The #3 and Andrea

The new print Buzzer is out! A good chunk of this issue is devoted to what’s in store for transit in 2012. I don’t want to steal the issue’s thunder, so make sure you pick up the issue on the buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express or, alternatively, download it. For more specifics on the improvement to transit this year, check out the Transit looks ahead press release.

The cover of the February 2012 Buzzer

I’ve started a new semi-regular section of the print Buzzer this month called Metro Vancouver by transit. The idea is to spotlight a community that can be reached by transit and explore great places in that community that you can reach by transit. This first instalment is on Mount Pleasant in Vancouver. There’s a lot going on in this part of Vancouver, so it’s easy to say that it’s worth checking out. I’ll be looking for more communities to spotlight, so if you have any ideas, please do send me an email to thebuzzer@translink.ca.

I also wrote a piece on thefts of smartphones near SkyTrain stations. These handy and expensive pieces of electronics can be tempting to criminals so it’s good to be vigilant when out on the system using them. I list five common sense tips that can protect yourself and your smartphone from harm.

The rest of the issue is comprised of the usual suspects including Coming events, Contest Corner and Back Issues. The February 1974 issue of the Buzzer is this month’s look back at transit history gold. That issue featured an article on a board game based on Vancouver bus routes called, “Vancouver Buses”. If any Buzzer blog readers have a copy or have even heard about please shoot me an email. I’d love to know more about it or even play it!

Our artist this month is Andrea Rodgers. She was super fun to work with and did a pretty bang on illustration. Here are her answers to a few questions I asked her:

Tell us about yourself and your art.
I like the aesthetic of rough hand drawn lines. Often working in pen, I like to add in watercolour and india ink.
The unexpected nature of the medium appeals to me. Makes it more of an adventure.
For this illustration I scanned it in and worked with photoshop and illustrator.

How did you come up with the concept for your illustration?
Heritage hall is an architectural beauty in Vancouver. It was an easy choice to represent the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.
On a good day – From this point on the hill you can often see the mountains and a good part of the city too.
I suppose it represents a memory of mine.

Are you a transit user?
Occasionally I am a transit user. Nights or days when there is too much ice and snow to ride my bike.
I’m a fan of the skytrain, and am ever-thankful to the Canada Line for access to the airport.

The first Buzzer of 2012 is now on the system!

The first Buzzer of 2012 is out. This month is all about art and the Canada Line. If you ride the Canada Line regularly and spend any time around the stations, you’ll notice some pretty cool art within their vicinities. If you don’t take the Canada Line, then you might want to visit the stations to see the wonderful works of art featured around them. They change every six months or so and are always engaging. The images of them in the Buzzer don’t do them justice, so you really should take them in, in person.

The cover of the new Buzzer

Also included in this month’s Buzzer is an OnTrack and Compass Card update. OnTrack is the name for all the upgrades, improvements and updates to the SkyTrain lines system wide. With the Expo Line being over 25 years old now, TransLink needs to make sure things run smoothly for the next 25 years. This work started in spring 2011 and will continue in 2012. There have been a number of service impacts already due to these changes and will be more in the future.

Beside keeping SkyTrain in good working order, OnTrack is also about getting the system ready for Compass Card, which includes installing fare gates and card readers to name just a couple of the items that will be part of switching from tickets to smart cards system wide. Construction of fare gates has already started at several stations on the Expo and Canada Line. Compass Card will be fully operational in 2013.

As usual, we have the Contest Corner, Back Issues and Coming Events featured in this issue. I’d also like to note that the image of the FareCard on the front cover and Contest Corner section should read “2012″ not “2011″. Of course, if you win a card this month, you’ll get a card for 2012 (a 2011 card wouldn’t be very useful now, would it!).

The cover artist this month is Karen Garry. Karen is multi-talented artist with many weapons in her creative arsenal. You can check out her other work on her website. I got the chance to pick Karen’s brain about her work and interests:

Tell us about yourself and your art.

I’m an illustrator, animator and designer who has been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I’m a fan of stories; reading them, hearing them, living them and working in the visual arts lets me do what I love best: tell stories! When I was younger, I really wanted to be a writer and split my time between writing and sketching, but as I get older, I find I like the anonymity that drawing allows. If you pour your heart out in writing, it’s easy to spot. Pour it out in drawing, and it’s a little less obvious. Works well for a hopeless romantic like me.

How did you come up with the concept for your illustration?

