Barclay-Studio

Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:32:00 +0000

There is great value to working on something slowly over time. Years ago I was asked to create a mural. As stated earlier, for various reasons this project had been sidelined (There is new hope that it will be seen on a wall). Despite the setbacks, I continued to work on it. I added a character here and there working on it a few minutes almost every day.

Now, after years of small updates, the image is getting closer to being finished. Still not happy with the background colors of fall and summer and I still have a number of Vermont animals to add to the Fall section. but it is coming along.

I moved the grey fox to the winter portion and I am working on a new tractor to place in the Fall. I think it will be driven by a Labrador retriever. I am also trying to decide if the cow should be jumping over the moon (not sure if I want to go that cliche).

It feels good to have this much done.

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 16:06:00 +0000

I hope that everyone on can find some peace and rest this holiday season.

This year's holiday illustration is from a sketch I made of the Eltz Castle from my visit to Germany in the Spring of 2026.

Faculty Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:13:00 +0000

With all the work I have been doing for the Twilight Players, The university I work at wrote up a Faculty Spotlight on me.

It can bee seen here

It is good to be recognized on occasion.

My latest Theatrical Endeavors

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:36:00 +0000

Last Spring a group of students at Vermont University, Lyndon campus made a leap of faith and trust in me as the supported me in writing and directing an original adaptation of Hamlet. Over the past 2 and a half months I watched close to 30 students take an idea and make it their own. They took what I penned to paper and saw so much more than I could ever dream in the characters, costuming, lights, sound, props and set. Every night, I got to watch the audience leave happy because of what they did. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity to work with so many fine and gifted people.

Updating a Logo

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 13:41:00 +0000

I believe in giving back. I believe in helping others.

This past year, I had the privilege of supporting the East Burke School, an institution that has significantly benefited my family. I undertook a project to refine their existing logo, delivering more versatile and impactful versions for their use. While the modifications were subtle, they notably enhanced the logo's overall aesthetic and usability. I was a grateful to have the opportunity to give back to this dedicated group of educators, especially given the exceptional educational experience East Burke School provided for our three oldest children.

The Refined Logo

The Original Logo

Award

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 02 May 2025 20:42:00 +0000

I was humbled today to receive the VTSU-Lyndon 2025 Outstanding Faculty Contribution Award. It is awarded to a faculty member that has been at the university for over 12 years. I recognize how much so many other faculty members work and give to this school. I work with some great people at this campus.

Announcement!

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 11:56:00 +0000

The list of cast members keeps getting bigger!

New Skills!

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:39:00 +0000

It has been a few months since I finished learning the fundamentals of Toon Boom's Storyboard Pro. I felt the need to share some of my new skills.

It has been exciting learning so much about storyboarding and this great software. It is also giving my students at Vermont State University – Lyndon's Animation Illustration program an incredible advantage in their education.

I hope to have some of my own storyboards and animatics to share in the near future.

How to get through challenging art problems.

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:35:00 +0000

Often in illustration you come across a very complex visual problem. In this case I am working on developing the visual for the Wampahoofus, a Vermont cryptid that is a mix between a hog and a deer with one side of its legs taller than the other. This helps it easily walk around a mountain. The challenge I presented myself is how to depict it walking on level ground.

The solution, draw and test things out in sketches. This is only one page. I am getting closer to something I like, but I am not there yet.

This kind of exploration is invaluable to a strong visual concept and drawing.

More That Connects Us…

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:49:00 +0000

I am excited that 6 of my zoom portrait series “Zoomed Out” will be on display at the the Satellite Gallery exhibit's “More That Connects Us.” These are a collection of sketches that I work on while I am in my many Zoom meetings. I started them during COVID and just kept going with them. I have hundreds of them now that many of my meetings are still virtual.

The exhibit opens on January 10 from 5-7 pm

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 21:04:00 +0000

Wishing everyone a Happy Holidays! – Barclay

Delayed Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 01:27:00 +0000

A number of years ago, I was asked to create a mural for a local company. They wanted Vermont animals clad in bowties progressing through the seasons of the year! It was a dream come true and I dove into working on it.

I had never done a mural before so I started by doing a bit of research on pricing and different ways of making a mural. I have a friend, Breadwig Ballinger, that has painted a number of murals, so I consulted with him about the project. I worked on a color rough draft to present to the town and the project got stalled. At the time the town was not approving any permanent outside art.

