Brandon Reese – Illustrator

Brandon Reese is a Charlotte-based artist who puts the “ill” in “illustrator”. (No, no, really, hold your applause!)

I first became aware  of Brandon’s work when he created the art for Lunch Money’s CD Dizzy.

Since then, he’s created gorgeous illustrations for Original Friend and Spicy Kid, as well as the Grammy-Award-winning Can You Canoe? by The Okee Dokiee Brothers. If you primarily get your music via download or streaming, Brandon’s illustrations for Original Friend should make you seriously rethink that.

Brandon’s art is filled with the kinds of characters who you want to take by the hand to go on an adventure, even if that adventure is just lying in the grass looking up at the clouds. I think the thing about his work that most resonates with me is his sense of playfulness. Without stripping the world of its complexity and difficulties, Brandon reminds his viewer to not take life too seriously.

Anyway, at the end of last year and the beginning of this Richland County Public Library put on an exhibition of Brandon’s works called “Laughter and Raindrops”. I decided to recruit a few kids and photograph them with the illustrations (which look great large, by the way). Yes, I probably should have posted these when you could still go see the exhibit–mea culpa. To see more of his work, though, you really ought to visit his website. If you’d like to dig a little deeper into his portfolio (and maybe even discover his subversive side), I suggest a tour through his blog. In the meantime, feel free to whet your appetite with these:

What’s that? You’re in love with Brandon’s work and want to exchange money for the opportunity to own some of it? I can’t say I blame you. Here are a few places you can do just that:

You could get a CD he’s illustrated like: Dizzy, Original Friend, Spicy Kid, or Can You Canoe?

You could buy a book he’s illustrated such as Print Writing: A Creepy-Crawly Alphabet, or one he’s written and illustrated, like Draw Me Healthy: A Sticky Book, which also lets you (or your kids) illustrate and re-illustrate the story through the magic of Post-It notes.

Finally, if you want to grace your walls with his art, you can visit his gallery at Thumbtack Press where you can purchase his prints. The should look great hanging next to your photos by Lumos Studio.