles in a little oasis of a neighborhood called Laurel Canyon, which is where old Hollywood stars and directors used to build their hunting lodges. When I was a little girl, I would imagine I was a starlet from the 1920s and dress up in long gowns to go on long hikes through the cactus-studded hills. Laurel Canyon cultivated my interest in the styles and stories from the past and my love of nature, and I believe that you can see that in my work.<\/p>\n I tend to work very small, especially now that I have moved into a tiny Brooklyn apartment. Sometimes people are very surprised when they see how small a painting actually is in real life. I usually work on mat board with tons of layered gouache and watercolor. I spend a lot of time preparing for the image, but when it comes to the actual act of painting, I work really fast. It\u2019s like the painting already exists, and it\u2019s up to my right hand to create it. It\u2019s a lot of pressure on my hand, but I think it handles it well.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nI have a big book shoved next to my pillow of all the projects I would like to do, and the list goes on for what seems like forever. Of course, my biggest dream is to see one of my children\u2019s books published, but there are a lot of other projects too. I would also like to design children\u2019s textiles, art-direct animations, build a giant dome to live in, paint huge murals, illustrate for all types of magazines, build a giant pink zebra, and then eventually a miniature pink zebra. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n