It was difficult news to hear as this had become such a joy for me to work on. In response to the delay, I decided to keep working on the project as if it was going to happen. So I have slowly worked on the final illustration. It has become a passion project for me. I work on it in-between other jobs as it has evolved into a very complex composition.

I am not finished yet. I have finished winter (to the far right). I am almost finished with spring and I have started refining summer.

I do not know that I will ever see this on a wall, but I have enjoyed working on it. The process has been a wonderful challenge and I hope that it will someday be seen by many more people on a wall.

Wild Vermont Transit

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 01:36:00 +0000

My 3rd puzzle in partnership with Vermont Puzzle is now available.

Wild Vermont Transit features a quintet of bow tie clad Vermont animals waiting patiently amongst the fall foliage for the bus to arrive. If you are interested in purchasing one for a friend or yourself you can visit my website at barclay-studio.com

OIAF Takeaways

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 23:24:00 +0000

As usual this years Ottawa International Animation Festival was incredible. Here are a few of the things that were said in the panels that really stood out to me.

During the Advice from Animators Panel Sam Gurry told us to not try to quantify our work or put a price on the work we do.

José Pou shared his experience of being a security guard when he couldn't find any animation jobs. He said it was hard, but he learned that there is no shame. We should not be shamed by the work we do. This was one of the greatest take aways from the event.

Chris Rutledge reminded me that we need to finish things. It doesn't need to be perfect just finished. I love that way of thinking.

In another session, I loved learning about the development of Wild Robot. Chris Saunders, the director, made the comment that “Abstraction brings believability” He was referring to what they learned by trying to create a computer generated forest that was as beautiful as the backgrounds in Bambi.

I also liked his insight as to why there are no mothers in Disney films. “Mothers keep adventures from happening.”

Summer Work

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 00:33:00 +0000

This summer I was able to stretch my design skills by designing Vermont Children's Theater's Web site.

As part of the project, I have also been expanding their brand, to include more options for their logo (to come) and brand colors.

The colors evoke summer and the joy of theater. The red (the primary color for the company) represents the barn the theater is located in.

The secondary colors each represent different aspect of summer. The blue is the Vermont summer sky, the green is the grass around the barn, and yellow is the sun.

Puzzled!

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:29:00 +0000

I recently partnered with Vermont Puzzle and started the Barclay Collection of puzzles featuring my illustration work! The Vermonotaur puzzle is now available to purchase!

The puzzle features the Vermonotaur, a solitary creature that roams Vermont helping collect sap for sugarers and other good deeds. It is a 12x18 inch 345 piece puzzle that has been individually printed (no mass production.

If you are interested in purchasing one you can visit my site at barclay-studio.com

Hopefully, more puzzles will be coming soon.

Sketching at Diagon Alley

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 21:46:00 +0000

As part of my family's visit to Orlando, Florida I took an opportunity to sketch a bit in Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando. I could have spent a lot more time there. I loved all the skiwampus buildings. It was a visual smorgasbord!

If you are interested you can purchase a limited edition print of the sketch from my website here.

A Visit to Orlando: Cinderella's Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 20:46:00 +0000

My family and I recently visited Orlando Florida for the first time. On the day we went to Disney World, I made sure to spend some time sketching while the rest of the family waited in lines for rides. I really enjoyed the complexity of Cinderella's Castle.

There is something wonderfully calming about slowing down and looking. In the process of drawing this I saw a mother struggling to take a selfie with her two sons. I took a small break and offered to take the photo for them. I do not think I would have noticed her struggle if I had not taken the time to just look.

If you are interested you can purchase a limited edition print of the sketch from my website here.

New Book and Lessons Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 14:50:00 +0000

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to Illustrate and design "A Girl Named Gitta,” a series of stories about the childhood of Brigitta Straumer Clyde.

I will be writing more about how I got the job, and why I chose to illustrate a self-published book in a future post. Here I want to share something I learned about the process of illustrating a book and meeting deadlines.

Yesterday, while discussing procrastination and burnout in one of my classes, a student of mine shared the idea that we should do the vanilla first and then make the banana split. As I thought about this profound statement about getting the basics done and then if you have time, you add the topping, I realized that is how I approached this book.

In order to meet deadlines at a very busy time of my life, I got out the basics first. For example, in the image below I got the idea out.

I wasn't happy with it. I knew it could be better, but I had to get something done. At this point I didn't know how to fix it, so I submitted the preliminary black and white image. At this point this was one of my least favorite pages. The authors were happy with it, but I knew it could be better.