Well, since the topic was Translink and the installation of the new fare gates, I wanted to somehow incorporate how transit plays into our lives. Transit services are for people to get around. Some of us use them daily, so I figured just highlighting regular people doing regular things might work, hence a couple of cool cats going out on the town, taking the train.

Why cats?

Why not?

Are you a transit user?

Of course! I own a car, but I usually opt for biking to work and take transit on the weekends when I’m going out dancing and know I might have a drink.

Which is your favourite ride: bus, SkyTrain, Seabus or West Coast Express?

Definitely the bus. I’m lucky because I live by two routes that work perfectly into my life and rarely have to take anything else. I even have my stop numbers memorized so I never have to wait. I like all the random people watching and conversations you can get into on the bus. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes flirtatious, sometimes even a bit irritating, but always a good story

The cover of the December 2011 Buzzer and the artist, Dani Vachon.

The December 2011 print Buzzer

There’s a new Buzzer on the system! This month, the focus of much of the issue is dedicated to the December service changes. Every December, TransLink makes changes to bus service in order to optimize resources. Sometimes, these changes include reductions in service or even discontinuation of bus routes that have very low ridership. This time around, TransLink is adding service to seven bus routes thanks to the assurance of funds coming online in 2012 as part of the Moving Forward supplemental plan.

Additional service to existing routes start today, December 5. One other change (the #236 is being renumbered as the #231) happens on December 12. For specifics on the changes, pick up a Buzzer, download it in .pdf form or check out the Transit Service Changes page on the TransLink page.

The conclusion of the Transit Pet Peeve Battle is also featured in the issue. The biggest pet peeve is a smelly one: Funky Ferret. The campaign generated a lot of comments on our Facebook page. I’m still going through them!

Rounding out the rest of the last issue of 2011 are the usual suspects: the Contest Corner, Back Issues and the Coming Events.

This month’s illustrator is Dani Vachon. She’s a bit of a renaissance women when it comes to creativity. I think her illustration really sums up the feel of this time of year, even if we don’t see much of the white stuff. Dani was nice enough to answer a few of my questions.

Tell us about yourself and your art.

My name is Dani Vachon, and I love to illustrate. I also love other things like nature, music and business, but lately i’ve been focussing a lot on illustration. Illustrating along with walking in nature and listening to music are the things in my life that never ever feel like work, but only illustrating seems to be the one I’ve figured out how to earn an income from. When I illustrate, I do it with a big grin on my face, and I find myself dazzled by the thought that I’m being paid to do this. That’s how I want to spend my life: dazzled.

How did you come up with your illustration?

Most of my design/illustration career has been spent focussing on more organic sketchbook-based work, and I felt that with my recent re-entry into freelance-ville, that my skill set might improve by experimenting with a more vector-based style. I have also been spending a fair amount of time on Dribbble.com seeking inspiration and watching illustration trends, so when I began the project, I began by browsing Dribbble specifically looking at different shape treatments and the art of negative space. I was most inspired by a certain series of pieces that utilized negative space really well.

Are you a transit user?

Yes I am! I’m 33 and have never owned a car. In 10th grade, I was a member of “Team Green”, which was an environmental club at my high school. It was at that time that I swore not to own a vehicle until a completely green alternative (recycled, recyclable and with an entirely renewable and eco-friendly fuel source) was available.

Which is your favourite ride: bus, SkyTrain, Seabus or West Coast Express?

I’ve never had the pleasure of riding the West Coast Express. I’d have to say that the Seabus is probably my favourite because of the views. I like the SkyTrain as well, but only when it’s not rush hour and I can have a seat.

Disco Dog and his illustrator Ed Spence

Another month and another new Buzzer arrives on buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express. This month is a little different for a couple of reasons: Firstly, much of the issue is devoted to a subject that almost everyone has an opinion on, transit pet peeves (aka etiquette on transit). The second reason this month’s issue of the Buzzer is different is because for the first time in Buzzer history (recent history at least) we’ve invited a past illustrator back to do a second Buzzer cover.

I’ve been wanting to talk about how people conduct themselves on the system since I started at TransLink in April, so I’m pretty excited to announce this new campaign, which launch on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/translink.

Starting November 17th on Facebook, anyone can vote on which of eight transit pet peeves is the biggest pet peeve of them all! Each day, day two pet peeves will battle to see which goes on to the next round. During the campaign, we’ll be giving away prizes each battle day to people who like our Facebook page. Prizes include 3-Zone bus passes, gift certificates and much more!

