About

Stephen Gilpin lives and works in a cave just North of Hiawatha, KS with his wife Angie, their kids and an infestation of dogs.

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So much fun, you have to be ready for it.

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 I think the key to handling a backpacking trek is to always be generally active. Walk, run, bike, skateboard, roller skate —- whatever. Our bodies are made to move, and we need to keep them moving. I hear they tend to last longer and perform better that way, AND you’re more ready to take on that backpacking trek that comes up now and then without having to put a lot of time into getting in shape. You can spend that time instead on figuring out how to make sure you have what you’ll need and still be able to carry that monster of a pack on your back.  Those things are heavy. 
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My experience with Jim McMullan

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As a second-year illustration student at the School of Visual Arts, I sat confidently in Jim McMullan's figure drawing class working through yet another series of five minute poses. This would have been my second semester in his class, and I had the notion that I'd picked up a few things. I was blending the High-Focus Drawing ways of thinking with inspiration from Egon Schiele . I recall having the distinct impression that I was making some significant progress. My drawings were pretty different from the character the rest of the class was attempting to achieve. The elegant lines that Jim tried so adamantly to train us to execute were replaced by something resembling the scrawlings of someone crippled with rheumatoid arthritis. After some time, Jim came over to me and sat down.  "You're not a genius." He said.  This obvious news had been hovering near me for a long, long time just waiting for a willing conduit to deliver it. It was devastating. I think he said a
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What to Do When You're Sent to Your Room

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Hey guys!  This is pretty neat.  One of my books I wrapped up recently was selected for "The Original Art" children's book illustration show that starts at the Society of Illustrators this month.  Those Candlewick people really know how to put a book together, and Ann Stott's script is hilarious. You can buy it here. here.
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