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drawing

Val Bagley: Precious Things of Every Kind

August 23, 2024 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

Shortly after moving from our Utah home and settling near the Idaho/Wyoming border, I entered the Star Valley Temple with my husband and was greeted by a humble-looking man in a white suit, who scanned my recommend and welcomed me to the House of the Lord. I glanced at his tag and recognized his name right away.

“Val Bagley?” I said. “The artist?”

He gave me a small smile, said yes, and indicated which way I should go to find the changing room. The message was loving and clear—we were there to serve the Lord, not to chat about our outside lives or careers. Later, when my son served as a missionary in the temple, Brother Bagley was his shift leader, and continued to set a positive example of service and dedication to the task at hand. I did, however, have the chance to talk to him about his career on another day.

In 1978, the New Era magazine featured a cartoon drawn by LDS artist Val Chadwick Bagley. It was the first of more than a thousand cartoons he would draw for both the New Era and the Friend over the next 46 years, beginning an unexpected career.

“Pretty much most of my life, I’ve known what I wanted to do for a living,” he said on the occasion of his fortieth year in the industry. “I just didn’t know it would be drawing for the Church.”

His very first piece of art to be recognized in a Church magazine was actually published in the Friend when he was seven years old, but he threw his copy of the magazine away because he felt he could do better.

While serving as a missionary, he was assigned to be the mission public relations director, and he used his talents to fulfill this task. He drew pictures of visiting general authorities and illustrated the mission newsletter, and it was during this time that his first “official” drawing was accepted by the New Era, and he burst onto the scene.

Whether or not you’re familiar with his name, his unique art style sets him apart and makes him immediately recognizable. His characters have a youthful look—wide eyes, rounded angles, and stylized hands and feet. Those characters point out some of the gentle humor to be found in our church—always appropriate to the moment, never mocking, but recognizing that we do have funny moments as a people and celebrating that humor through art.

“My cartoons may be gospel-related, but they don’t have anything really to do with the gospel itself,” he shared. “For the most part, my cartoons are about people living the gospel, not the actual teachings themselves. I already know the New Era would never print a cartoon that made light of sacred things, which I wouldn’t draw anyway.”

Although starting as a magazine cartoonist, Val has since published several children’s picture books on a wide variety of topics, and also card games for LDS families. He does all this from a studio set in the peaked-roof attic of his house in Wyoming, where I was privileged to visit about a year ago with my family. The walls and the ceiling are covered with pieces of his original art, both published and some in various draft stages. His drawing table faces a window that looks to the east toward the mountains; not only a source of light for his work, but inspiration for his art. His home is just as bright and cheerful as his cartoons, decorated in a vintage fifties’-era style that’s both whimsical and inviting, exactly the sort of home you’d imagine an artist to have.  

He has achieved success in his chosen field now, but after returning from his mission, he struggled to know if art—particularly cartooning—was the path he should pursue. He attempted college, but they weren’t teaching the things he wanted to learn, and his instructors encouraged him to give up and turn his attention to “serious art.” One day, while reading the Book of Mormon in the temple waiting room, he opened to Helaman 12:2:

Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art . . .

The word “art” stood out to him, and he recognized that yes, there was a place for him and his unique talent. He had been drawing labels for cheese, but with this newfound conviction about his purpose, he approached Covenant Communications with the illustrations for a coloring book, which was published in 1992, and he continues to publish with them to this day.

I asked Brother Bagley what advice he would offer to artists hoping to break into the field. He laughed and said that he’s still trying to make it big himself and could use a little advice as well, but he offered the following tips:

  • Practice, practice, practice. “Although I’ve always loved to draw cartoons, it took years and years of practice,” he said. “I would copy other cartoons that I liked and admired (Snoopy, mostly) until I developed my own drawing style.”
  • Draw consistently. “I kept four cartoon journals on my mission (one for every six months), and that is when I really refined my drawing style.”
  • Discover your intention. “I’ve never been a ‘doodler.’ I draw with purpose. My cartoons usually are telling a story or mean something. I don’t just draw to draw.”
  • Keep going despite rejection. “I’ve illustrated/written over 100 books which have sold over 1,000,000 copies, but I still get rejected 75% of the time.”

My biggest takeaway from my time spent with Brother Bagley is the importance of seeking the Lord’s partnership whenever we undertake a piece of art meant to glorify Him or teach others about Him. Val Bagley is a humble man who speaks often of prayer as part of his creation process, and truly, when we do things in the way the Lord would have us do them, we can’t help but inspire those around us.

A headshot of Tristi Pinkston.