The pet peeves include music being played too loud on transit (Disco Dog), eating on transit (Hungry Hamster), having loud phone conversations on transit (Chatty Chihuahua) and other peeves and their corresponding characters including people not offering courtesy seats to those who need them more. The complete list of characters will be revealed on November 17th when the battle officially starts. If you think blocking the SkyTrain doors so people have difficulty getting off the train is way worse than playing music on 11 on transit, then you’ll want to cast your vote and possibly win a prize for your trouble!

Not a day goes by that I don’t see a comment on Facebook, Twitter, the blog or elsewhere about pet peeves on transit caused by other transit riders. The hope is that the campaign gets people to start thinking more about their actions on transit and possibly change their peevish habits.

Hungry Hamster

Now for that second reason this issue is different. The Buzzer usually has a different illustrator every month. Not only has Ed Spence done a cover before, he did one only two months ago for the September service change issue. The reason for this is because Ed was simply the best fit to illustrate the pet peeves. His comic-strip like illustrations and ability to draw pretty much anything really lend him to the idea of pet personifying etiquette faux pas on transit. It also helped that I received more than a few comments about how much people liked Ed’s work. Ed is actually putting the finishing touches on the last few pet peeves, but he took some time out of his Art filled existence to answer a few questions about his work on this month’s Buzzer and the pet peeve campaign:

There are a lot of different pets and pet peeves to illustrate for this campaign. Where did you draw your inspiration from when you sat down to draw these?
My mind immediately went back to Ren & Stimpy, Sponge Bob, Daffy Duck… all of those classic or classically-inspired animated cartoons that I watched as a youngster.  I tried to capture the same expressive gestures and line qualities that made their character designs so effective.

Have you ever drawn a Chihuahua before?
Not that I recollect.

What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to public transit?
I think it would have to be people who don’t have their bus change ready.  It’s usually me.

What’s been your favourite pet peeve to draw?
The hungry hamster, for sure.  I get some sort of perverse satisfaction out of drawing disgusting things.

Chatty Chihuahua

There’s more in this  issue of the Buzzer than fat hamsters and a chihuahua wearing dress shirts and no pants. There’s info about Fall Bike to Work Week as well as the holiday transit service for Remembrance Day. I also included much of the info from the How to take your bike on the bus post.

Since the issue is devoted to transit etiquette, the Back Issues section includes some of the seven suggestions on how to conduct yourself on transit from the June 24, 1949 issue of the Buzzer.

Here’s my favourite suggestion:

#7 Refrain from affectations and conceited airs. Remember that you are riding a distance for sixpence, which, if made in a hackney coach, would cost you so many shillings: and that, should your price elevate you above plebian accommodations, your purse should enable you to command aristocratic indulgences.

If you haven’t seen the new issue on the system yet (SkyTrain and SeaBus almost always have them, but it’s up to bus operators to stock their buses with them), you can always download it as well as past issues as a .pdf. Happy reading and make sure to vote for your biggest pet peeve starting November 17!

The cover of the October, 2011 Buzzer and the artist, Chanda Stallman

This month's Buzzer!

This month is devoted to more sustainable transportation options to single-occupancy private car use. Oh, and the colour is orange to represent the change in season. 

If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, you can always download The Buzzer in .pdf form. We have almost all the editions dating back to 1916!

If you’ve read my post on TransLink achieving gold in sustainability, you’d know that we are the first transit authority in North America to reach this level. I included some interesting graphs to illustrate just how this was achieved.

Carpool Hero is a big initiative for TransLink this month. TravelSmart is offering up some nice prizes for people who tell us why their carpool (a.k.a. ride-share) is worthy of winning. This month’s Buzzer gives tips on how to start a carpool of your own including the www.ride-share.com website that can find people for you to carpool with and even lend you the vehicle to do so.

Besides a note about holiday hours being in effect for Thanksgiving day, the Back Issues section looks at how sustainability really wasn’t a buzz word in 1952. The cartoon by Dill (I’m doing some research into this bygone Buzzer illustrator) shows a British Columbia Electric Railway Company Ltd. Reddy Kilowatt talking to his Uncle Sam-ish “cousin” bragging that Canadians use more energy than Americans do! Contest Corner, Coming Events and a short blurb on the August Buzzer blog poll round out all the news you can use in this month’s Buzzer. Now for the cover.

The illustrator this month is Chanda Stallman. She did a great job incorporating Carpool Hero and sustainability into a fun and playful look. I asked Chanda a few questions about herself and her work, and here’s what she had to say:

Tell us about yourself and your art.

