This lovely cover is from “Holmes Poems”, published in 1883 by
Houghton Mifflin. I found it cheap at a used bookstore in Auburn a few months ago, which justified purchasing it instead of a $250 fully illustrated collection of Byron’s poems. Sigh.

Besides being a poet of some note, Mr. Holmes was also a physician, a professor, coined the term “anaesthesia”, attempted to admit the first African-American and women students to Harvard Medical School while he was dean, and was the bearer of some very fine muttonchops.

If you happen to be in San Francisco, visit the Mission District in October and keep an eye out for posters and postcards for Marigold Project’s Dia de los Muertos events. I was chosen to design and illustrate the promotional materials for the occasion!

The theme of this year’s event is “Whispers of Death”, and I decided to do an illustration of a young woman in costume as La Calavera Catrina, whispering the stories and wisdom of our ancestors.

The main Dia de los Muertos event, a processional through the Mission District, starts at 24^th and Bryant streets and will end in Garfield Park at 24^th and Harrison for the Festival of Alters. So, if you’re in the area, come out on November 2^nd and support this local nonprofit! Activities begin at 7:00pm.

The Marigold Project is a nonprofit organization who, for 30 years has been dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the traditional Meso-American rituals surrounding the Dia de los Muertos. And now they need your help! The city has raised permit fees and the organization is in a funding crisis. Visit their website at www.dayofthedeadsf.org to learn more and donate to their organization, because without the support of the community this amazing event cannot continue!

These lovely pieces are from a 1927 issue of National Geographic article entitled “Our Insect Friends and Foes and Spiders”, illustrated by Hashime Muryama.

This article was later reproduced in 1935 in a collection by the same name of insect stories and illustrations.

As much as I love scientific illustrations, they’re even better when they could stand alone as beautiful works of art!

Continuing my series of illustrations inspired by Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh!