Gaelan Kelly illustration and design

Fictional Chartography Show /  by Gaelan Kelly

​On the wall at the Hummingbird Saloon

​Skull Island

A lovely day for a drive!
 

​I'm happy to announce that I am (finally) showing my collection of fictional maps! 

Twelve maps are on display now at the Humming Bird Saloon in Columbia Cit (they also have shuffleboard!) 

This project began as a collection for the enjoyment of my kids. For each new book we read together I would make a map from the book; for the books I read were well known for the maps they included on their inside jackets. This process involved finding an old black and white scan from preferably the first edition of a book. I would then painstakingly paint on top of the reproduction to add color and dimension. Finally, I go back with a fine point pen to reestablish important details and flourishes. Not the same process I have used for the original maps I have created in the past but I needed to retain the familiarity that these maps would have with their readers. And with me for that matter.

First up (way back last year) was The Hobbit and it's corresponding map of Middle Earth. My kids and I could track Bilbo and the Dwarves along their path to the Lonely Mountain. Then came Treasure Island! One can't read about Jim, Long John and Old Ben Gunn without a treasure map! ...And things kind of snowballed from there. After a while I started expanding beyond what I was reading to my children to things I was reading (or had read). Things like H.P. Lovecraft, and Jules Verne then eventually to classic monster movies. 

​I have more then what is on display at the Hummingbird Saloon (many!) but framing is expensive so I opted to display those maps that got the project running in the beginning and would be most recognizable to non-fictional cartography junkies.

I hope you take the time to go check them out!​ -G

​

Recently I have begun accepting commissions for those that wish to have a few classic maps with a hand made touch. Interested parties can contact me here.

Custom Wedding Illustration /  by Gaelan

My friend and extremely talented Seattle wedding photographer Sean Hoyt has written a blog post over at Affinity Photography documenting my process when creating a custom wedding crest for newly-wed couple, Nick and Kelsey.

This is something I've been gearing up in the past few months, offering customized wedding, family or just celebrational crests. These hand painted illustrations incorporate elements that help represent the individual style and personalities of a couple, family or individual. 

Here is the crest I created for  Nick and Kelsey (who are both pilots).

For more examples and other useful information about my custom wedding illustrations visit my custom wedding illustration page

Robots and Fruit /  by Gaelan

Straw-botty, To-bot-o and Botccoli
Robots and Fruit started as a side desk sketch project in watercolor and ink. These are the next phase of that idea, painted in acrylic on a (slightly) larger surface. These three paintings were made as a donation to the Lakewood Cooperative Preschooll's annual school auction (where they were bought and whisked out of my life). They are fun to paint and pretty quick to finish so I may have more in the pipeline. 

ABC Phonics: Sign, Sign and Read! illustrated by Gaelan Kelly /  by Gaelan

Although not "hot off the presses" this is the first time I've posted about my illustration work on this ABC and Phonics book using American Sign Language signs. The ink and watercolor illustrations are all mine as well as the book layout and cover design. I also had some input in regards to the content. It was a long time coming but it's finished and has a few satellite products such as a large poster and A to Z tiles for use in a classroom. The book and posters are available from the publisher, as well as on Amazon. 


Look inside here.

The Massacare of OZ /  by Gaelan

Click painting to enlarge.

As I have been cleaning and organizing my art stuff I came across this painting I did a few years back. It's a scene from 'The Wonderful Wizard of OZ' by L. Frank Baum where the wicked witch sends 40 wolves and 40 crows to basically kill and torture Dorthy and her friends. I remember I was reading the book to my son who was about four at the time and thinking how grizzly it seemed, even for a book written in 1900. For some reason I ended up doing my own W. W. Denslow inspired illustration to the passage. Prints can be made available for your own child's room. You sickos.