Scott McKowen’s work has brought images of Stratford citizens from across the world stage, and now to book stores near and far.
McKowen, a Stratford resident, has recently released two new books published by Firefly Books. Light Revealed and How I Draw: Scott McKowen's Sketchbooks are being commemorated with a book launch at Fanfare Books in the downtown.
These books represent different approaches and sides to McKowen’s art, he told StratfordToday.
Light Revealed compiles his professional career and signature style using a scratchboard and knife to engrave white lines into the black board, while How I Draw shows how he draws traditionally – using black ink on white paper.
“It's exactly 180 degrees the opposite,” he explained. “You’re drawing highlights … as opposed to rendering shadows.”
Light Revealed compiles highlights of his professional career as an artist. How I Draw is a more intimate look at his private drawings and process.
McKowen said it is a coincidence that the two are coming out together. Light Revealed was supposed to be published earlier though was pushed back due to the pandemic, when most bookstores were shutting down or going into lockdown.
Now, he is excited to finally share both works together.
Light Revealed
McKowen is primarily known for his work designing theatre posters, in which he depicts the essence of the play in his signature engraved style. He carves fine lines in scratchboard, digitally scans them, and colourizes the image.
Over his career, he has also designed book covers and even a run of covers for a Marvel comics series written by Neil Gaiman.
Many Stratford citizens may recognize themselves or prominent locals in McKowen’s work. As an illustrator he uses models to pose and often calls upon friends and neighbours in the area.
Local student Evie O’Toole is one example. Whenever he is drawing a young woman he gives O’Toole a call and asks her to model for him. That’s how it came to be that O’Toole became the face of Carrie for a new dramatic production and Elphaba’s grandaughter for the covers of the new Gregory Maguire Wicked-follow-ups.
“She just turned 16,” McKowen laughed. “And it’s like ‘Okay. Whatever.’ But for her mother, she read all those in her book club twenty years ago. So for her mother this is unbelievably cool.” He noted that O'Toole is more than thrilled to model for Maguire's main character. but her mother has an even deeper connection to those books.
Light Revealed shows a breadth of work that spans multiple collaborations. He has theatre posters, book covers, essays, and anecdotes within its pages.
One professional highlight depicted in the book is the drawings he did for novelist Jane Urquhart’s A Number of Things.
Urquhart’s book tells the story of Canada through fifty objects. Rather than taking a photo of the objects, she commissioned McKowen, a friend, to draw the objects in his signature style. As part of this project he got to see monumental artifacts in Canada’s history. He even got to hold Lester B. Pearson’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Light Revealed is a follow-up to the 2009 book A Fine Line: Scratchboard Illustrations, which is now out of print. Those with the first volume should rest assured, McKowen said, Light Revealed has new illustrations and projects in its contents.
How I Draw
When asked to do a “how-to” book for Firefly, McKowen was initially resistant. Writing a book on his processes and how he draws was the compromise.
While Light Revealed is his professional side, that does not mean that How I Draw is any less impressive. Spanning a lifetime of travelling and drawing, How I Draw depicts illustrations from around the world. Locals may even be able to recognize local corners next to illustrations from New York, Montreal, and the like.
Like Light Revealed, How I Draw also has ties to the pandemic. McKowen often attends life-drawing classes in town but due to the lockdown, the classes weren’t being offered. He transitioned into online classes and was exposed to a wide community of illustrators and artists.
“This is much more casual drawing,” McKowen said. “Hopefully it will be useful for somebody who loves to draw.”
What’s Next?
McKowen continues his illustration and design work through the design studio Punch & Judy, which he runs with his wife Chrstina Poddubiuk, a set and costume designer who works with the Stratford Festival.
One of the best parts of his job, McKowen said, is the excitement. At this stage in his career he works on projects which intrigue him in some way and gets to work on some fantastic, world-class projects.
McKowen is excited about continuing his work with Maguire in the Wicked-universe and is working on illustrations for a new copy of Lud-in-the-Mist, a 1926 fantasy novel by Hope Mirrlees.
The book launch is at Fanfare Books on 92 Ontario St. at 1 p.m. on Saturday. McKowen will be there with copies of Light Revealed and How I Draw.
