Paul Buckley:

I attended SVA on an illustration scholarship. As a child I was hell bent on becoming an illustrator, and my advertising Art Director father made sure that while other kids were getting Curious George books, I was getting the latest Society of Illustrators annual. But before I moved to NYC to attend SVA, I studied art at a local community college for two years. Starting at age 17, I went to this school a few days a week, and the other days of the week found me commuting 5 hours a day from outside Bucks County to NYC to work at a small paste up shop servicing a few different advertising agencies—again, my father at work. I soaked it in and began learning design this way, embracing this gift of a dual arts education. Later I had a thriving illustration career and unimaginable to my younger self, began to fall out of love with it as a fit for my life. Though my love for illustration is clearly reflected in the people I hire, and the projects I pitch. Once I gave up illustration, I embraced design and art direction and through contacts I made at that paste up studio, I landed an interview in publishing. Thirty one years later, I’m still here, still learning the craft of design, art direction, and managing projects and people.

Credits
  • Art &  Design
  • Paul  Buckley
  • Series Editor
  • Guillermo Del Toro & Elda Rotor
  • Detail, spot gloss

    PB: There was a version of these covers that I liked much better but for reasons of my own did not fight for, thinking the bold neons would be a very cool departure for the material. They were a departure, but with these somewhat traditional drawings, maybe not a perfect match.

    PB: These drawings are done using the soon to be lost art of tempera resist. Using thick white tempera you paint only the negative part of the drawing onto a heavy stock water color paper—so one is painting white on white. The next step is to cover the entire sheet in India ink. After the ink dries, you stick the whole sheet under the faucet, and slowly the water will wear away the soluble white tempera paint and leave behind the water-resistant ink with some very nice striations due to the rinse. Because to the manner in which one must work utilizing these methods, an effect not dissimilar to a woodblock or linoleum effect should occur.

    PB: My father,
    Gerald Buckley, did many pieces in this lost tempera-resist style and was a true master of it.

    Museum of Modern Art
    "Crafting Pinocchio" Exhibition