tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13012989146163731332012-01-30T00:06:23.944-05:00an illustrated blog by Margeaux LucasMargeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-28527980930185506782012-01-23T23:58:00.000-05:002012-01-23T23:58:10.895-05:00

This past year I spent some time in New Orleans.  I'd often sit on my balcony, enjoying the shade and watching horse drawn carriages roll by.  It was here I could smell the scent of jasmine; exotic and sweet, wafting through the trees.  Such a gorgeous scent. I wondered what Jasmine would look like in human form...I did a pen and ink sketch, which was set aside and forgotten. I found the

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-3474609640993017832011-12-15T12:37:00.000-05:002011-12-15T12:37:03.098-05:00

Here it is, winter again.  Christmas on the way, and an early gift by way of my mother was a package of little black canvasses.  I've never painted on black canvas before, but it gives a wonderful gothic effect, so cool for fairy tales.... Little Red Riding Hood, acrylic on 4"x4" black canvas thanks, mom : )

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-56487307665300144072011-10-25T11:37:00.001-04:002011-10-25T11:40:25.340-04:00

Yes, it's nearly here - one of my favorite holidays.  This image was inspired by a vintage pinup photo that was given to me by a friend.  Here it is, sketch and finish. Have a Happy Halloween. Eat lots of candy : )

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-89708485326439282782011-10-03T15:41:00.000-04:002011-10-03T15:41:03.005-04:00

As a gift for my nephew, I customized this guitar strap. Old school sharpie on leather.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-33668556527787259312011-09-20T11:33:00.000-04:002011-09-20T11:33:30.541-04:00

Here's a cover idea for my children's book Lulu Loves Lilac.  I'm very excited about this project as, after years of illustrating other writer's work, I'm now illustrating my own.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-20398077933353928502011-07-03T11:21:00.000-04:002011-07-03T11:21:42.655-04:00

A digital illustration for one of my favorite fun poems(which I know by heart); "The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five pound note..."

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-67278098851117574352011-03-17T18:46:00.000-04:002011-03-17T18:46:16.472-04:00

My Snow White painting, revised and made into a postcard for the show.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-52913074459303737202011-03-02T22:07:00.000-05:002011-03-02T22:07:07.713-05:00

  I'm very excited to be working on a production of Snow White for the New Acting Company this year.  The director wanted an image for the poster - something gothic and kind of old school -  so I painted this, along with a few other designs for him to choose from.  It's not the exact image we'll be using (I'll post that one later),but this one is my favorite.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-35837250049265701822011-02-01T22:13:00.000-05:002011-02-01T22:13:33.116-05:00

...and I'm dreaming of Spring.  What else can one do when the world turns to snow and ice?  Paint birds, that's what. These might be yours if you wish...you'll find them here.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-89217210633562664992011-01-09T15:23:00.002-05:002011-01-16T00:26:32.661-05:00

December 26...New York City, blanketed under snow so deep it swallows up cars, is beautiful as only New York in the snow can be;  soft.  white.  silent.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-13498564933410745962010-12-22T22:53:00.001-05:002010-12-23T20:34:47.168-05:00

Last night there was a lunar eclipse, coinciding with the winter solstice - I heard that these two days, before last night, had not converged in something like 400 years. Did I see it? No.  I think I felt it, though.  How else to explain the urge to paint, coinciding with the discovery, amongst the ruins of my closet, of two beautiful sets of paints, both oil and acrylic, and a box spilling out

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-18471177823844622112010-12-09T16:43:00.001-05:002010-12-09T16:45:28.212-05:00

Growing up, my delicate stomach made all but the tamest carnival rides off limits.  So I spent many happy childhood moments on carousels.  Okay, maybe some grownup ones, too.  I find vintage carousel art especially beautiful.  This is one of a series of images I made based on antique carousel carvings.  The original art is available here

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-38765013053007795512010-12-04T11:18:00.002-05:002011-02-08T14:09:09.790-05:00

For some reason lately I've been obsessed with paper dolls.  They are kind of old school, but maybe that's why I like them.  Here is my first go at a doll for children (and possibly grownups like me.)  Kate is available on etsy

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-59325135894752799702010-11-11T15:11:00.000-05:002010-11-11T15:11:41.480-05:00

For my sister's birthday, this small canvas of a meadowlark, painted with acrylic and, when I ran out of that, gouache.  I chose this bird because a Meadowlark in your home is thought to be a good omen.  Happy Birthday, sis.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-79115568212793527592010-10-26T12:58:00.001-04:002011-02-08T14:04:14.880-05:00

One of my my favorite holidays is just around the corner, so I've been in that kind of mood lately.  Which explains Mr. and Mrs. Jack-o-Lantern.  Happy haunting!

