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A big thank you to all the amazing people who supported S.C. throughout the past decade! Whether you’re a former member, a guest artist who contributed, or just someone who’s liked our work, it’s meant the world to us.

This will be the last post here, on our main site, but you should definitely keep an eye on our  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for any/ all updates regarding our members.

All our love and thanks,

Square Carousel

#Square Carousel #square carousel illustration collective #10 years #10th anniversary #decade #thank you

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: See You Later Alligator, In Awhile Crocodile

I have to say I never really liked goodbyes. Goodbyes always felt very solemn to an end, a question on whether there would be a return or not. With that idealization of goodbye, I find myself using instead “see you later”; giving instead an impression of I might not see you today, but later on. With this comes a lovely humorous play with the saying, a beloved allegory of "See you later Alligator, in awhile Crocodile". Regardless goodbye and see you later, present themselves as that of stepping stones to move us forward and leave our past behind us. Whether that might mean they come back or not, they shape us into the people we are and the path we are on for our future.

Concerning that of our future, we seem to for the most part think in terms of decades. All grouped up into passage in time, trends that we rather forget, and events we must never forget. A part of life capture in the measly span of just 10 years. A long time that sadly will be here before we know it and pass without the idea that it was even here. Just like thoughts questioner sheets we all receive throughout our childhood. Where do I see myself in 10 years, in 2031?

In all the ideas for the future, I have roughly the same impressions of consistently better-than-now ideals. But reality has its own plan for your life that seems to change things up, even after finish SCAD in 2017. So now whenever asked where do you see yourself in 10 years, I like to have an ever-changing plan, more of a "C’est la vie," mentality. As I like to live my life personality day by day, my plan for the future is for the ability to create the things that are so vividly in my head and share my dreams, my ideas, with others and just continue that cycle. Partially the same as I do nowadays as a freelancer as well as doing artist alley. Only hopefully with others who can spread the love and positivity and vice versa to them as well. As well as continue the love from this group of amazing awesome illustrators and individuals. That has helped me in so many ways build up a confidence that I don’t see in myself sometimes and gives me the drive and energy to push and expand my mind of what I could do and where I can go to. Thank you so much and I can't wait to see you later on and see what awesomeness you all will create.

-Emily McA.

#challenge 144 #10 years #lookingforward #square carousel #squarecarouselillustration #eequalsmca #scad #see you later alligator #in awhile crocodile #alligator #crocodile #goodbye for now #see you soon #illustration

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Looking ahead

For this challenge I was attempting to obtain an optimistic forward looking perspective as this season ‘life’ of Square Carousel comes to a close.

But every artist and illustrator that has been a part of this collective has inevitably come through this ‘reborn’ and better than before. 

I believe myself to be a little bit of a thinker and I rather enjoy the idea of dueling contrasts. Beginning/ending. Life/death. Happy/sad. Student/master. I just believe these things are incredibly powerful and beautifully signify the human condition. Not necessarily literally but on a deeper level. The level the presumably separates us from other animals on this planet. In our minds. We have the opportunity to make the decisions that directly affect how we pursue each of those contrasting pairs and an endless amount more.

If I wake up tomorrow, I am reborn to a new day. The me of yesterday has presumably died through the slumber and there is a brand new me that gets to live in the here and now. And maybe that is naive and optimistic but I live to think of it as inspired.

Which is where I come around to the real point I believe I am attempting to make, the impact of Square Carousel. 

I dont know what inspired the idea of Square Carousel for Elizabeth and Caitlin but if there is such a thing as karma, they have paid that inspiration and those kinds of ideas forward, tenfold. 

When transitioning this idea from a thought to an action, the idea wasnt to spark unlimited sources of inspiration. In fact, id guess that it was to create inspiration amongst a small group of individuals. But sticking to the road that this idea paved, created compound interest that i feel needs to be put into writing and conveyed to both Elizabeth and Caitlin and anyone other person who may be reading this.

I have decided that there is no possible way I can come up with numbers for my little experiment of how Square Carousel has impacted the world. Better yet, ill let your mind go down this rabbit hole as mine obviously already has.

As I continue to type, I have realized that this will be my long winded way of saying ‘thank you’.

Back to number of people impacted and hopefully in a cliff notes version. Caitlin and Elizabeth have a network of ‘x’ people when starting this venture. As they began following through with this, the 2 of them started learning new things. Ever wonder how it is managing a bunch of artists? Go ahead and reread this long post and see what kind of shit show is going on in my mind. Now multiply that by a handful of artists. So, Caitlin and Elizabeth’s network reaps the benefit of them learning all this knowledge that is doubtfully super fun to go through but when they start taking on all of the artists that will be a part of this collective they then impact all of the artist that they are taking on and those artists network as well. But wait there’s more. as the world wide internet grows along with social media, all of the above continues to be impacted but now everyone involved is growing their network. And as you are growing your network, people continue to be impacted by these initial steps of creating this collective. Now, since these are all artists and are creating work, what about the viewers of the art that has beern directly affected by this? Then what about the people who become impacted by these items and then go on and impact others. Yeah, this gets out of hand quickly... That’s cool... Now multiply that by 10 years. Fucking nuts.

