Caricatures, Silhouettes and Illustrations by Leona Hosack

        I have to say that I did more caricature gigs in 2024, not to mention a few Silhouette gigs this year than I ever have in the fourteen years or so that I've been doing silhouettes and caricatures at events throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Mass. I'm looking forward to upcoming gigs in 2025! My calendar is already starting to fill in!        Some of my events this year included several wedding receptions, a baby shower, birthday parties, a family day at a retirement community, an anniversary party on a yacht, comic cons for kids in Portland, Me and Concord, NH, a lawn chair festival, prom parties, late night project grad. celebrations, fall festivals, and several corporate parties as well as Holiday events! I just loved being a part of all of these and have never had as much fun doing Caricatures and Silhouettes for people! Here are a few!   A princess at Kids Con in Concord  asked me to draw her caricature! A project grad. in ...

Last year I was so happy to illustrate a book called "The Improbable Adventures of Boblepop" published by Anne Gordon Perry of Nine Petals Press, out of Texas. This book by Anne's father, Frank N. Gordon (published post-humously ) was based on bedtime stories that her father told to her and her siblings as kids. This and the one below are two of my favorite illustrations from this book, if I say so myself!

Drawing Caricatures all year has been such a source of joy for me, and after the reduced events of the past two years,  it was so much fun, doing caricatures at parties, weddings, festivals and graduation events! I think I have had more gigs this year than before the Pandemic, which is really meaningful to me, since this is my tenth year doing caricatures! Below are photos from a few of my Fall gigs! Some people always ask me what part of the face I choose to exaggerate first and how I decide that.  I don't really think about it consciously, because I'm used to doing this.  But If I take the time to think about it I would choose to increase or reduce whatever stands out to me first when I look at a person. Large ears will be larger, small eyes smaller, long hair, longer- all compared to the rest of the face.  Each caricaturist does it a different way but, I draw the face from the inside out. I found out that if I draw the outline of the face first I have trouble maki...

 Faces, Faces, Faces So grateful to be doing caricatures again! In June I was hired to do four different graduation events that occurred in the same week! three out of the four were in the middle of the night at all-night grad parties! I drew this caricature of this cute couple during the 2021 Project Graduation party at Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center in Sanford,Maine I did this caricature at Portsmouth High Project Grad. party in Portsmouth,NH. I had a lot of fun doing this caricature of students from Mt. Ararat high School (Topsham,Me.) at their graduation party in Harpswell, Me. Another caricature of students at the same party.

While cleaning out my art portfolio recently I found this piece of calligraphy that I did around forty years ago! I did the guitar design in the center as well.  It was done on parchment paper in ink and watercolors. I think I sold the original years ago to someone, I don't remember who. But I had made a color copy of it before I let it go. The quote is by Richard Wagner.  I studied Calligraphy and Illustration in College among other things and since I don't do much calligraphy anymore, this may be one of the few pieces of my own calligraphy that I have left.   I have made it available for purchase on several well-made and beautiful items in my RedBubble shop. You can check it out with the link below. https://www.redbubble.com/i/throw-pillow/The-Language-Of-Tones-Guitar-Design-by-leonahosack/69895643.5X2YF

  A number of years ago, I went to a children's book conference at the University of Mass. with some friends. We got to see Tommy Di Palo (StregaNona, etc.) speak about his Italian-Irish family and how he based many of his books on his upbringing in that culture.  One of the workshops I took that day was presented by the noted African-American children's book illustrator James Ransome. He showed slides of his work and discussed his method of illustration and especially how he used composition to compliment the action in his books! After the workshop I got to ask him a question I had because I was working on a children's book at the time that featured an African-American child.  I asked about illustrating children from a different culture or race than your own. I had previously read an article saying that illustrators or writers should stay within their own race or culture in their artistic endeavors. In other words, since I'm white do I have the right to illustrate or w...

  Memories-  I remember being a kid about 5 or older, going with my mom to the textile mill shop to pick out fabric for whatever project my Mom was working on for her latest sewing client. She always had customers coming to our house for her wonderful sewing skills.  She often did alterations for them and created hand-made clothing. We went quite often to the textile store. Oh how I loved getting lost in that store, hiding among the rich beautiful bolts of fabrics nestled close together on shelves. It seemed like there were hundreds of them. I became intoxicated by the textures, colors, patterns and feel of the cloth.  When I was in College majoring in Illustration/Visual Design, with a concentration on Children's Books, I did a work-study job for at least one semester, being an assistant to one of the Textile teachers. Besides basic cleaning up after students I got to organize drawing materials, and including labeling shells and other nature items, and putting away ...