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-18757095399010426312010-10-20T01:26:00.001-04:002010-10-21T23:19:05.299-04:00

Purely for fun, here are two portraits I painted, based on similar portraits by the masters Domenico Ghirlandaio and Hans Holbein. In the spirit of  Halloween, (one of my favorite holidays),  I have altered them to my taste with some gothic touches.  Goauche on paper.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-28047685459659782292010-10-01T23:45:00.000-04:002010-10-01T23:45:43.978-04:00

The word 'fall' traces it's origins through the old English faellen and the Old Norse fall, words having the meaning "to fall from a height".  The term came into use in 16th Century England as a contraction of expressions like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year". There are so many ways to fall - overboard; to pieces; in love; to sleep...and there is that famous fall of Alice's.  I love

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-70980615646405088702010-09-17T18:09:00.000-04:002010-09-17T18:09:39.791-04:00

In honor of Fall, something appropriately gothic - illustrations for Hansel & Gretel, commissioned by Wireless Generation.  I love fairy tales.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-26371934713244661692010-08-12T20:58:00.001-04:002010-09-11T21:39:35.645-04:00

"In summer, the song sings itself." - William Carlos Williams. Ahh, summer...it's been wonderful having time off to do whatever I want.  I still haven't made it to Central Park with my sketchbook, but there's still time...if I don't end up simply lying in the grass, whiling away the time looking at the clouds, that is. Digital painting, inspired by this season, all-too-fleeting.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-28660401944191443952010-08-05T21:20:00.000-04:002010-08-05T21:20:25.255-04:00

Lately I find myself weary of this heat and wishing for a nice cooling summer rain... Pencil drawing enhanced with digital painting, 6.5"x14"

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-81462600228700272552010-07-15T22:21:00.001-04:002010-07-16T07:21:33.976-04:00

Five hours, 2 cups of coffee and plenty of blue paint = this backdrop for The New Acting Company.  Acrylic on canvas triptych, 6x8 feet.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-34277457274196315592010-07-05T15:06:00.001-04:002010-07-05T18:55:28.367-04:00

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." - Chinese Proverb acrylic on canvas, 2.75" x 2.75"

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-40120224254121090402010-06-23T16:43:00.003-04:002010-06-24T01:36:22.384-04:00

Question: What does one give a red-haired, Edward Gorey-tattooed southern belle for her birthday?  Answer; a 2.5"x 3" vampiric memento, painted on an appropriately dark and stormy night, with acrylic paint and glitter nail polish.  Small enough to travel in a padded envelope to New Orleans, where all good vampires live.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-12457447924088437542010-06-08T21:20:00.002-04:002010-06-09T12:21:22.583-04:00

Just in time for summer, Dancing Dinos At The Beach has been released by Random House. This is the third book in the Dancing Dinos series. It was written by my mother, Sally Lucas. Mom always said, 'one day you and I will do a book together'...I used to roll my eyes at this, never thinking it would actually happen. Well mom, you were right. Times three.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-21070300496710436252010-05-21T10:11:00.002-04:002010-05-21T10:14:36.915-04:00

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-38422876355383045672010-04-30T16:49:00.003-04:002010-04-30T16:54:28.433-04:00

I'm thrilled to have been mentioned in this review of Peter Pan that appeared in the New York Times today : )

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-22169391547089128262010-03-31T23:16:00.002-04:002010-03-31T23:27:47.346-04:00

Impossible to describe the rush I feel when facing a 10 by 20 foot white wall that's just waiting for color. When you paint this big you paint with your whole body. It's an amazing feeling - exciting yet peaceful at the same time. My only regret was that I had only 2 days for this - I could have painted like this, all day, every day, for a very long time....Details from the finished mural (