Elizabeth and Caitlin, thank you for letting me be a small part of this impact you have created. I apologize for the pain in the ass I can be, but respect you both so much. I hope that with the time that the both of you are gaining without having to manage this, the next venture is just as fruitful. 

Sayada, obviously you deserve a little individual call out for bringing me on board. Awesome for me but probably regretful for you. Thank you. It sucks that there arent any words that I can come up with fully encompass my appreciation for you and what you have done for me by inviting me to join Square Carousel for the time that I did. Congratulations on your recent Childrens book and I am hoping there is plenty more where that came from. Thank you again.

This is crazy long and will give high fives to all the artists that have been part of this collective during the time I have been on here and I appreciate the feedback and optimism shared with me to get stuff done!

I graduated from SCAD in March 2012.I am currently coming to terms with what I enjoy making and the processes that I enjoy working in and I have been really steering towards making more gallery art and hope to really start reaping the benefits of that soonish. 10 years from now I see myself continuing to draw and paint nonstop while hopefully using it as a pretty big part of my life and continue to use my art to impact others.

-Brett

#challenge 144 #Guest Artist #Looking ahead #pen and ink #brett morgan #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective #10 years looking forward #final challenge #finale

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: The Perfect Homestead Studio

I relocated to SCAD in 2010 at the beginning of the new year and graduated November of 2011. Having transferred blindly as a Junior totally relying on that “good feeling” alone SCAD and all its resources, as well as the town of Savannah, had exceeded all my expectations so much so I now call it my second home. I’ve met some beautifully talented people at my time there. Feeling the creative energy that flowed in the city and around my fellow classmates and professors every day I finally felt I was where I was suppose to be. The only two things I regret is not taking licensing classes, since this is what I have done since graduating and absolutely love, and not being able to afford to come back to Savannah to attend my graduation that Spring. Despite my financial struggles after graduating, what has happened since each step of the way has only prepared me for success, gave me confidence as an artist, a professional, and as a person to become stronger and better at what I do, and helped me learn not take anything or anyone for granted. 

Square Carousel has been my push, my drive, my focus, and in some cases my savior for my mental and professional sanity. This amazing group of individuals, who I consider family, has helped my art and style grow from the uncontrolled random mess it used to be and continued to challenge my abilities with super cool projects and challenges. This is something I’ll truly miss, but not as much as I will my fellow SCAD Illustrators. There’s always something special about a group of people who “get it”. Who come together to help solve design issues, who support one another as much as we do, who have “been there done that”, and who are an understanding reliable shoulder to lean on during the more difficult times as a working illustrator. Being a part of Square Carousel has been such a pleasure and is something I’ll always be grateful for having experienced working with such talented beautiful people. I wanted to give a special big thank you to my girl Sayada for bringing me into the Collective, and for everyone else being so amazing over our years together. For all our Christmas card swaps, all of your friendship and support, and having watched many of you grow as creatives over the years, I will continue to follow and support you all in your creative and your life journeys. I am forever grateful for all of you, and I cannot wait to see what life has in store for all of us in the next 10 years! You guys...we’re so going to crush it!!!   For our last and final challenge I wanted to illustrate something truly special to my heart. Ever since I saw the 1990s TV show The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends, I wanted my own home/cottage to mirror the spirit of that of Beatrix Potter.  In this homestead I dream of looking out my studio window as I create for a living to support my future family, and seeing my animal friends happily playing outside in the garden. Over the years this vision has stayed the same, but having since adapted a vegan eco-friendly lifestyle, volunteering for rescues and creating content for those types of animals, and the way I see my garden have changed a bit to accommodate how I now want to live and use my art to give back. Now I see this whimsical space not only giving me creative inspiration and a meditation space of my own, but also a land that has a productive purpose to give back to our animals and our environment who need it the most. My new cottage, now with a greenhouse studio, consists of self-sustainable practices such as solar windows, surrounding myself with plants that keep the air clean, converting part of my studio to a foster space, organic gardening that attracts healthy pollinators, and animals that I hope to rescue/foster to help give them new homes and a better quality of life. Though I look forward to this studio and space coming to a reality, I’m still not quite sure where I want this magical space to be located or how it’ll turn out....which makes this vision all the more exciting. 

Here’s to the next 10 years and the start of our many new adventures. Salute!


-Tina   


Tina’s Etsy Shop

Tina’s other Etsy Shop



Tina’s Website 



Tina’s Instagram

Find out more about Tina’s rescue missions here

#challenge 144 #tina schofield #black bunny design studios #goodbye square carousel #ten years #eco friendly #veganlife #sustainable homestead #organic gardening #adopt don't shop #art goals #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective #final challenge #finale

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Open for Business

I tend to have a hard time living in the moment. I’m a virgo, very type A, so I’m always trying to plan and think ahead. When I think about the next 10 years, it’s hard not to look back on the past 10. While I haven’t been a part of Square Carousel for the last 10 years, I have certainly been growing and learning as an artist during that time. It was almost 10 years ago that I started my time at SCAD, and it’s strange to think how differently I thought these past 10 years would have gone.

Keeping that in mind, I’m sure my vision for 10 years from now will no doubt change and morph into something different, but I’d be crazy not to acknowledge how much of a better sense of direction I have now than I did when I was just a scared little freshman illustration student.

I’ve spent the past several years more deliberately trying to find my place in the art world. Square Carousel has been a huge catalyst in helping me discover my style and learn how to push myself and have discipline with passion projects. When I started as a Square Carousel member, I was living in an apartment I couldn’t afford, working a job I couldn’t seem to get out of, feeling like I was wasting my potential. Now, I’m newly self employed and pursuing my absolute dream of running my own letterpress stationery shop.

My dream for 10 years from now is to have continued to grow and flourish in my creative endeavors. While the planner in me tries to keep goals realistic, I do have a tendency to dream big, and my big big dream for the next 10 years is to open my own stationery store front. It would be amazing to couple a studio workspace with a retail space, and I hope I can make that happen some day.

This illustration is a sort of gallery wall of hopes and dreams. Some things are more abstract, such as the representation of growth or being able to savor more time with friends and family. Some, on the other hand, are more concrete, like the hopes to starts a family and open a storefront.

I owe this time with Square Carousel so much with regards to my growth and understanding of my place in this creative world. It’s been tough at times, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.

-SCAD class of 2016 -I am a self employed graphic designer and letterpress stationer -I hope to open my own studio/storefront and further establish my creative endeavors with a solid home base and a growing family!

-Sarah Bloom

#Sarah Bloom #Challenge 144 #10 years #Looking Forward #square Carousel #square carousel illustration collective #SCAD #SCAD Illustration #Letterpress Studio #Hopes and Dreams #Illustration

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Artist Explores the World

When I first applied to Art colleges around the country I felt like Animation was the more realistic approach to getting a job in the “art” industry. I knew I was an okay small town artist, but felt like my artwork was never good enough to be a full time illustrator. While attending SCAD I couldn’t help but double minor in Sequential Art and Illustration because that’s where my heart was.

After graduating SCAD in 2013 I immediately got a job working in my field of 3D video game development- only to find that I absolutely hated it. By late 2014 I had quit my job to travel the world.

I formed Artist Explores the World LLC and over the last 7 years I have poured my heart and soul into videos, photography, jewelry making, illustration and fine art. Only after taking the leap have I learned that my art is good enough, all on it’s own. 

It’s now my full time job.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have joined in with this collective so full of very talented people. In many ways, especially as the clock sometimes struck a midnight deadline, I’ve wondered if I even really belonged in such a group. I’ve been genuinely honored to be here. The amount of support and growth I’ve felt as both a guest artist and member has been incredible and I’m so thankful for everyone who built this beautiful project. Thank you <3 As my husband and I get closer to finishing our new Skoolie, and prepare to set sail on the next big phase of our lives, I felt my old logo needed a bit of an update. I started with a fresh logo update (the plane of my old is now a bus <3) and then a portrait of the two of us. I hope to have my kitties and maybe a little one in tow - but who knows what the future will hold. Since there was an extra week on this challenge I also spent time updating the animation on my new logo as well. A fresh intro for my new vlogs. 

In the next 10 years I hope to be even more traveled, even more confident, and more able to help others to achieve their dreams. I’ll still be free, wild, independent and creative all the while running my own company, my way, and with all my heart. 

- Natasha Stoppel

#natasha stoppel #challenge 144 #natasha raymond #artist explores #artist explores the world #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective #10 years looking forward #final challenge #finale #10th anniversary

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: In Gardens We Trust

Spring is definitely my favorite season--it always brings me joy to see everything bloom and start afresh. I’m an avid gardener myself and I always look for ways to be more environmentally conscious and sustainable. I’m hoping that in 10 years, everyone on Earth has been working together on building a more sustainable future for us all.

On a separate note, I absolutely cannot believe it’s been ten years! (which means it’s been ten years since I graduated undergrad--sheesh!) I want to say a heartfelt congrats to all the original members of SC still here--I still remember the day when we all sat together in Gallery Espresso with cut pieces of paper with random words on it to decide on our collective’s name :D You guys did an amazing job keeping the collective going for the past ten years! 

