animal art | Megan Coyle: Artist & Illustrator

May 24, 2017May 29, 2017

Animal Collages from Japan

Coyle-inspired collage made by a student in Japan — Collage by Bella

Erica’s Grade 3 class from Japan made their own animal collages after using one of my online collage lesson plans. It was wonderful getting to see images of their work – I like how several of the students incorporated magazine cutouts that had bits and pieces of text.

I always enjoy hearing from students and teachers who study my work in school, and I enjoy it even more when I get to see what the students have made. It’s a lot of fun seeing how each artist has their own unique style and adds their own bit of personality to their art.

I hope these students continue to make artwork. Their work is already very impressive, just imagine what they could accomplish in a few years!

April 3, 2017June 18, 2024

Malachi

Portrait of a Dog by collage artist Megan Coyle — “Malachi” Collage on paper. 9″x12″
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Animals are one of my favorite subjects to tackle when it comes to piecing together my collages. Here’s a piece where I was commissioned to collage a dog that has two different color eyes. I’m thinking my next couple of collages will involve some more wildlife.

In other news, I’m planning to get started with exploring a couple different mediums. As much as I enjoy making collages, it’s always good to change things up every once in a while.

December 27, 2015June 19, 2024

Talking Like a Parrot

Yesterday I created a time lapse video that shows the making of a parrot collage, and above is the finished piece – a photo in better lighting! I’m realizing that I’ll need to play around with lighting for future videos. In general, I’ve decided that I need to make more videos of my process and I’m thinking of perhaps coming out with a series where I answer frequently asked questions. So stay tuned – brand new content has yet to come!

January 13, 2015June 17, 2024

Alligator

Last night I completed my first collage in 2015. This piece was commissioned by a teacher from Washington state, who is having her students study my work in class. I think it’s absolutely wonderful that she reached out to me to have a work of art made that she can share with her students, so they can see one of my collages in person! I also had a lot of fun working on this piece – especially with the detailing for the gator’s scales.

And now I’m off frame and prep the collage for shipping…

October 21, 2014June 17, 2024

Red Fox

A couple of weeks ago I completed this commissioned collage of a red fox. I definitely had a lot of fun working on this one. I enjoyed working with the color palette and finding bits and pieces of texture to add alongside solid pieces of color. Foxes are such beautiful and colorful creatures. No wonder I liked putting together this collage.

May 24, 2013June 17, 2024

Watchful Tiger

I’ve been taking a bit of a break from my art-making so I can unwind and experiment with other media. However, I’m still working away on collages here and there. This week I completed my latest commission, a tiger collage. The client had purchased my “Watchful Lion” collage, and was interested in getting a tiger collage to go along with it. She also wanted a sunset in the background of the composition.

So as I worked on this piece, I kept a thumbnail image of the “Watchful Lion” in front of me so I could make sure the new collage would look related to the previous piece. This one was definitely a fun piece to work on. I really enjoyed using all the bright colors.

April 12, 2012June 16, 2024

Barn Owl

Above is the finished “Barn Owl” collage. The client gave this piece to her sister (who is expecting) to go in the baby’s room. The color scheme I worked with matches the colors used to decorate the room.

November 16, 2011June 16, 2024

Noah

And here’s the completed collage of the smiling dog. Looking back at all the previous commission work I’ve done, it looks like dog portraits have been the most popular subject. When it comes to tackling pet portraits, I’ve found that it helps a lot if the subject is a happy-looking pup.

In other news, you can check out my article that was just published on Bourgeon Online – Art is a Story. I discuss the writing and illustrating process for Duck & Fish as well as the storytelling I do with my other art projects.

January 7, 2011June 16, 2024

Shelby

Here’s the finished piece. My client gave this collage to his wife as a Christmas gift. I was happy to hear that it was well received. This dog sure looked pretty cute – in all the reference photos the client sent me, Shelby had her tongue hanging out.

Anyway, I’m off to enjoy the weekend. I’m going to work away on my children’s book illustrations – and I must say, it’s pretty difficult being secretive about my book since I’m so used to sharing my progress pictures, etc. The only image from the project I plan to post is the cover art once I’ve finished it. I’m half-way done with the book – can’t wait until it’s finished and ready for print. I’m excited to share it – even though it’s got a ways to go.

October 14, 2008June 12, 2024

Louie

The dog collage I did before this one was of a dog that I thought was named Louie. Turns out this is the real Louie, and the last dog was Jonny. Anyway, I finished my last dog portrait in the series of commissioned pieces for one of my clients. Next week I have a meeting at a gallery that might possibly put my work on display.

I’ve been extremely busy with work these days, but now things have cooled down and I will be able to focus more on art making (hopefully). I’ll try to get started on another piece tonight or tomorrow night. I hope everything is going well with everyone!