I'm a writer, cartoonist and artist. Wherever possible I'll try not to talk about myself in the third person. That's always a sure sign of impending madness. No, Tim Bradford won't be going down that route.

Dean Gorissen has been illustrating professionally since 1992.

His editorial work has appeared in a variety of newspapers and magazines, and he is a frequent contributor to ‘The Big Issue’.

Commercially, he works in a range of techniques and approaches, enabling him to provide a tailored approach for a variety of corporate, retail and packaging clients.

Among other awards, his work has appeared in Communication Arts Illustration Annual, The Australian And New Zealand Illustration Awards and the MADC. Additionally, Dean has produced character designs for major food and beverage brands, as well as adapting his own character designs for Penguin’s best-selling 'Deadly' books by Paul Jennings and Morris Gleitzman for the Deadly animated series.

His children's book 'I got a Rocket!' written by Matt Zurbo and also published by Penguin, was short listed for the Crichton Award for Book Illustration and has also recently been produced as an animated television series with SLR productions and Taffy Entertainment. It airs on Network Ten Australia.

As well as other book projects, Dean has illustrated 'Ten Little Elvi' a counting book based on the "lives" of Elvis Presley for US publisher Tricycle Press.

Growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional!

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed, she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began:

"We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success."

"You have to laugh and find humor every day."

"You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

We send these words in loving memory of Rose.

Remember:

--Growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional! ~Author Unknown

With his digital notebook, Shape Of Things, designer Eli Carrico is stretching his creative boundaries beyond the commercial brief.

Canada has such a rich scene of illustration and print. Perhaps it is the strong historical base of talent in the country, or the way that digital practices have eased the use of illustration, increasing its use and application, or maybe that a new generation, via music and online harvesters like FFFFound, are gaining appreciation for the medium. In the end, this perfect storm of reasons has produced a wave of talent that just keeps producing outstanding examples for us to bring to you via the Canadian Design Resource.

Tim Huesken is a newcomer, although his fat portfolio would suggest otherwise, with a body of work that feels stylistically honest to MAD magazine and Ed Roth. Lighthearted and funny with tones of cultural critique laying beneath the simple cartoony illustrations. This set of gig posters for The Ex-Boyfriends keeps this feeling going, with a “funny ’cause it’s true” tone and layout that gives the band new content, and a graphic lever to reach the public. Sound, and solid work from a real illustration firework.

Design: Tim Huesken

Design/Maker: Paul Butler