Tristi Pinkston

Tristi Pinkston is the mother of four, the wife of one, the author of one hundred and seventy-five, and the editor of oodles. She serves as the chairman of the board for the Bear Lake Arts Council and participates enthusiastically (if not with utmost skill) in their theatrical productions. She is currently the editor-in-chief for the resource library here on the LDSPMA website. You can learn more about her on her website.

    Filed Under: Articles, Craft Skills, Fine Art Tagged With: art, cartooning, drawing

    Combining Art and Writing

    July 27, 2023 By LDSPMA 1 Comment

    Art and writing are separate disciplines, each creative in its own way. While art can enhance the way we look at the world, writing helps us process words and ideas. Both subjects boost our creativity, help us learn to solve problems, and act as stress relievers. For me, adding art to writing is like putting a dill pickle on a burger.

    It occurred to me that writing is like painting with words. Can the reverse be true? Can creating a piece of artwork be like writing a message? I think it can. Here are some ways you can combine art with writing.

    The cover of Pysansky Promise by Cathy Witbeck.
    1. Create a picture book—Ironically, my first picture book, Pysanky Promise, was about an art form, the art of pysanky, or Ukrainian Easter egg “writing.” The word “pysanky” derives from the Ukrainian word “pysaty,” which means “to write.” Messages are written using a process that involves drawing letters and designs on the eggs with beeswax and dipping them in dye. The art of pysanky is a very literal way of writing a message with art.
    2. Make a graphic novel—This format is like a picture book that grew up or a comic book on steroids. Hats off to people with this talent.
    3. Keep a doodle or art journal—I found an opportunity to combine art and writing when I started a Book of Mormon sketch journal. I realized that I learn and retain more information when I express my thoughts with visual images. This study journal is the kind of record I’d like to leave to my family as a legacy of my spiritual insights.
    4. Write and draw in a nature sketchbook—You can jot down simple sketches that you label and date, or include complex observations and facts about the illustration. Sketching allows you to notice small details you may have missed at first or second glance.
    5. Design a greeting card—When a card is displayed in a grocery store rack, usually only the top third is visible. Make that section of the card distinctive to catch the browser’s eye, and that the artwork matches the theme of the card. Avoid pictures of people, as a card should appeal to any ethnicity.
    6. Create a website—Design your own logo and curate a portfolio page. If these suggestions add way too many dill pickles to your burger, find someone who is experienced in web and graphic design.
    7. Offer free printables on your website—These resources provide a good way to draw in traffic while giving your reader documents to enjoy. You could also offer a bonus information link related to your printable topic, i.e., “Collecting Shells.”
    8. Add your art to a PowerPoint—As a JustServe specialist, I made a PowerPoint using my art to emphasize important information in my presentation. I drew an illustration of a woman with a pile of responsibilities to contrast with an illustration of kids in a hot air balloon. My point was to demonstrate that JustServe is not a program to weigh you down, but an opportunity to lift you in service to others.
    9. Use your art to enhance a newsletter, program cover, or bulletin.
    10. Create your own hand lettering or make your own font.
    11. Make a board game—Design the board and write the rules.
    12. If you really want to go nuts, create your own world map. You could even write a study guide to share details about the images you choose to include.
    13. Design a business card—A business card is a multi-purpose tool. When properly designed, it can advertise your services, showcase your brand, invite people to act, and provide contact information.

     Items to consider when designing a business card include:

    a) Shape—traditional rectangle vs. something creative that reflects your brand.

    b) Size—you don’t want it to be so small that it gets lost, or so large that people use it as a fan on hot days.

    c) Graphics—a popular trend is to include a wordless visual with a QR code on one side and text on the other.

    I find that writing and making art build off each other. A story I’m working on will often give me an idea for an image I want to create and vice versa. Combining writing and art means I rarely run out of ideas. I keep track of them in a file and remind myself to be selective. A notepad sits beside my bed for brilliant concepts that wake me in the night. One morning I found the words “dill pickle” scrawled down on the paper. Maybe it was a reminder to combine art and writing? It’s a dill-ema!

    A headshot of Cathy Witbeck

    Cathy Witbeck

    Cathy Witbeck is a Canadian-born author-illustrator transplanted to the USA. She remembers writing and drawing ever since she could pick up a pencil. She did an especially lovely piece of artwork on the side of the septic tank with house paint at a very young age. Perhaps that’s when it was discovered that she was gifted, or maybe it’s why she was sent to the USA.

    She has five grown kids and one grown husband. When she isn’t writing and illustrating, she is chasing after grandkids intent on making their own artwork.

      Filed Under: Articles, Craft Skills, Creativity, Faith & Mindset, Fine Art, Writing Tagged With: artist, drawing, Painting

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