I am an designer and artist living in Vancouver. When I’m not doing computer stuff, I draw, collage and make handmade sketchbooks.

What was your inspiration for this illustration?

My inspiration was living in Vancouver in October. It’s beautiful and a lot of fun with Halloween!
 

Is autumn your favorite month?

It is actually. I love the change in the colours. I get inspired to make new projects to take me through winter.
 

Are you a transit user?

I am! I mostly take the bus, but with the Canada Line, I find I take the SkyTrain more often now. It’s fast!
 

Do you wear a cape when you ride a bike?

I haven’t yet… but who knows, I may have to change that.

The cover of the September, 2011 Buzzer and the artist, Ed Spence

The latest issue of the Buzzer is now on buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express! Well, many of them are. The issue got picked up by drivers and attendants on Friday and gets distributed throughout the week starting today. If you are anxious to get your hands on a copy and can’t find it yet, you can always download a pdf. This month, the Buzzer is primarily devoted to September service changes. Due to the City of Vancouver deciding if the 800 block of Robson Street would remain open or not at the time the issue when to the printer, I wasn’t able to include the return to regular service info for both the 5 and N6. So, please note:

5 Robson/Downtown
N6 Downtown

Permanent

Effective Tuesday, September 6: the 5 will return to its regular routing in the downtown core, from Robson onto Granville northbound to Hastings and then Richards southbound back to Robson. The Burrard/Pender detour will be discontinued.
The N6 Downtown will also return to its regular routing (eastbound Robson, then northbound Seymour).

Also in this issue is info about student transit passes, Moving Forward workshop dates, TransLink and the partnership between the United Way of the Lower Mainland, a recap of Bus Stop Hop 2011 and the usual Contest Corner, Back Issues and Community Events sections.

Ed Spence is the artist this time around. I found myself staring at the drawing with a big smile on my face for some time. I stumbled upon Ed’s work recently and fell in love with his varied styles. He kindly answered a few of my questions about himself and his work.

Tell us about yourself and your art.

I’m essentially a small-town kid who was drawn to the city by its bright lights. I won’t say where because it’s a secret gem that ideally will never change. I’d like to return when I’m 60 and see the same candy bar wrapper stuck in the storm drain. As for my fine art, it takes many forms. It is sound, performance, video, photography, painting, installation… basically anything I want it to be. Whatever feels right for the project.

Look at that kid skate without a care!

Why did you choose a guy on a skateboard as your illustration?

I chose to do a skater because I wanted to illustrate a supplemental mode of transit. A skateboard is something you can easily pack around the city, carry onto the Skytrain and use as a way of getting between your destination and the transit station. I am a skater and have been since I was 13 years old, so I have a special affinity for the lifestyle. There is a sense of freedom I get when seeing someone tearing down the street on a small piece of wood with wheels, and I wanted to communicate that in this illustration.

Your illustration is kinda fun and cartoony? Is your other work like this?

My illustrative work varies quite a bit. Sometimes it is quite serious and has a different aesthetic altogether. The content depends more on the clients’ expectations than anything else. It’s mostly about pleasing them. My fine art practice, which is a completely different beast, allows me to be more selfish—to really delve into some abstract concepts that might not have any practical application beyond evoking thought or triggering conversation.

Are you a transit user?

Yes, I like that it gets me out of my car. I really don’t like driving in the city. Driving truly ruins my day half the time. Good people turn into monsters when they get behind the wheel and I see that in myself. I find my day more enjoyable when I don’t have be on the lookout for over-caffeinated maniacs swerving into my lane.

The cover of the August, 2011 Buzzer and the artist, Alanna Scott

Also included in this issue are the specifics on how to get to the Fair at the PNE, which runs from August 20-September 5. There’s also a short blurb on the Base and Supplemental Plan webinar.  As usual, there’s the Contest Corner where someone can win a monthly FareCard, coming events and a Back Issues section, which relates the current spike in pedestrian injuries in Metro Vancouver to the concern for elderly pedestrian safety in the March 25, 1960 issue of the Buzzer.

The Buzzer illustrator this year is the up and comer and multi-talented Alanna Scott.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your art!

Alanna's lovely art work!

Hi! I am a multi-disciplinary human living, working and making things in Vancouver. Some of the things I make are drawings, collages and prints. I also design and code things for the internet with Mainsocial (mainsocial.com).

How did you come up with the Buzzer cover? Can you talk a bit about the other concepts?

The theme for this issue was I Love Transit, so I started brainstorming some ideas about how I could communicate that. The phrase I Love Transit is singular, but I knew I wanted the illustration to feel more inclusive, about people loving transit, which is what brought me to the idea of holding hands. It’s a small illustration, so I didn’t want to get too detailed and wanted to keep it simple. Patterns and type are two elements in art and design that I am continually drawn to, so one of the concepts was a small pattern of people and the different forms of transit all mixed together. I think the concept that ended up getting used is stronger in communicating the theme.

What kind of work are you doing lately, and where can we see it?

I have been doing a lot of black and white drawings lately, some with ink and some with pencil, many of them including type. I would like to work on incorporating printmaking with these original drawings. I recently exhibited two drawings at the Cheaper Show. I will be included in a typography based show at the end of August at the Also Known As collective studio space. Some of my work can be found online at www.alannascott.com and thesearemoments.com.

Do you have a regular transit route that you take? And do you have a favourite seat on the bus or SkyTrain?

I take the Canada Line most often. It’s great because it connects me directly to my apartment up Cambie and to my studio in Gastown, and I can take my bike onboard.

The cover of the June 2011 Buzzer and the illustrator Erick Villagomez

If you’ve been on a bus, West Coast Express, SeaBus or SkyTrain in the past couple of weeks, you may have picked up the latest edition of the Buzzer. This edition was devoted to the theme of all the places transit can take you this summer (what little summer we’ve had so far). Perhaps you’ve never been to Buntzen Lake, or you’d like to check out Caribbean Days this weekend. I’ve provided the transit information that will get you there. I also have a quick blurb about I Love Transit Week and Night as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages. And of course, the usual Back Issues, Coming Events and Contest Corner sections are included in this issue. If you haven’t found this issue on transit yet, you can always visit the TransLink site to download this issue as a pdf.

The illustrator this month is Erick Villagomez. He’s been a long-time reader of the blog and newsletter. I’m thrilled he could finally lend his artistry to the Buzzer and make it fun! Here’s a short interview with Erick:

How did you come up with the Buzzer cover? Can you talk a bit about the other concepts?

The July Issue

Well, my inclination is to think in terms of narratives. So, upon receiving the theme, I really began by brainstorming stories I thought were interesting and engaging. The stories varied in tone and included some funnier ones — like one in which someone with a copious amount of summer gear entered a bus at rush hour and another that imagined the SeaBus as a “party yacht” with people sunbathing on the roof and playing all sorts of games as it crosses the Burrard Inlet.

Given the tight turnaround time, however, I didn’t have much time to do thumbnails for all my narratives. Thus, inspired by other artists like Shaun Tan and John Harris, I decided on a story around a “surreal Metro Vancouver summerscape” — a weird and wonderful landscape composed of fragments of Vancouver’s summer-oriented places. In the image, one sees references to specific beaches, mountains, urban environments, festivals and events that we all know as speaking to the “best of summer” in our region. However, they are all “compressed” into a small space, making for odd relationships, such as Playland’s Wave Swinger that is sitting on top of the building on the upper-right hand-side of the drawing. The roughness and “blurriness” of the image was meant to give a dreamlike feel.

The story? A person taking the SkyTrain on typical day mistakenly chances upon an unmarked stop – think Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4 — to our “surreal summerscape.” The image captures the moment the SkyTrain doors open to reveal this crazy landscape. Throngs of people in-the-know are making their way down the “yellow brick road” to the festivities, and the awe-struck newcomer is about to step off the train.

What kind of work are you doing lately, and where can we see it?

Despite drawing every single day, teaching drawing classes at various schools and having an archive of drawings of fictional narratives, this is my first official foray into illustration… something I hope to do more of in the future. So, this cover is “limited edition” for now… Pick them up while you can! :)

I’m better known for the various residential architecture and urban design projects I work on via my private practice, Metis Design|Build, as well as the information graphics and writing I do as the editor of Re:place Magazine, recently turned Spacing Vancouver.

Anyways, I hope this cover will be the first of many, and I think there is no better way to kick things off than to do an illustration for such a well-known and long-standing publication like the Buzzer. Not to mention, I’m a huge transit geek!

Do you have a regular transit route that you take? And do you have a favourite seat on the bus or SkyTrain?

Definitely. I teach at UBC and various other schools along the 99 B-line route so find myself frequently on that fine bus when I’m not biking around the city… It’s virtually a second home. I also take the SkyTrain a lot.
If one happens to be on B-line, you can catch me in the single or double seat within the bendy part of the articulated bus. I usually have my head in a book or will be drawing you as you stare at me. :)

The cover of the June 2011 Buzzer and the illustrator Chris von Szombathy

If you haven’t picked it up yet, the June 2011 Buzzer is now on board all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain and West Coast Express!

Much of this issue is devoted to the bus service changes happening on April 20, 2011.

As in April, many bus services have been adjusted in order to increase efficiency, boosting service on high-demand routes and reducing service where demand is low (You can see all the changes online here). I’ll have a blog interview with one of our planners up next week to talk more about it.

Apart from the service changes, the big story, at least for me, is the 95th birthday of the Buzzer! Yes, this little publication has outlasted most publications in BC and keeps on going! Vancouver historian Jim McGraw had some great things to say about the Buzzer that I included in the issue. I’ll be bringing you historical Buzzer-related stories throughout the year to highlight all the great stuff the Buzzer has covered over the years. If you’re curious about back issues, we have almost all of them available for download here.

There are two stories on accessible transit as well. TransLink has really been focusing on making the system more accessible to everyone, and these short pieces outline that commitment. There’s also a short piece on Clean Air Day.

I Love Transit Week is coming up July 11 – 15th! I’m asking Buzzer newsletter and blog readers to email me a photo, video, podcast, essay, discussion post, poetry or any other creative idea to celebrate transit at thebuzzer@translink.ca.

I’m very proud of the illustrator for this month, Chris von Szombathy. He’s a treasured Metro Vancouver illustrator, and we’re very lucky he drew such a fantastic image to celebrate the Buzzer’s birthday! You can read an interview with him below.

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Wednesday, June 20 at 9 am. We’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers, and that person will be notified by phone shortly after the draw.

Comments are very welcome below. Enjoy the interview and the Buzzer for June!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your art, Chris.

Well, I live and work here in Vancouver, and my work is generally just simple concepts or ideas presented with a bold style.

How did you come up with the Buzzer cover? Can you talk a bit about the other concepts?

I just liked the giant cake as it was a bit nonsensical and a little silly. It was hard to get it visually simple enough that it still made sense without too much clutter. The other ideas were much more straightforward involving the theme of the anniversary… They weren’t very memorable, I can’t even recall them!

What kind of work are you doing lately, and where can we see it?

I am working on more sculpture works at the moment. Besides my website, my work is up at the UNIT/PITT Project in Vancouver until July 9, and I have my second book with Drawn & Quarterly coming out this fall.

Do you have a regular transit route that you take? And do you have a favourite seat on the bus or SkyTrain?

Not a regular one anymore, but I’ve been on the Skytrain the most over the past year. Of course, I love the coveted front-facing and rear-facing seats at each end of the Millenium Line. I’ve only sat there once. You do feel everyone’s eyeballs on you as they enter the car though. You gotta own those seats!

Sarah Taylor and her illustration for the May Buzzer.

The illustrator for the May issue of the Buzzer is Sarah Taylor. We think her image of a Penny-farthing bicycle is quite enchanting! Read more about her in this interview.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your art!
I am currently studying design and illustration at Capilano University’s IDEA Program. My style is always changing as I experiment with different mediums and art forms. I strive to continuously grow as a designer and artist.

How did you come up with the Buzzer cover? Can you talk a bit about the other concepts?
I began by sketching out different concepts until a few appealed to me. From there, I defined those ideas into tighter sketches (which included various bike-themed illustrations). My favorite of the bunch was the penny-farthing illustration and the folks at The Buzzer liked that idea as well.

What kind of work are you doing lately, and where can we see it?
I’m in university full-time with one more year until I graduate. So, a lot of my time has been dedicated to school projects and not as much personal artwork as I would like. However, during the summer I hope to catch up on my painting and illustrating! I have an online portfolio you can check out.

Do you have a regular transit route that you take? And do you have a favourite seat on the bus or SkyTrain?
Almost everyday I take the skytrain then two buses into North Vancouver for school. Window seats are my favorite because I love to people watch.

Thanks for all the hard work Sarah!

Check out more interviews with our past illustrators here:

• Andrea Wan – April 2011
• Patrick Wong – March 2011
• Stephanie Wiriahardja – February 2011
• Allison Koberstein – January 2011
• Tobias Ottahal – April 2010
• Jesse Williams – March 2010
• Chloe Lan – February 2010
• Justin Chen – November 2009
• Michael Gilbert – October 2009
• Jane Koo – September 2009