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-29217366067531143722010-03-27T11:19:00.002-04:002010-03-27T11:34:40.743-04:00

I painted this a number of years ago. It's part of a series of figurative paintings done with gouache on paper...it's one of my favorite paintings.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-88875544212239244292010-03-14T22:28:00.006-04:002010-03-14T23:25:33.748-04:00

Just back from a production meeting for the play Peter Pan, where I presented my design for a painting that's to cover the back wall of the stage, providing a theatrical backdrop for much of the play. Thankfully the director loved it, though I may enhance some of the colors, and he wants an Indian camp added to the forest...there are always changes to be made.I love doing scenic work. Since so

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-82689592665461291802009-12-14T00:47:00.008-05:002009-12-14T11:17:38.050-05:00

I love fairy tales - the gothic images they evoke have always fascinated me. So I was very excited when Heather Miller, Director of Content at a wonderful company called Wireless Generation asked me to illustrate Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Heather's idea for this book totally hooked me, because, unlike most books, this one will be done using photo illustration. I'll be working with

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-76617825262199564632009-12-07T16:05:00.004-05:002009-12-07T16:11:49.087-05:00

In the midst of winter, a breath of summer...wildflowers bought at the Union Square farmer's market this past summer.

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-68056746451332832652009-09-27T21:16:00.005-04:002009-09-27T22:32:10.959-04:00

While living in Miami many years ago, I had the good fortune to meet and work with a number of gifted artists from all over the world. We worked together in studios scattered throughout Lincoln Road Mall in South Beach. It was there that I learned the art of cast glass sculpture.The process is long, difficult and dangerous - which makes it all the sweeter when done successfully.First, a model is

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-2647701013643672622009-09-08T16:24:00.006-04:002009-09-09T14:47:26.064-04:00

This past weekend I attended a life drawing session at The Slipper Room, a burlesque theater in the east village. As one might expect from such a venue, this was not your usual, academic life drawing experience. I wasn't sure what to expect, and found myself walking from a sunny New York street into a dark theater that had the look and feel of a David Lynch set. It was noir and glam and seedy and

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-50093066502668240322009-09-03T20:18:00.011-04:002009-09-24T16:33:40.272-04:00

It's interesting to see what sometimes happens to art after you make it. Sometimes it's nothing; other times the art seems to take on a life of it's own. Often you have no control over that.Generally speaking, anything that extends the life and appeal of a commercial project is good. In the case of my book Alpha Bettie, this came in the form of toys made of the main character and her dog.Much

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-66674775687501802782009-08-20T11:11:00.018-04:002010-01-05T10:01:21.561-05:00

My favorite UES hot yoga studio has been reincarnated as Earth Yoga. I'm so happy about this. I've always loved the space and have had many great moments of peace and reflection there...it has a beautiful bamboo floor and three large windows that fill the studio with light....I had a wonderful class with my favorite teacher there tonight - Isauro Fernandez, whose Ki-Yoga style has everything that

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-31325348300336887052009-08-07T00:32:00.005-04:002009-08-07T00:54:57.513-04:00

A fellow illustrator, John Manders, has a great blog in which he demonstates his painting technique. John and I both work in gouache, an opaque watercolor that lends itself to a range of effects, from totally opaque to translucent. John also utilizes underpainting, which is a first step in a layered painting style where a monotone color is used to establish the overall pattern of lights and

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-15016476185234865752009-06-29T22:47:00.001-04:002009-12-14T01:02:57.610-05:00

The idea for this painting came to me one afternoon about 10 years ago, when I was sitting in a coffeeshop on Spring street. It was autumn. I'd been living in the desert and had only been in the city for a few months. It was my first taste of the season again - the rich colors, the dry, spicy scents and the way the leaves seemed to dance almost magically through the air...it was all so beautiful

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301298914616373133.post-76242679716545168722009-06-21T11:25:00.001-04:002009-08-02T21:54:31.102-04:00

"Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well." - Vincent Van GoghThe first day of summer.and my first post.....it's been an interesting summer so far. These months usually allow time off from a somewhat insane schedule of commercial work, allowing me to try new things, like painting

Margeauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09963119214592146881noreply@blogger.com1