✿ SCAD 2011 

✿ Assistant Professor at Towson University + Children’s Book Illustrator

✿ I imagine I’ll be doing the same thing I’m doing right now, but with more expertise and wisdom (hopefully)^-^ 

-Seo Kim

Check out my work: Website | Instagram

#guest artist #challenge 144 #handlettering #gardenillustration #seo kim illustration #seo kim art #seo kim #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective #10 years looking forward #10th anniversary #final challenge #finale

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Coffee Breaks

I wanted to depict a calm moment, where we’re both happy, healthy, safe, and just better versions of our current selves. I’d like to think I’ll get better at giving myself time off and not feeling guilty for it. That we won’t have to schedule time to hang out because I’ve convinced myself I need to work every moment of every day. Here’s to hoping in 10 years, I’ll have perfected my work/ life balance.

In general, I’m pretty sure my partner Greg (They/Them) will have better hair and make-up skills then I ever will! 

Speaking of hair, at the rate I’m greying, there’s no way I won’t be a silver fox by then (Finally achieving my hair goals without the assistance of bleach) ;D

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♡ Graduated from SCAD in 2011.

♡ I’m currently freelance: Mainly working on private commissions, followed by comic covers, and comic pin-ups.

♡ I’m hopeful that in ten years time that my current situation will flip. That the majority of my freelance work will be covers/ pin-ups, with just a few private pieces here and there. OH, and that I'll have about 20 cats XD

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It’s not lost on me how incredibly lucky I am to have had Square Carousel in my life these past 10 years. It’s allowed me to grow as a person and as an artist. Pushing me to illustrate things that weren’t necessarily in my wheel house and broadening my visual language. I had to take a few work related breaks through out the years, but I always looked forward to the day I got to jump back in and get to work with my fellow members/friends.

As silly as it sounds I don’t really think I can properly articulate how much love and admiration I have for my fellow members (especially the admins/ ESPECIALLY Caitlin). They’ve been a rock in my life when I needed it the most (whether they know it or not). ♡

Lastly, a big thank you to all the people who supported S.C. through out the past 10 years! Whether you’re a former member, an amazing guest artist who contributed, or just someone who’s liked our work, it has meant the world to us! 

Elizabeth B.

#Elizabeth Beals #Illustration #artists on tumblr #square Carousel #Square Carousel Illustration Collective #challenge 144 #10 years looking forward #10th anniversary #final challenge #finale #couple #self portrait #good bye #SCAD #SCAD GRAD

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Sunset Vista

In ten years I want to be very well traveled, so for my piece I wanted to do a beautiful view of a seaside town in a foreign country with a glass of wine and my sketchbook in the foreground.  I’ve struggled with my relationship to art and illustration ever since graduation, and since leaving Square Carousel and taking a break to focus on my graphic design career I’ve been slowly dipping my toes back in to the lovely art water.  It turns out the only way for me to make art is to not take it seriously at all.  Otherwise, I paralyze myself with expectations.  Lately I’ve been getting back into painting with acrylics and have been experimenting with using the same super saturated colors I like to use when painting digitally.  Do I need a lot more practice? Yes.  Do I need to draw in my sketchbook more? Yes.  And did I have fun with this piece anyway? Yes!  It’s all about placing fun colors next to each other for me.

- I graduated from SCAD in 2013 - Today I am the Creative Director at a local Austin marketing firm - In ten years, I hope to be living my cottage core dream life when I’m at home, making stunning visuals at work, and having unforgettable experiences abroad every chance I get.

Thank you so much Square Carousel for all the artistic growth you’ve helped me achieve! Love you guys <3

-Stephanie

insta: @stephaniecraneart

#Challenge 144 #Guest Artist #Stephanie Crane #Stephanie Crane Illustration #Future Plans #Travel #Ten Years Looking Forward #Sunset #Painting #Acrylic #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective #10th anniversary #10 years looking forward #final challenge #finale

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Growth

This ended up being a difficult challenge for me, because although in theory I love this theme, in practice I kept coming up against a creative block. With the past year of the pandemic and concerns about climate change very much haunting my thoughts, it was a bit crippling to try and find some positive spin that I know I wanted to do. Then at some point I remembered a thing I had just done that was a small investment in the future. My husband and I recently took some time to clear an area of the front yard to plant some native cacti and trees, alongside the wildflower seeds I’ve gathered around the neighborhood and scattered in the past few years. I’m hoping these plants will take off and provide a little sanctuary of sorts for the local wildlife, like rabbits, quail, other birds, lizards, even javelina. This of course will take time, but I hope in 10 years time, even if I’m not still living here, this patch of native wild will be flourishing. The uncolored sketch is how the yard currently looks- pretty bare except for two prickly pear cacti we planted a few years ago, some wildflowers that I’m so happy sprouted, grew and are in bloom, and some troublesome grass. The colored drawing is what I hope to see in 10 years.

