Tal Burdine - Biography

Biography

Tal attended Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana, studying graphic design and illustration. He finished his degree at the University of New Mexico. Talmage (Tal) has been an illustrator and graphic designer for more than thirty years, currently working mostly with digital media. Tal has won a national Webby Award for his work animating the public service commercial “About This Apple Thing.” He recently finished illustrations for 3 board/online games companies, Frown Clown Games and Barely Suitable Games. Tal currently has three children’s books on the market: “Fernnie The Fish Finds Glasses” (illustrated and written by Tal), “Imagine A World” and “A Halloween Warning.” For several years now, Tal has been teaching beginning drawing classes for various organizations. Lastly, Tal is musician who plays piano for several clients in central New Mexico.

Artist Statement

As an illustrator, my art tells a story and evokes a response from the viewer. Most of my work has a humorous flair. This works well when I am illustrating children’s literature and helps my audience become friends with my characters and accustomed to their world.

When illustrating a story, it is important to get as much information from the author/client as possible, so that I can represent what they are seeing in their minds. I also want the illustrations to give the story the correct implications and mood, as well as an accurate telling of the story. Illustrations not only complete the story but enhance it, giving brevity or a passionate touch, giving reality to a sentiment that seldom is carried by the limitations placed on the written word and the confines of the text.

Beginning my schooling and illustration career in conventional forms, (paper and pencil, layout by hand, learning the processes… etc.) helped me understand how materials and techniques worked. Moving into the digital realm, I understood what worked best for the task at hand. But digital art brought so much more flexibility to illustration, especially in cases where clients wanted to make changes or I needed to see how changes would affect things like composition and color. Digital illustration brought tools that matched my needs, added much needed adaptability and strengthened my connection with the production of the piece.

An illustration can convey a thousand words. It can take you to a place you never imagined. It allows me to create new worlds, bring to life new creatures, distort or normalize humanity, describe personalities, mold and shape my characters both physically and mental, and bring powers that defy our reality to the mind of the reader. Through illustration I bring emotional responses, new ideas, a new way of seeing the world and a journey to be taken by my audience. Illustration is the springboard that allows the viewer to dive into their own imagination and see the impossible and how it relates to their lives.