The Wonder that is Halloween

To celebrate the upcoming Halloween holiday, today's guest post is from our Blogger of the Month, David McGrievey of An Illustrated Life. I hope you have had the chance to visit David's blog to enjoy his witty banter and beautiful illustrations.

I recall the scent of fallen leaves crushed under my feet as my sister and I went door to door screaming 'Trick or Treat" at weary married people. Aside from the few healthy apples dumped in our pillowcases, we were never disappointed. We grew up in a neighborhood with emphasis on neighbor.

Nobody gives out treats in NYC.

Luxury high rise condominiums are closely guarded by uniformed doormen who do not let annoying costumed children in.

My apartment building is not that fancy, no doormen, so consequently, my first year living in this city, a lone fat Asian kid knocked on my sixth floor door and said "Trick or Treat." Dumbfounded, I gave him a piece of sliced Wonder bread, it was the only treat I had.

I dropped the pathetic slice into his colorful 'Trick or Treat" bag knowing full well it was not a treat, I felt bad.

Turns out the kid lived downstairs and he was the only English speaking person in his family. He gave me the stink eye while passing in the hallway for a year after the sliced bread incident but we later became friends. I believe NYC gave birth to the phrase "Never take candy from strangers," which is why I give out Wonder bread.

Please enjoy this fall image of mine which appeared in The New York Times. It is of the Guggenheim Museum and looks like sliced bread, no children allowed.

MGB-Blogger of the Month: October!



http://www.davidmcgrieveyillustration.com/




I started blogging in June of 2009 with no more than 5 followers (one being myself)! There was one follower though, David McGrievey, that signed on right away and would email supportive comments and other blog suggestions (whether to check out style or just to read a good site) on a very regular basis, and still does to this day. When David launched his blog An Illustrated Life in October of 2009, I became one of his first followers as well. One thing you should know: I’ve known David for a great portion of my life. When my parents split and my father married my step-mother, my brother and I became a part of the family. To be honest, I always felt like I never quite fit in with the relatives-with the exception of a token few, who accepted us as though we were blood from day one. David was one of the few. In my book, he has always been the “cool” cousin; being an illustrator and living in New York City added to coolness factor, but I think it is the way he tells the story of his latest shenanigans-(and does he have stories!) that makes me look forward to his visits home. What I have enjoyed most, now being an adult, is becoming David’s friend.

When reading his blog, I started to really appreciate what an incredibly talented illustrator David is and am amazed at all he has accomplished so far in his life. He reminds me of a grand movie star, like James Cagney, Cary Grant or Dean Martin, just oozing sophistication, style and a snarky wit that can’t be beat. I’m sure when you visit, you will fall in love with his style too.

MGB: Why did you start a blog?

DM: I started the blog as an easy way to show my illustration work to clients, then, like most bloggers, I got a bit off track and found that I enjoyed rambling on about unrelated topics to total strangers. I have many young followers who want to become professional illustrators, I hope my blog serves to encourage yet warn them of the pitfalls of this business and the realities of living in NYC.

MGB: What is your favorite & least favorite thing about blogging?

DM: I really enjoy reading the comments, I used to respond to all of them but it got out of control. I do however FOLLOW back everyone that FOLLOWS me and I enjoy reading their blogs. Only once have I had to delete a follower, he wrote a salacious blog in Scotland. I have no idea why he chose to follow me as the only thing we had in common was the fact that I am half Scottish; in his defense, it was very well written. To summarize, my favorite aspect of blogging is the interaction, my least favorite is the fact that I can no longer respond in the way I would like to.

MGB: What is one of your personal favorite posts? Why is it your favorite?

DM: I am really partial to my Valentine post of last year...
http://www.davidmcgrieveyillustration.com/2010/02/happy-valentines-day.html

It was a simple post, a valentine thanking all my readers, I think I had twenty at the time and I loved them all. I had just learned how to incorporate a video so I put in Lady Gaga singing Bad Romance which recently won Video of the Year at the VMA's. Quite by chance, the colors of the video matched my illustration, everything just fell into place.

MGB: What would you like readers to know about you?

DM: They already know enough, I write a blog, not a tell-all, I'm saving the good stuff for a book.


I am so glad that David has graciously agreed to be our October Blogger of the Month! Please give him a warm welcome!!

*All illustrations are the original works of David McGrievey and have been used with his permission.