-I graduated from SCAD in 2012 -I’m currently freelancing as an illustrator! Mostly working on book illustration as of right now. -What will I be doing in 10 years? I hope I’ll still be illustrating, working on cool books from the big publishers, doing surface design pattern work for products, maybe creating some cool artwork and products of my own? I hope the world gets its act together so that a positive future is still possible for all of us. On a sentimental note, thanks to everyone at Square Carousel for being such troopers especially this past year! It’s been great being able to collaborate with you all throughout all the challenges we’ve tackled together in our own unique ways. Thanks so much to the other admins, Caitlin, Elizabeth and Jordan for keeping this train a-rollin’, and on its tracks as well pull into our final stop. You guys rock, thanks for bringing me along for this journey <3 And thanks to you, followers for cheering us on! Wishing us all a wonderful decade ahead! -Sayada

#Challenge 144 #10 years looking forward #growth #house portrait #Illustration #gif #future #decade #garden #desert garden #native wildlife #square Carousel #so long and thanks for all the fish #sayada ramdial

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Texapocalypse

Yep, Square Carousel is ten; and while I’ve only been in the mix for about half that time, it really feels like an accomplishment. It’s been a constant source of motivation and inspiration, and I’ve done some work that I’m really proud of that I would otherwise never have managed. Having the community and accountability has been great, and I’ll miss it. 

I’ve come a long way as an artist in the past ten years, and who knows what the next ten will bring. I’m not exactly optimistic about where the world is headed, but I’ve learned that I can be a lot tougher and more resourceful than I thought I could when I left SCAD. The world may fall apart, but I think I’ll be alright. This piece reflects that, me leaving the Texas wasteland with my trusty sketchbook in hand, headed toward the next challenge. I might be a little rougher around the edges, a little crazier, and a lot greyer, but I expect I’ll still be making art one way or another.

I graduated SCAD in 2010 and have been doing some illustration and graphic design freelancing on and off since then. My current job has me doing concept art fairly regularly, but I’m doing a lot more 3D design. Building stuff wasn’t even on my radar back in 2010, but I’m loving it. You never know how things will turn out. As for where I might realistically be in ten more years? I have no idea. Things have changed so much for me that there’s no clear path. I assume I’ll still be sketching and doing some contract design work, hopefully I’ll still be employed with some sort of large scale artistic fabrication shop, and I’ll almost certainly have a pile of side fun side projects to keep me sane.

I wanna thank everyone that I’ve worked with in SC, you’ve all been inspiring and I hope everyone keeps kicking ass. Especially the admin folks: Caitlin, Elizabeth and Sayada. Y’all are the heart that kept us going. We might be saying goodbye to SC, but I hope to see new art from all of you for another ten years!

It’s been quite a ride. See you around!

-Jordan

#square Carousel #challenge 144 #jordan johnson #apocalypse #10 years #tearfulgoodbye

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: A-Frame Studio Life Buckle up-- this is a long one! Wow, ten years. It’s hard to believe a whole decade has passed since Square Carousel began, and since I graduated college. In some ways, it feels like another lifetime, and in others, it feels vastly shorter than the decade before that, from ages 12 to 22. Time is fascinating that way. College was such an incredibly impactful time period, but just a measly 4 years-- I could have done college 2.5 more times back-to-back in the years since I graduated, but somehow those four, from 2007-2011 were monumental.  It’s hard to believe I’ll be in a post-college world without Square Carousel, since the group has been a constant in my life these last ten years. I’m really proud that we made it this far and are able to choose to end the journey, rather than it fizzling out or dying from lack of interest. Sometimes it felt like that might happen, but other times it felt like we were blooming. There have been many ups and downs over the course of this journey. And damn, it was a lot of hard to work to keep running, but I am so grateful for the learning experience. I know so much more about leadership now than I ever would have before-- the delicate balance of having rules to keep the group running (deadlines, participation requirements, our dreaded “strike system”) and keeping up morale (knowing when to forgive slip-ups, keeping challenges sufficiently entertaining and well...challenging, making sure the group feels like it’s a community). Elizabeth and I were reluctant leaders, just naturally having to take those roles as other original members of the group left and were replaced by folks who needed guidance. We definitely didn’t seek it out, but we knew that if the group were to stay alive, we had to put some structure into the system. Pretty early on we made our rules and guidelines, extended the challenges to 3 weeks from just 2, and worked on our visual image online. Our awesome logo was made by former member Casey Crisenbery, and we switched from Wordpress to Tumblr, purchasing a URL, and Casey using special code for custom organization on the site. Sketch critiques were now a halfway point through our 3 weeks-long challenge, which helped a lot with the community aspect and engagement. We started doing interviews for each member, reaching out to other illustration groups, blogs and submission sites and had our work featured on a few of them. Some of us even got jobs from the connections made through Square Carousel!  There was a bad stretch several years ago when I wasn’t sure we’d make it through, with toxic behavior and a few folks petitioning for removing deadlines and structure, making everything optional. One thing I can tell you with certainty after ten years of working with artists is that 95% of us require deadlines to do anything, and incentives/obligations for meeting those deadlines, or it just isn’t going to happen! Elizabeth and I, along with a few other solid members, were able to keep the structure we’d worked hard to create, but the toxic culture had already killed group morale and we lost a lot of members simultaneously. That was a sad and scary time for Square Carousel, but I didn’t want to go out on a sour note. So the small group of us picked the pieces back up again, did a little refocus on our goals as a collective and created an “Admin” so Elizabeth and I didn’t have to carry the entire burden alone. I am forever grateful to Sayada and Jordan for stepping up into these roles to help us get the train back on track. Sayada especially picked up a lot of responsibilities that a newer member shouldn’t have to worry about, and was a total rockstar for Square Carousel. I wish we’d had her with us for the whole ride. I’m so happy that we’ve had a few really great years with some really loyal and talented artists to round out the experience at Year Ten.  There is nobody I’m more thankful for than my Good Cop, Elizabeth, though. She was so reliable, always able to provide balance in our leadership roles, and such a wonderful shoulder to cry on when things got too stressful. Elizabeth, thank you for this journey and for being my SC Wife all these years! It’s so funny because of all the original members, you were one of the only ones I hadn’t really known from SCAD classes, yet you’re the SCAD Illustration friend I have remained most connected to most consistently. Nothing bonds you quite like running an illustration collective does! It also cracks me up that in all these years, we hadn’t ever facetimed or talked on the phone until a few months ago--I didn’t even know your mannerisms or voice, but knew you so well anyway. My greatest internet friend! I love you dearly and it truly won’t feel right, the absence of our weekly SC conversations. Thank you for all of the memories! As just a member and artist, this group has helped me grow so much professionally. It was my client when I didn’t have clients. It was my motivation to paint when I didn’t feel creative. It was my source of portfolio-worthy work, but also my safe place to experiment and fail when I was trying something new. The girl who started as a Square Carousel member freshly graduated in 2011 was working part-time at Urban Outfitters, had basically no money, and no clue how to promote herself. The “studio” was a corner of the bedroom and nobody took her seriously. But a stubborn dedication and the security, purpose and structure of Square Carousel helped the slow change from that lost girl to a full-time freelancing woman. Now, in 2021, I have been doing freelance illustration fully for six years, through contract jobs, editorial, publishing, advertising, commission and local work, as well as selling prints and products online, in local shops and events. I am not making the big bucks, certainly, and I still have goals I’m working towards, but damn, if that isn’t a glow-up, I don’t know what is. Thank you for helping me achieve my impossible dream, Square Carousel, and always being a place with the right amount of advice, support and critique. Ten years, 34 artist interviews, 38 artists, and 144 challenges. I’m the only member to have completed every single one. 144 illustrations through the years. Some were game-changers for my style and my portfolio. Some were total stinkers and I hope you don’t go looking for them. But all were an important step in my career.   So, in ten more years? I’ll be 42 years old, which is very weird because I have never imagined myself that old before... it’s hard to honestly say what that would look like, especially considering the world we are currently living in and how the last 4/5 years have proven that anything (awful) can happen. Jordan and I have a goal to move to Colorado in the next 4 or 5 years, and I’d love to have a little A-Frame in the mountains with a loft studio, shown in my illustration here. Texas has become extremely problematic, especially after the winter storm in February of this year, and will be impacted greatly by climate change, both environmentally and economically. Right now, Austin is still booming, but at some point the lack of foresight in this state’s government is going to screw over the residents and it will be one of the places from which climate refugees run. Is that tomorrow? No, obviously not. But I want to already be settled someplace more stable, having grown some roots, before other folks start to roll in. But, to be able to do that, I need to rely less on my local jobs and connections and be able to have an “anywhere career.” So right now I am focusing on expanding in that way, particularly with book cover illustration and design. I’ve been doing a lot of portfolio work and self-publishing jobs, and hope to get an agent that can shop my work to big-time publishers sometime in the next year or two. Let’s say I succeed at all of those things in five years-- we’re in our Colorado A-Frame, I’m illustrating book covers (and I’ve also convinced my parents to come with me, and maybe a couple friends!). The next five years after that? I don’t know... hopefully a lot of adventures. Hopefully a lot of cool jobs, but also a lot of work/life balance. Right now, I don’t want kids, so the A-Frame will be filled with cats. Maybe we’ll have an old camper van for regular road trips around the western National Parks. I’d love for my work to reflect those passions-- more jobs with outdoor brands, parks, organizations. More book covers for stuff I’d personally love to read and keep on my overflowing shelf. That’s the vague goal for me in ten years, but I don’t want to plan any further than that, because life just also needs to happen the way it’s going to happen. There are parts of my current life I planned for in 2011... and there are parts I never, ever would have guessed. I hope there’s some fun surprises in 2031, too. Thanks for the decade, Square Carousel. Joining illustration collectives will always be the first bit of advice I give fresh graduates. Caitlin

#challenge 144 #caitlin alexander #caitlin b alexander #goodbye square carousel #ten years

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Bright and Shinny Like The California Sun!

