News
Member of the Week – Ian Dale
Ian Dale is a Los Angeles–based children’s illustrator creating lively character-driven illustrations with a versatile semi-realistic style. Ian is especially drawn towards projects that make a difference in people’s lives, and seeks to explore how visual art can amplify the stories of those less visible among us. Ian frequently illustrates for non-profit and faith-based organizations and publishers, and his work has been available to kids around the world. Ian illustrated a best-selling Bible...
Member of the Week – Barbara DiLorenzo
BARBARA DILORENZO graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration and studied painting at the Arts Students League of New York. She is the author-illustrator of ONE THURSDAY AFTERNOON (Flyaway Books), RENATO THE LION (Viking/Penguin Random House), which was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection, and QUINCY (Little Bee), a Crystal Kite Award finalist. [video width="1920" height="1080"...
SAVE THE DATE! Illustration West 61 Award Winners Exhibition Oct. 4 – 27, 2023
Illustration West 61 Award Winners Exhibition October 4, 2023 - October 27, 2023 Los Angeles City College, Da Vinci Hall Gallery [OPENING NIGHT: OCTOBER 4, 2023 4:00pm TO 7:00pm] [RUN OF SHOW: Monday to Thursday 12:00pm to 4:00pm and Friday 10:00am to 2:00pm] Explore the best of international Illustration! LACC will be exhibiting world-class illustration from “Illustration West 61”, the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles’ annual competition. This competition, held every year since 1961,...
Member of the Week – Daniel Sulzberg
Daniel Sulzberg is a Santa Barbara based award winning illustrator and writer that specializes in bright, wonderfully wacky, and detailed illustrations that are a perfect match for his imaginative storytelling. In the past, Daniel has worked as a staff writer for the CW's Smallville, and has created an animated series for Dreamworks Animation. He has worked with clients such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Major League Soccer, Google, Youtube, Nike and Sesame Street. Outside of his...
Member of the Week – Michi Doan
Art has always been a way for Michi to express her emotions. She started out drawing trees because she likes the environment and nature. Over time, she developed aspects of magic into her artwork, incorporating dreams, mystical creatures, and beings. Her goal is to bring joy to her audiences while expanding her ability to tell stories through art. She creates paintings that attract fine art collectors and local customers who love nature and fantasy to bring peace and calm into their...
September SILA Sketch Lounge – revised date…
Tuesday, September 26, 2023 7pm – 9pm PT Relax, sketch, fix yourself a drink, and toss it around with other illustrators on Zoom. To get the Zoom link (will be sent an hour before the event starts): RSVP info@si-la.org
Member of the Week – Ben Bensen
Ben Bensen, Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles Air Force Chair (2010-present), recalls his first professional assignment as an artist. While in his senior year at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, he painted a pocket watch for a billboard design to advertise Hub City Bank. He has been making a living as an artist ever since that day in 1971. Graduating from USL, Ben left Louisiana to attend the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena,...
Member of the Week – Waiji Choo
Waiji Choo is an artist from Singapore who has always been passionate about architecture, fantasy and storytelling. He currently works in Los Angeles for both the Film and Video game industry by building immersive worlds through his imagination. With his career as a Sr. Concept Artist/ Visual Development Artist, he has worked alongside studios and projects from Paramount Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix, NCSOFT, etc. SILA Gallery: https://si-la.org/member-portfolio/waiji-choo-2/...
Blue Rooster, SILA Sponsor, Is Having A Sale…..Sales!
BLUE ROOSTER: Back To School sale is coming up on August 27th - September 18th. Everything will be 15% off for students and teachers, plus we'll have a huge deal on certain standard BTS pads - drawing pads, newsprint, etc. where they'll all be $10 each, even the big 18x24" pads! Also! On September 13th, we'll be hosting our first, annual Blue Rooster Open House event for teachers and faculty, plus students are welcome. It'll be 5-9pm at our Pasadena store. It'll be a great time to come see...
Member of the Week: Lester Yocum
I create traditional and electronic theaters of the mind, written, spoken and seen. Now retired, I worked for decades in the traditional and computerized web, gallery, print, training and presentation markets for local firms, multinational corporations and federal government agencies. I continue to create national and international award-winning projects, including website consulting, design, creation, and maintenance; developing dynamic content management systems; traditional and digital...
Illustration West 62 Call for Entries Is Ready For You!
Showchair: Jon Messer Judges: Jennifer Bruce Ted (Slampyak) Kinyak Jorge Mascarenhas Mark Smith Tetiana “Tania” Yakunova www.illustrationwest.org
Member of the Week – Leo Monahan
Leo Monahan (Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles 1988 Lifetime Achievement Awardee and President 1966, 2080 & 2081) was born in Lead, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He spent most of his childhood in the shadow of Mt. Rushmore and lived a Tom Sawyer like existence among a few hundred people strung along five miles of creek. High school graduation and the Korean War both took place in June 1950. Leo enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent most of the time in Korea and Japan. After being...
SILA Congratulates Barron Storey on His SINY Hall of Fame Induction!
Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles Congratulates Barron Storey SINY 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee On September 9, 2023 the Society of Illustrators in New York will be honoring Barron Storey at their Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. © no artwork displayed can be used without permission of the artist, Barron Storey
August SILA Sketch Lounge
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 7pm – 9pm PT Relax, sketch, fix yourself a drink, and toss it around with other illustrators on Zoom. To get the Zoom link (will be sent an hour before the event starts): RSVP info@si-la.org
Member of the Week – Don Weller
Don Weller drew horses and cowboys and roped calves in high school and college rodeos. After graduating from Washington State University, he sold his horses and moved to Los Angeles where he spent decades doing graphic design, and illustration (posters for the Hollywood Bowl, Warner Bros. Records, the NFL, covers for TV Guide, Time magazine, stamps for the U.S. Post Office and more). He also taught, first at UCLA and for a decade at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. In 1982 the...
Member of the Week: Tyler Charlton
Tyler Charlton is an illustrator and children’s book author residing in the Virginia side of the Washington, DC metro area with his wife and three children. Originally from Santa Barbara, CA, Tyler enlisted in the US Army infantry after high school (1994-98), returned to California for college, and earned a BA in History. In that process, however, Tyler rediscovered the picture making he enjoyed in his early years. So, while working as a proofreader and then editor at an academic history...
From Our Friends at SCBWI: SCBWI CenCal’s Annual Writers’ Day ~ Sept. 9, 2023
Are you an illustrator interested in creating for the children's book market? Or are you already a children's book illustrator looking for advice, work, contacts, direction, and camaraderie? The Central Coast Region of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is holding their first in-person event in several years, at the Camarillo Library on September 9th, 2023. Though the event is called Writers Day this year's event is an especially unique opportunity for area illustrators...
Member of the Week – Jun Zhou
Innovation is at the core of Zhou's work, and she strives to create art that is full of challenges and requires creative thinking rather than copying others' styles. Zhou's unique blend of traditional techniques and modern technology creates a distinct visual style that sets her apart from other artists. She enjoys combining techniques and traditions to create her pieces and using unusual visual strategies to solve problems and create unexpected solutions. She makes colorful children's mazes...
At Comic-Con: SILA presents Han Cholo! Booth #1720
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, “Han Cholo” designer, Brandon Schoolhouse, grew up immersed in the sub culture of Hollywood’s music and art scene. The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, founded in 1953, is firmly established as the major professional art entity on the West Coast providing significant contribution to the vitality of not only the community itself, but the nation as well. SILA salutes the great artists of the past and, whatever direction the arts may take in the...
NEW START DATE! Writing Longform Comics: Graphic Novels & Series With Jim Higgins August 31 – October 19, 2023 ~ 5:00 pm-8:00 pm PT $450.00
Instead of focusing on doing a short comics story like in the Making Comics class, this eight-week class focuses on writing a detailed outline for a graphic novel, a miniseries, or the first story arc of an ongoing series. Any subject matter, any genre, even non-fiction. The story is workshopped in detail, the structure is analyzed, and the writer makes final decisions about what’s in and out, all with the aid of the group, finishing with a scene by scene outline. There will be lots of...