Year: 2011 | Megan Coyle: Artist & Illustrator

June 4, 2011February 2, 2017

My First Children’s Book: Duck & Fish – and a Giveaway

So here it is folks, the cover art for my first children’s book – Duck & Fish. It’s currently undergoing some editing, but I hope to have it completed relatively soon. I was pretty excited about putting this all together. It all began last fall with a couple of sketches and a rough draft of the story, and gradually, whenever I had a spare moment in between commissions and exhibition work, I would work on piecing together the illustrations and refine the storyline.

Duck & Fish tells the tale of a mallard duck who meets a flying fish at the beach. The two animals tell one another about the joys of flying in the sky or swimming underwater. Once they go their separate ways, Fish finds himself imagining what it would be like to fly while Duck ponders life underwater. What would happen if they could live such different lives?

To celebrate the release of my self-published book, I’m running a giveaway. You can enter for a chance to win a free copy of my book – the giveaway ends June 28th and the winners will be announced on June 30th. The giveaway is now closed and the winners have been announced.

And of course I couldn’t resist Photoshopping a picture of myself to include the two stars of the book – Duck and Fish.

June 3, 2011June 15, 2024

Drawing Inspiration from the Figure

Man at the Market by collage artist Megan Coyle — “Man at the Market.” Collage on mat board. 16″x20″
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June 3rd – 26th, 2011
Nicholas Colasanto Center; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Opening Reception: Friday, June 3rd
from 7:00 – 10:00p.m.

Megan Coyle’s “Man at the Market” collage was on display at the Del Ray Artisans’ “Drawing Inspiration from the Figure” group exhibition. The collage was made around the same time that Coyle worked on a series of portraits for her Art League solo exhibition.

For years artists have used models to understand proportion, structure, movement and expression of the human figure. These studies have paved the way for intricate and detailed works of art. For the Del Ray Artisans’ June exhibit, artists created works of art that reflected this inspiration that has been drawn from the human form. “Drawing Inspiration from the Figure” featured the work of local artists. It included figure drawings as well as completed works of art in a variety of mediums.

May 11, 2011January 29, 2017

Paper Collage at Krempp Gallery

Here’s the postcard for my Jasper, IN show at Krempp Gallery:

Front view

Back view

The show went up on May 4th and will run until the 27th. It includes several of my animal, portrait, landscape, and cityscape collages.

And here’s the Jasper Arts Center where the gallery is located.

Unfortunately, I won’t get a chance to see the exhibition up. I only had time to deliver my artwork before heading back home. Hopefully the gallery director will take a few pictures of the installed exhibit for me.

Anyway, I’m off to begin planning another solo show that’s coming up in July.

May 7, 2011October 27, 2017

First-Ever Collage Workshop

A week ago from today I ran my first-ever collage workshop in Jasper, IN. Above is an image of some of the attendees working away on collages. I like how the tables got covered in bits and pieces of paper.

An action shot of me presenting. I began the workshop with a brief overview of a history of collage, sharing the work of well-known collage artists, and then we worked on three collage projects. I planned out several projects for the class, but we only had time to create the first three.

Really getting into my talk. It’s amazing that a couple years ago I was terrified of public speaking. Then after several artist talks and a couple of lectures, I find myself really enjoying it. With the workshop I was only a little nervous about whether or not the attendees would have a good time and learn something. I was very pleased to see that they were enjoying themselves.

Some of the supplies alongside my postcard for the Krempp Gallery show.

I did a lot of pacing around the room, taking a look at what the attendees were working on and offering them a bit of help here and there if they needed it.

A couple collages made during the workshop.

Passing out materials while presenting the next project.

Some of the marketing materials I brought with me to give to the gallery.

Here we were working on a simplified version of my “painting with paper” collage technique. The attendees received reference photos of public domain images. First they made a quick sketch based on the photos, and then they started cutting and pasting magazine strips on top of the drawing. Here I am providing a bit of help during the drawing stage of the project.

A collage in progress along with the photo it was based on.

This attendee made a collage of a crane.

And here’s another crane that was being pieced together.

Towards the end, the tables were just about completely covered in paper.

Here I am with a couple of the ladies who work for the Jasper Arts Center.

The workshop lasted several hours, although it went by very quickly. It was a lot of fun and I was incredibly happy about the response I received from the attendees by the end of it. I was so glad that everyone had a good time. I know that I wouldn’t mind running another workshop sometime in the future.

May 5, 2011January 29, 2017

Bosty goes to Louisville

After Bosty heard that I was in Louisville, Kentucky, he got a little jealous and decided to go on his own trip. First he stopped by the Louisville Slugger Museum. He really liked the enormous bat out front and thought he could buy himself an enormous baseball at the gift shop. But alas, they had no giant baseballs.

Next he wandered around town and noticed a couple horse sculptures. He liked the way this one was painted to look like it was made of colorful puzzle pieces. Could he find anymore?

He sure could!

Next stop was the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. Bosty is quite the theatre enthusiast.

While going for a stroll, he noticed the KFC Yum! Center. For some strange reason he started craving fried chicken for lunch. Yum!

He walked by the river hoping to take a look at the beautiful sights overlooking the water. Unfortunately Louisville has had quite a bit of flooding from all the spring rain. The Ohio River was muddy from all the rainwater.

Bosty kept on strolling – he wanted to enjoy the cool, spring weather before going back to his hotel.

“Hmmm, I think I might know someone else who is in town. They’re not over here…”

“There she is!”

Bosty crept up right behind me. He’s always up to something!

May 4, 2011June 16, 2024

Paper Collage

Leisure Day by collage artist Megan Coyle — “Leisure Day.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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May 4th – 27th, 2011
Krempp Gallery, Jasper Arts Center
Jasper, Indiana
Map and Gallery Info

Artist Workshop: April 30th, 2011
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
More Info

“Paper Collage” was Megan Coyle’s first solo exhibition in the Midwest. The exhibit showcased a variety of Coyle’s collages – including portraits, animal portraits, and landscapes. From scenes depicting everyday life to portraits of animals that were inspired by Coyle’s visits to the National Zoo in DC, the exhibit was a great opportunity to see a wide range of her work in person.

The show shared Coyle’s unique technique of “painting with paper.” It included works that were completed over the past couple of years.

Before the opening of the exhibit, Megan ran her very first “Painting with Paper” Collage Workshop on April 30th, 2011.

April 30, 2011June 15, 2024

“Painting with Paper” Collage Workshop with Megan Coyle

Pelicans by collage artist Megan Coyle — “Pelicans.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″
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Saturday, April 30th, 2011
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Jasper Arts Center; Jasper, Indiana
Workshop is for Teens and Adults

Join collage artist Megan Coyle as she discusses different collage techniques. Coyle has worked with paper collage for over eight years. During that time, she has honed a technique that she calls “painting with paper” – where she manipulates magazine strips to create collages that look and feel like paintings.

Megan’s workshop will review several different paper collage techniques, including her “painting with paper” technique. Attendees will also create several small collages. The workshop is a great introduction to collage and will give more experienced collage artists a few tips and ideas.

This event is open to the public and costs $25 per person. You can register by contacting the Jasper Arts Center.

April 21, 2011March 5, 2017

Q & A: Outside of Collage

What’s your favorite color?

Blue. You can probably tell when you take a look at my artwork. Blue shows up again and again. Often times, if I’m working on a portrait and I’m not sure what color to use for a person’s shirt, I’ll just default to blue. I’ve also created a series of animal collages where I used an arbitrary color scheme – making the animals blue.

What other media do you like to use besides collage?

Collage is by far my favorite, although I’m interested in dabbling in film and animation. In the future, I may take some classes so I can get a better idea of the technical skills I’ll need in both areas.

I used to enjoy painting, but over time I drifted away from it. Below are a few of the paintings I did while in high school and college.

Do you do anything else for a living besides being an artist?

Yes – I work on the websites for a couple of nonprofits. After graduating from college in 2008, and in the midst of the recession, I realized I needed to teach myself a few skills that I didn’t gain from studying creative writing and painting in school. So I read several tutorials, watched how-to videos online, and taught myself the necessary software and coding for putting together websites.

The design and problem-solving aspects of working on websites is why I like it so much. And the skills I’ve taught myself for non-studio-art-related-work have really helped me when it comes to promoting my art. Thanks to my studies, I was able to design the logo and layout for my website, and also be my own webmaster.

What are your hobbies?

Daydreaming and storytelling. Reading and learning about technology. Exploring new cities. Learning new things. Being an avid watcher of Netflix Instant Watch Movies. Living the creative life.

What do you think is the most inspiring place to visit?

Anywhere, really. If I’m in the mood or if I’m visiting someplace new for the first time, it’s amazing how inspired you can get just by looking at the scenery with a fresh pair of eyes.

April 18, 2011January 29, 2017

Bosty Enjoys the Spring Weather

Bosty noticed some of the neighborhood dogs were being walked, and demanded that I take him for a walk as well. It was a gorgeous day outside, why not go out and enjoy the warm weather?

He loved taking a look at all the spring flowers that were blossoming.

He even found some flowers that he decided to name “Bosty Flowers” because they were purple just like him.

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling down the city streets, imagining what the people were like that lived in the colorful townhouses.

April 10, 2011January 29, 2017

It’s Only Rock n’ Roll, But I Like It!

Yesterday I gallery sat at the Del Ray Artisans’ for their “It’s Only Rock n’ Roll, But I Like It!” exhibition. The show features work inspired by musicians, bands, instruments, and anything music-related.

When I arrived at the gallery, I was pleased to see that my “Guitar” collage had sold. A local purchased it during the opening reception about a week ago.

It was dreary outside, but the gallery sure looked great.

And I was especially impressed by a hand-made and functional bass guitar that was on display. Any three-dimensional work I make seems to come out looking flimsy. I’m not accustomed to working that way, and I’m always in awe of those that can do a fine job at making sculptural work.Anyway, I hope everyone has had a lovely week. I had a chance to spend quite a few hours on my children’s book. I’m getting close to finishing it, but still have quite a bit of work ahead of me. I’m definitely looking forward to posting the cover art once it is complete.