I relocated from NY to LA in 2019 and I’m loving it the outdoors, the cactuses, the people and skateboards! This piece is originally created for Airbnb but I feel like it illustrates my current life and the life I look forward to so I’d like to share it with you all! 

✿ SCAD 2012 


✿ Illustrator at Tiktok creating effects while freelancing for fun gigs. 


✿ I love what I do now and hope to continue the journey with passions, sparks and playfulness. For something slightly different and fun, I’d like to start our own lines of products.  -Julia Yellow 

 See more work here: Website | Instagram | Facebook

#guest artist #Julia yellow #challenge 144 #10 years looking forward #10th anniversary #final challenge #finale #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Growing a Better Future

With all the change that has happened in the last year alone it is pretty difficult to imagine where I will be personally in ten years, let alone describe it in visual form. So I opted to go in a less personal direction with this challenge and design a follow up to the Green New Deal poster I illustrated a couple of years ago for Creative Action Network.

My original poster envisioned a society more in tune with and respectful of the environment, represented by a city growing from a flower. My follow-up image looks forward to show this society as a growing and thriving garden. If we can adopt better environmental policies we too will have a chance to thrive.

I graduated from SCAD in 2013, and again in 2015 with my MFA in Illustration. I am currently freelancing and displaying my art at galleries around my home in North Georgia.

Where will I be in ten years? Like I said, it is hard to imagine at this point, hopefully still freelancing. But I know my art will continue to be a major element of my future due in part to the amazing support and motivation from the awesome people at Square Carousel. In the short time I’ve had the privilege of being a member my work has improved exponentially and I feel I have the momentum to carry what I have learned here with me into whatever the future holds. Thank you guys!

James McInvale Website Instagram

#james mcinvale #james mcinvale illustration #Challenge 144 #10 years looking forward #growing a better future #green new deal #poster design #pen and ink #acrylic ink #poster illustration #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective #surrealist art #green new deal art

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Chippy and Friends Parade: Celebrating 10 Years!

Who doesn’t love a great parade, where the music is on key and the sound is one. I love marching bands, and have always wanted to attend the Bands of America Championships. I am hoping that in the next 10 years, (that should be plenty of time) I take a trip and make it to at least one. For my illustration, I took Chippy my go to raccoon and had his friends join in on the celebration for the 10 year anniversary of Square Carousel. The Challenge was: “10 Years, Looking Forward” can be interpreted many ways. You could illustrate something personal, about where you see yourself in 10 years, or perhaps where you see the future of our world in a decade. It can optimistic, pessimistic, scientific, emotional, humorous or anything else. All we want is to see everyone give it their all, since this is our last challenge! I graduated SCAD in 2010 with a BFA in Illustration. Currently I am working on opening Hey Elmer Design Co. which is a creative studio offering design, illustration and branding for print media and we also do in house screen printing for art and apparel. Hopefully opening a physical location some time in 2022. In ten years I hope to be running a successful print studio. Square Carousel helped me grow and continue my illustration practice at a time when I felt a bit lost and felt like I was loosing my creativity. I was honored to be a part of it along with so many great illustrators. I want to thank Elizabeth and Caitlin who welcomed me to the group a few years back.   Follow my progress and growth at: Heyelmer.com @hey_elmer - on IG Elmer

#Guest Artist #Challenge 144 #10 years looking forward #10th anniversary #HeyElmer #square carousel #square carousel illustration collective #Elmer Ramos

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Interview with Elizabeth Beals

Here we are at the end, our final interview! Fittingly, we're capping it off with Elizabeth Beals, the other long standing member who has stuck around since Square Carousel's very beginning. While Elizabeth's signature style has remained instantly recognizable from Challenge 1 through Challenge 143 and counting, her skills have undoubtedly blossomed over the past decade. Today, we're catching up with our resident long haul Square Carousel member, admin, and comics professional, Elizabeth Beals!

Emma Frost

Q: Even though your art style is beautifully consistent, your work still stays fresh with each new challenge. What are the biggest aesthetic changes you notice in your work when you compare your most recent pieces to your graduation portfolio?

A: I haven’t looked at my graduation portfolio in a hot minute, it’s pretty wild seeing how far I have come. I’ve gotten better at compositions/ I’ve leaned into cooler, more saturated palettes/ have a better use of textures/ and I also don’t force myself to create a full bleed illustration if it’s not completely necessary to get the story across.

Elizabeth’s workspace

Q: Has your art making process changed at all during your post college years?

 A: Oh yeah, definitely!

