Cover Story
Soooo…several months ago, I received a very interesting proposition from Nicole Tamarin. (Nicole, by the way, has created wonderful art for GREENPRINTS for years. The lovely Welcome banner I’m standing next to here was based on her cover art for our Winter, 2014-15 issue. You can see other beautiful work of hers at www.nicoletamarin.com.)
“Pat,” she said, “I’m teaching a college-level illustration course. How about I give the students an assignment: Draw the Summer GREENPRINTS cover? It would be an incredible real-world opportunity for them to learn and experience cover design—and give you a whole slew of possible covers! And if you don’t like any of them, I’ll draw the Summer cover.”
“Nicole,” I responded, “it sounds like fun to me. Let’s do it!”
It was great fun. I enjoyed every sample cover her budding illustrators sent. They were delightful. It was so hard to decide that, in the end, I picked two: the one this issue by Maya Carlson and one I’ll share in a future edition. (You can see the other entries at the GREENPRINTS Facebook page.)
I am always, always grateful to the many fine artists who grace these pages. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that there are many remarkable illustrations in this Summer issue. Honestly, receiving the different pieces of art is one of the absolute highlights of this job. Sometimes I gasp—sometimes I laugh out loud. So hats off to (in order of appearance this go-round) Maya, Christina, Dena, Kate, Russell, Heather, Linda, Christopher, Lydia, Mary, Kerry, P. Savage, Blanche, Marilynne, Catherine, Tim, and Chelsea! Thank you all!
Pat Stone, Editor
