By Elspeth C. Young
Elspeth C. Young's exquisite watercolors illustrate a century-old Christmas tale of a family on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona.  This story, based on actual chracters and events, is told in Karen J. Ashton's newest children's book: Growin' Christmas.  Enjoy a dramatic reading of the book by Rebekah A. Westfall, founder of Cozy Chair Publishing and take a moment to rate and review the book on Goodreads.

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Tags: 2020, Illustration, News

By Al R. Young If you are interested in obtaining a license to copy or publish an existing artwork
produced by the Artists of Al Young Studios, please see
Guidelines for requests to copy or publish artworks created by the Artists of Al Young Studios

If you are interested in commissioning Al Young Studios to create illustrations, please be aware of the following:1.   We work on a commission basis.  Only very rarely might we consider working on the basis of a royalty—very rarely... Read more »

Tags: 2014, Illustration, Operations announcements

By Al R. Young
To initiate a request for permission to reproduce images of artworks created by the Artists of Al Young Studios, please email to us the following information.  Answering these questions at the outset of your inquiry expedites our review of the application.1.   Identify each artwork, in which you are interested, by title and serial number.  Click here to browse the Studios' illustration portfolios.

2.   Description of intended use to be made of the image(s), such as the nature of the publication, presentation of the image in the publication, and media in which the publication will be distributed... Read more »

Tags: 2014, Illustration, News, Operations announcements

By Al R. Young
When I began experimenting with lithography in 1996, I focused on tonal rendering instead of line drawing because tonal pencil drawings had occupied much of my attention as an artist up until that time.
The work of artists whose interests draw them toward line as a means of expression has always delighted me, but my own interests invariably drew me toward tone instead.  I came to realize that were I to pursue line, I would have to study idiom and technique before I could express the subject; indeed, before I could even discover my own artistic identity in terms of line and then complete the long and arduous journey toward mastery... Read more »

Tags: Elspeth’s Hollyhocks, North Shore, Nasturtium, Wald Kirche, Old Dominion, Scabiosa, A Boy’s Prayer, Foxglove, Moonlit, Waiting, Untitled, Narcissus on beige paper, Narcissus on gray paper, July, The Almira, Columbine, Maine, Final Draft,

By Elspeth C. Young
Spending a "Sawrey Summer with Beatrix Potter" last year, inspired my pen.  While working on that issue's Hearth article, I had the pleasurable experience of learning firsthand from the whimsey of Miss Potter's artistry and visual cleverness.  The article featured a pen-and-ink and watercolor lesson encapsulating what I'd learned by studying her work--Peter Rabbit in particular.  I little dreamed, however, that I'd be back at it again this year, creating my own original pen-and-ink productions for a new series of publications by my father which are soon-to-come, but so it is... Read more »

Tags: 2012, Illustration