In college I would thumbnail/ flesh out the comp at scale with normal mechanical pencil/ ink with a 005 micron/ erase the under drawing/ scan in the piece/ clean up in Photoshop/ then color until completion. 

Whereas I now thumbnail/ scan in the one I like/ format and print it out at a larger scale (in light blue)/ go back over the print with a blue pencil to refine details/ ‘ink’ it with a extra fine mechanical pencil/ scan it back in/ clean up in photoshop/ and then color until completion. 

And if we want to do an even deeper dive we can look at the ‘Color until Completion’ portion.

In college I would create a top layer, which was always the scan/line art set to multiply, and then I would place the coloring layers beneath it. I was just getting into textures and color holds so they were pretty crude but it was nice that I was still fussing with them.

I currently use the same process as a base but I’ve also started painting on top of the line art (like, A LOT), using overlays, adjustments, effects, and more.

Glitter Hearts

Q: What's been your favorite professional project to work on?

A: Mmmmm, I think this one’s a tie for me, the first one would be my cover run on Star Trek: TNG - Terra Incognita. It was my first cover run and the writers/ editors I got to work with were a complete and total dream. They whipped up some pretty fun concepts and I really got to stretch my art muscles for it. Plus the Ice cream I designed for issue one got worked into the story, so having a cannon ice cream design is pretty dang neat. The second would be my first OGN, Virtually Yours, with writer Jeremy Holt! It’s been a project that we’ve had waiting in the wings since 2015 and got to revamp for ComiXology Originals in 2020. It was the largest project I’ve ever worked on and it was such a tough/ joyous/ and complete learning experience for me. I was glad to have an amazing team of people to work with and you should deff check it out if you haven’t already ;D
  [Link to Virtually Yours on Comixology]

Virtually Yours cover

Q: Any non-art hobbies?

A: Baking / Cooking/ Trying out new recipes! *Chef’s Kiss* Just chilling outside in general/ soaking up some sun ( as a former So. Cal girl I miss the high/ dry heat.) Binge watching trash T.V.

Q: Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate?

A: I love all three dearly but coffee wins, hands down.

Q: What's a career goal you have for the next decade?

A: Pretty broad but I would love to get to a place where I become less dependent on private/ personal commissions and focus more on Comic Covers and Pin-up work. 

She Hulk

Q: Do you have a favorite superhero? A: Short answer, no.
 However, I can provide a short list of some of my faves: Jubilee, Storm, Rogue, Spider-Man, Anya Corazon (Spider-Girl), Spider-Gwen, Mystique, and I’m gunna end it there before I just keep rambling.

Q: What's one thing you wish more people knew about you or your work?

A: One fun thing about me/ my work is that my love of drawing hair came from wanting to create Cammy White (Street Fighter) fan art. With braids as long as her’s you gotta take your time and learn to draw them right! XD

Q: While working, do you prefer to watch tv, movies, listen to music, or sit in silence? Any recommendations for background media?

A: Definitely a TV series or movie, preferably something I’ve already seen (less potential to distract me). I always end up falling back on older shows like Murder She Wrote or Midsomer Murders, basically anything with a long syndication. When I was working on Virtually Yours though I would have HBO’s Gentleman Jack on. It’s a newer series with only one season but it served as a good timer/ work schedule for me.

Star Trek TNG: Terra Incognita (issue 6)

Q: If you could choose one character from the Star Trek universe to befriend, who would it be and why? A: To avoid getting too crazy, I think I’m gunna limit myself to TNG (plus I have the most knowledge of that series) and go with Guinan. She’s wise beyond her years (if you could believe that), funny, empathetic, resourceful, and makes a mean drink! And not to break the 4th wall or anything, but it’s freakin’ Whoopi Goldberg!!! ;D

Elizabeth herself

Q: Excellent choice! Anything else you would like the readers to know?

A: Just that y’all are fantastic and we appreciate all the love and support you’ve shown us over that last 10 years! Thanks for letting us go out on a high note!

P.S. Stay safe. Stay healthy. And get vaccinated <3

You heard her folks! Thanks so much to Elizabeth for sharing her answers, and to you, dear readers, for getting to know us all at the Square Carousel Collective these past years.  Check out Elizabeth’s website, and follow her on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram for fresh art as soon as it drops!

#interview #Elizabeth beals #square Carousel #comics #comics artist #cover artist #illustrators on tumblr #virtually yours #star trek terra incognita

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward

The theme, "10 Years, Looking Forward" can be interpreted many ways. You could illustrate something personal, about where you see yourself in 10 years, or perhaps where you see the future of our world in a decade. It can optimistic, pessimistic, scientific, emotional, humorous or anything else. This is our last challenge so we’re giving it our all!

- S.C.

#square carousel illustration collective #challenge 144 #10 years looking forward #10 year anniversary #final challenge #finale #square carousel