In his caricature of Buster Keaton, artist Stephen Gilpin accentuated the comic’s pitifully sad eyes and prominent nose while playing down his mouth and chin.
“Whenever you exaggerate some features, you take away from others,” he said of the style.
Gilpin, now of Hiawatha, was recruited by Susan Raines, executive director of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, to draw this year’s Keaton Celebration poster. The two-day event is now in its 19th year.
The poster puts Keaton amidst a background of sunflowers, suitable for this year’s theme, “Keaton and the Kansas Filmmakers.”
“It seemed a natural fit,” Gilpin said.
With the help of a digital pad, Gilpin drew the images directly onto a computer screen which allowed him to move them around until he settled on a pleasing arrangement.
He then printed out the image and with brush and ink brought it to life with color and shadings.
“I ‘cheated’ as much as possible,” he said of the high-tech art method.
Gilpin, a native of Iola, said he’s currently very busy working on “about 10 projects simultaneously,” including three large illustration projects that include drawing more than 20 book covers for Penguin Press, illustrating a chapter book for “tweeners” and illustrating an English as a Second Language textbook for Oxford University Press.
“I have plenty of stuff to do,” he said.
The Keaton posters are for sale for $5 apiece at the Bowlus all day Friday and Saturday. Raines said a limited number — “about 35” — are available.
Iola native hits mark with poster
