Caricatures, Silhouettes and Illustrations by Leona Hosack

Red & Shorty's Coffee House! A very acoustically live room and a great little stage! Ever notice how when you are doing something you dislike or feel forced to do, you feel busy or overwhelmed, but when you are doing what you love you can't get enough and being busy doesn't affect you the same way? I could be drawing caricatures for five hours and then at night I when I'm resting I may still feel like drawing! What a greeeeat weekend I had! I was fortunate to be able to do caricaturing, silhouettes and music all in the same weekend! And yes I was busy but it didn't feel that way! I did caricatures at a wedding reception, Friday night, and then got to sing with my husband Larry at  the wedding on Saturday morning. I performed with Salt River at Red and Shorty's Coffeehouse in Dover, NH, Saturday night and did silhouettes at a music festival in Newberry, Mass on Sunday! Needless to say I was tired Sunday night but happy to be doing what I love! ...

What are these ladies standing around for? What are they waiting to do? Getting it done seems so impossible sometimes! I did this drawing of Nesting Dolls for a project I was happy to be involved with a few years back! They remind me of how hard it is to get going on something you want to accomplish. Sometimes it feels easier to just "stand around" than to tackle the thing you're putting off. And sometimes I feel as stationary as these dolls look! Pen and Ink drawing done for "Sarah Farmer's Dream Activity Book published by Spirit of Children This image from Time Management Ninja helps me to remember to work towards balance in my day. Check out their article on 5 Secrets of Keeping Your Daily Life in Balance   Today is going to be a balancing act ! www.timemanagementninja.com  In this Ted Talk on The Discipline of Finishing Conor Neill shares different ideas about focusing, and at one point mentions  focusing on just fifteen minutes at a time! ...

Gretchen Rubin says in her insightful book"happiness Project" that determining your passion, if you don't already know what it is, is easier if you think about what you did at the age of ten for fun! "But whatever your passion might be, happiness research predicts that making time for a passion and treating it as a real priority instead of an "extra" to be fitted in at a free moment (which many people practically never have) will bring a tremendous happiness boost."  "...What you enjoyed doing as a ten-year-old, or choose to do on a free Saturday afternoon, is a strong indication of your passion." I remember when I was ten, I drew all the time. I sang all the time too! I loved putting the poems in the back of my third grade reader to music just for fun. When I was sixteen I asked my folks for a guitar and have been playing ever since!  One time someone  I didn't know well and haven't seen since, told me that I should choos...

 Charles Burns, an amazing silhouettist from England talks about the silhouette cameo or  bust-length portrait, originally known as shades that were popular all over England and early American during the Georgian and Regency periods. You can find interesting bits of history mixed in with his wonderful silhouette cutting, including some full length silhouettes at his blog. http://www.roving-artist.com/classic/index.html  I've only done a  full length silhouette of a bride so far, but hope to do more in the future!  A silhouette of a baby I cut at The Shaker Village in Alfred, Maine last wekend! When I start cutting a silhouette I always start with the bottom right hand edge of the profile and work up to the face, forehead and the top of the head, Then I jump back down to the bottom and cut across to the left and then proceed up the back of the head, finishing the hair. I then make any extra cuts for details in the hair or anywhere else!  I alw...

Whenever I do silhouettes at festivals or other events, people ask me questions about the history of Silhouettes, and love sharing annecdotes about how their teacher in elementary school set up a light and cast their shadow on the wall and traced their silhouette.!  At the festival in Alfred last weekend someone walked by and as soon as he saw my silhouette sign started singing that old song "Silhouettes on the Shade"! I think I'll have to have that song playing in the background at my next gig! What do you think? What specifically are Silhouettes and how long have silhouettes been around anyway?  Wikipedia states that  a "silhouette is an image of a person, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single color, usually black, its edges matching the outline of the subject." I've heard that Silhouettes could have originated in ancient Greece, but most historical sources mention that that they became particularly popular in the mid-18th century, t...

This is a watercolor I did a while ago for the inside of one of  Salt River's CD's. Must be Maine! There was a huge turnout at the Shaker Hill Apple Fest in Alfred, Maine this past weekend. The weather was wonderful, though it rained a bit on Saturday morning early. Luckily the tents worked well to keep the rain off and it didn't last long. I cut many silhouettes and enjoyed talking with people and hearing their stories of how their Grandmother had their silhouettes done when they were kids, or how they had them done at Disney world or at Old Orchard Beach. People always ask how I cut the silhouettes and are surprised when I tell them I just look and cut! No lights, tracing or pre-drawing! Isn't it funny how we can recognize a silhouette of a person from the side when we never seem to spend time looking at our friends from the side. Happy Fall Festival Season!

This past weekend I enjoyed cutting silhouettes ,and doing portraits and caricatures of people of all ages, but I especially love drawing and silhouetting the kids! But sometimes, especially at a fair or festival a child just doesn't want to sit still or even smile. Now I work very quickly and don't mind squirming children, but sometimes parents will feel embarrassed if their child is getting close to that tantrum stage. I try to speak directly to the child and make eye contact when I can, which is what I need do anyway to get a good view of their face when I'm doing a portrait or caricature. I always have my favorite "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" ready to hand to parents when the wiggles get the better hand of a younger child. This is me cutting Silhouettes at the Strawberry Festival last June . This family has come back for new silhouettes every year for the last few years! Here are  some pictures I just found in my files from last year at Alfred F...