Once I was finished with the line drawing for the whole book, I went in and reworked my least favorite images. This was the result.

I then went on to the next image I was not happy with and found a better solution. I used this process until each page was at a point I could be happy with.

So, if you are overwhelmed with too much to do, do the basics first. Then if you have time, add the good stuff.

Vermont Animation Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 23:06:00 +0000

On March 25 and 26 Northern Vermont University will be hosting the Annual Vermont Animation Festival. You can find out more about the event at vtanimationfestival.org

I also found out that one of my animations was accepted into the festival!

Henry VI posters

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 21:29:00 +0000

I love Shakespeare. For a few years now, I have been reading all his plays with the goal of creating a poster for each. It has been a challenging process. With Henry VI part II I started figuring things out. In act 2 scene 3, after Gloucester is found dead, Suffolk is accused without evidence. The Earl of Warwick gives the following reason:

Who finds the partridge in the puttocks nest

But may imagine how the bird was dead,

although the kite soar with unbloodied beak?

Even so suspicious is this tragedy.

This image of the kite hovering over a nest struck me. It seemed to say so much more than just the murder of Gloucester. I replaced the puttock's nest (a bird of prey like a kite) with the crown to emphasize the idea of the impending coup. I chose the black-winged kite because of the blood red eyes gave the illustration a more menacing foreboding appearance. From there, it started to click as I read more. For consistency among all the History Plays I would keep the crown and the Background the same. Then I would change the things around the crown depict something about the particular play. For Part I the War of the Roses started. For Part II, I referenced a line from Queen Margaret comparing Edward, George and Richard to wolves. In each poster there is also a small amount of red to depict the battle for the crown.

Now that I have a format for the Histories. I have a plan for Richard III and I will need to go back and read the prior plays to determine what to do for them.

This is also part of my current 100 somethings project to create 100 play posters.

The Play's the Thing: Gallery Exhibit

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 18:02:00 +0000

On Wednesday, September 15 from 5 to 7 I will be exhibiting my work at the Satellite Gallery in Lyndonville, Vermont. I will be showing over 25 years of theater posters as well as other examples of me playing around.

Here is a description of the show:

My work is all about play, whether it's a poster for an actual play (I love theater), or it is me playing around with my bow tie guys, recording my travels with on-sight sketching, or illustrating children’s books and coloring pages; it is me having fun. It is me trying to bring that sense of joy and fun to others.

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 19:34:00 +0000

Happy Holidays from Barclay-Studio!

I realize that this has been a difficult year. One of the things I have been reminded of is the importance of gratitude and how it can help get us through anything. I recognize there are many who have had it much worse than me, but my finding something to be grateful for and sharing it with others daily has helped me get through the possibility of loosing my job and other difficulties at work.

Starting a New 100 Somethings

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 17:54:00 +0000

A few months ago one of my past theater directors reached out to me and other friends and cast members to do a 25th anniversary reading of Charlies Aunt. We did a performance via zoom. It was a joy to work with these people again. Many of us had not worked together in years.A month later we did a reading of Present Laughter by Noel Coward and A week ago I had the pleasure of reading the part of Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey.

I have fallen in love with this play and now have added Elwood as one of my dream roles. Others include King Arthur in Camelot, Charles Condomine in Blythe Spirit, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, and The Narrator from Into the Woods.

While Doing these readings, I was inspired for my next 100 Somethings project. I am going to illustrate and design 100 Play posters. I currently have a list of 55 plays and musicals (Including all the Shakespeare plays) that I will work on over the next who knows how long. I am not putting a deadline on this. I am counting the poster for Henry the 6th part 2 as my first.

Harvey, the Pulitzer Prize winning play of 1940 is the 2nd of 100.

Up next is Charlies' Aunt.

If you have any play suggestions, send them my way.

More Coloring Pages fro VPR

noreply@blogger.com (Barclay) — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 15:09:00 +0000

Here are two more coloring pages that were illustrated for the VPR's But Why? A Podcast for Curious Children. This is for the episode “Do Animals Get Married?”

In addition to listening to the episode, I did further research to find that in addition to rats and chimpanzees, dogs laugh as well. I also found a way to include a bow tie for the hornbill wedding. It just made sense.

“But Why” is a podcast that take s all types of curious children's questions from all around the world and then spends about a half asking experts to answer the questions.

The coloring pages are now available to be down loaded and colored at their blog here. In the future they will be available at the actual site of the pod cast.

I will be coloring them myself soon.