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Marty Blake has been working as a graphic designer and collage illustrator for many years. None of this was entirely planned. Throughout a childhood defined by travel, upheaval and a persistent tribe of siblings , she constantly drew, painted and made things. College found her dabbling in set and lighting design, only to discover she preferred thinking in two dimensions. She turned to to printmaking and etching, and promptly after undergraduate graduation, went to graduate school for Illustration—leading her father to say, with the greatest concern ”Why don’t you learn to type? Just in case?” She refused, thinking “If I never learn to type, I’ll never be a secretary.” This became a slight problem when she wrote her 250-page MFA thesis on Collage in Illustration.
Armed with her affectionately dubbed Two Useless Pieces of Paper, Marty moved to New York City for six years, paying rent by making collages. Well, at first there were several years spent on the night shift operating a PhotoTypositor, developing a good eye and an addiction for typography, while schlepping the illustration portfolio around by day. Typesetting led to freelance design, which led to a stint as art director/designer at Dance Theater Workshop and an increasing volume of freelance design and illustration work. For a long time now, she has been full time freelance and loving it.
After six wonderful years in The City, Marty’s sweetheart bought a cottage on a small lake in upstate NY. The question became “Alone in One Room” vs “With my One True Love in a Bucolic Setting.” Luckily faxes and FedEx were invented, followed shortly by personal computing and the Internet, and she no longer had to be in New York City all the time. All’s well that ends well.
Marty’s illustration is grounded in collage, most often executed digitally. Her pictures are composed of scraps from her extensive library of old books, magazines, ephemera, and a prized set of 1939 wallpaper swatchbooks. She uses her own photographs and stock photography when needed. Her clientele include book publishers (everyone from Atlantic Monthly Press through Knopf and Little Brown to Vintage Books), newspapers (The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, etc.), and magazines (Family Circle to Fast Company and others, including countless obscure trade magazines). She’s also illustrated collateral such as posters and packaging.
Marty’s design clients include arts and educational institutions, restaurants and fine foods. Her projects are logos, letterheads, brochures, ads, posters and publications. She designs from concept through execution, often incorporating art direction of photo shoots and monitoring jobs on press.
In addition to her own creative work, Marty teaches part time. She has taught courses in illustration concepts, computer graphics, graphic design, and typography. She teaches students from high school through college and graduate school.
Marty’s work has been recognized by Graphis magazine, the Society of Illustrators, 3×3, American Illustration, Print Magazine’s Regional Design Annual, Mohawk Papers, Rockport Press books, “Covers & Jackets” by Steve Heller, “Type Rules!” by Ilene Strizver, the Syracuse Ad Club, and other publications and organizations.
Armed with her affectionately dubbed Two Useless Pieces of Paper, Marty moved to New York City for six years, paying rent by making collages. Well, at first there were several years spent on the night shift operating a PhotoTypositor, developing a good eye and an addiction for typography, while schlepping the illustration portfolio around by day. Typesetting led to freelance design, which led to a stint as art director/designer at Dance Theater Workshop and an increasing volume of freelance design and illustration work. For a long time now, she has been full time freelance and loving it.
After six wonderful years in The City, Marty’s sweetheart bought a cottage on a small lake in upstate NY. The question became “Alone in One Room” vs “With my One True Love in a Bucolic Setting.” Luckily faxes and FedEx were invented, followed shortly by personal computing and the Internet, and she no longer had to be in New York City all the time. All’s well that ends well.
Marty’s illustration is grounded in collage, most often executed digitally. Her pictures are composed of scraps from her extensive library of old books, magazines, ephemera, and a prized set of 1939 wallpaper swatchbooks. She uses her own photographs and stock photography when needed. Her clientele include book publishers (everyone from Atlantic Monthly Press through Knopf and Little Brown to Vintage Books), newspapers (The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, etc.), and magazines (Family Circle to Fast Company and others, including countless obscure trade magazines). She’s also illustrated collateral such as posters and packaging.
Marty’s design clients include arts and educational institutions, restaurants and fine foods. Her projects are logos, letterheads, brochures, ads, posters and publications. She designs from concept through execution, often incorporating art direction of photo shoots and monitoring jobs on press.
In addition to her own creative work, Marty teaches part time. She has taught courses in illustration concepts, computer graphics, graphic design, and typography. She teaches students from high school through college and graduate school.
Marty’s work has been recognized by Graphis magazine, the Society of Illustrators, 3×3, American Illustration, Print Magazine’s Regional Design Annual, Mohawk Papers, Rockport Press books, “Covers & Jackets” by Steve Heller, “Type Rules!” by Ilene Strizver, the Syracuse Ad Club, and other publications and organizations.