For anyone who's ever found themselves side-eyeing a six-year-old and considered stealing her coloring book, or who has found themselves nonchalantly doodling with crayons on the kids menu at Nick's Cove, San Rafael art teacher Katharine Boyd has just what you need: a totally groovy coloring book for grownups.
Boyd's groovy illustrations for "Mod Tales 2" reference the style and culture and the swinging '60s.
Boyd, a Reno-born and classically trained artist who teaches at Marin Academy, released her first comic back in 2013: The 34-page "Mod Tales" is a too-fabulous cartoon study in 1960s espionage style. Set in Paris, the graphic story has all the trappings of James Bond meets Get Smart—slick sports cars, dapper fashions, out-of-this-world hairstyles, and nods to everything from architecture to the space race. The beautifully hand-drawn-and-inked original art comics are sold locally at Brian’s in Petaluma, and Escapist and Fantastic Comics, both in Berkeley. Boyd plans to release “Mod Tales 2” soon.
Cartoon art lovers with a penchant for James Bond flicks and Twiggy style will love "Mod Tales 2."
But for anyone who thinks comics are for kids and coloring is where it's at, Boyd has a more hands-on project coming your way: Her first coloring book, Color Me Mod, will be a 24-page ode to Boyd's beloved midcentury style and intrigue, with text by guest writer Jason Whitten, author of the blog Spy Vibe. The artist, who also studied at the Atelier of Classical Realism and California College of the Arts, is currently raising funds for the book's publication on GoFundMe.
An illustration from Color Me Mod
You can meet Boyd in person and see her in action as a guest cartoonist at Santa Rosa's Charles Schulz Museum on April 9, where she will demonstrate her process and show some recent recent work. In the meantime, you can also catch her at LumaCon, Petaluma's second annual comic fest, on January 30th. // Color Me Mod, gofundme.com; LumaCon, 10am-4pm, Jan. 30 , Petaluma Community Center & Lucchesi Park (Petaluma), lumacon.net
More illustrations from "Mod Tales 2." Groovy, baby!
The artist Katharine Boyd
