In an unconventional approach to graphic-novel illustration, one artist created hundreds of ceramic tiles to depict the story of one rescue dog’s journey to adoption.
Three-plus years ago, I was asked to illustrate a story about a dog that was found on the streets of Philly. Initially tethered to a pole, this dog was taken to Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia (ACCT Philly), the city’s open-intake shelter. Midnight, the name he came into the shelter with, would live at ACCT for the next six months and would experience the unimaginable.
The story of Midnight is one of resilience. Written by Susan Russell, the former executive director of ACCT Philly, this is a true account of one dog’s harrowing journey through the shelter system. Mentored by two volunteers, Maria Termini-Romano and me, and helped by countless others, Midnight was eventually adopted.
Project Background
Midnight “Don’t Judge Me” Ruiz is told from the perspective of the dog and formatted as a graphic novel. Originally imagined as a children’s book, we felt a graphic novel would give us the opportunity to show the realities of the shelter system. I made each of the 315 illustrations on a handmade clay tile. Each tile was cut to size to fit the format that was laid out ahead of time by the book’s author. I had to leave space for text and dialog when creating each image. Over a three-year period, I produced close to 400 tiles when all was said and done. The project was challenging and rewarding, and ultimately I was happy to be part of it.
I opted to illustrate this project in clay because it has been my medium for more than 30 years and is also a big part of who I am. Many years ago, I took a class with Ron Meyers at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. That was the start of my animal portraits, using my own dogs as models at first, and eventually painting other people’s animals. Over the years, I have made and donated many pieces to rescues to help raise money, and have done hundreds of pet portraits as commissions. The merging of my clay work and love of animals has resulted in something much more meaningful for me.
Creating the Tiles
For this project, I used earthenware clay. The lower firing temperature allows for brighter colors from underglazes and gives me the ability to bisque and glaze fire at the same time. I work out of a small studio so I was able to continuously load work into the kiln to give myself more space to make the tiles. Once my clay slabs became leather hard, I cut the tiles to size and coated them with white underglaze. Then I sketched the images onto the surface. Next, I etched the image through the underglaze, creating a thin, dark line. After painting each tile with a variety of underglaze colors, they were fired, glazed, and fired again. It took three years to produce the tiles. Once completed, they were photographed by a friend and professional photographer, Jessica Kourkounis.
I worked from hundreds of images I had taken and collected of Midnight. When I wasn’t able to access an appropriate picture of Midnight to work from, I would call his mom and have her take photos. Other illustrations had to be researched and figured out; for example, I made drawings of streetscapes, the inside of the shelter, and the various people in Midnight’s life. The end result is a story told through pictures and through words.
Having never done a project like this and not being an illustrator by trade, I am very happy with how the book came out and how I was able to convey emotion. I had a good success rate with tiles staying flat, which can often be a challenge. I was also pleased with my ability to tell the story through the images. There were times throughout the project that I felt in over my head, but I kept working and managed through those tougher times. Three years of constant studio work and creating images on clay not only honed my skills, but also allowed me to relive my time with Midnight. This is one of the many gifts of doing animal portraiture.
Reaching the Community
We took on this project to both celebrate a dog who made it out of the shelter and to tell the story of life in the shelter. The hope is to help educate people, young and old. We have gotten the book into a number of libraries, and I have spoken to students about the project and the shelter system, and hope to do more community outreach in the future. Fifty illustrated tiles from the project were on view at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia in the summer of 2025.
Hundreds of dogs are surrendered every month to ACCT Philly, and many more are found roaming the streets. This crisis is happening all over the country and beyond. In 2023, 7000 dogs were taken into ACCT Philly and the numbers haven’t stopped. Luckily, Midnight is one of the dogs that made it out, but many others won’t. We wil l always be grateful to our dear friend Susan, mom of Midnight, for giving him the best life possible.
the author Anne Koszalka is a potter, teacher, and animal advocate who works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has volunteered for the last six years with New Leash on Life-USA, a Pennsylvania nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of inmates and saving the lives of dogs.
We understand your email address is private. You will receive emails and newsletters from Ceramic Arts Network. We will never share your information except as outlined in our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Please enjoy this complimentary article for the month.
For unlimited access to Ceramics Monthly premium content, please subscribe.
We understand your email address is private. You will receive emails and newsletters from Ceramic Arts Network. We will never share your information except as outlined in our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe to Ceramics Monthly
In an unconventional approach to graphic-novel illustration, one artist created hundreds of ceramic tiles to depict the story of one rescue dog’s journey to adoption.
Three-plus years ago, I was asked to illustrate a story about a dog that was found on the streets of Philly. Initially tethered to a pole, this dog was taken to Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia (ACCT Philly), the city’s open-intake shelter. Midnight, the name he came into the shelter with, would live at ACCT for the next six months and would experience the unimaginable.
The story of Midnight is one of resilience. Written by Susan Russell, the former executive director of ACCT Philly, this is a true account of one dog’s harrowing journey through the shelter system. Mentored by two volunteers, Maria Termini-Romano and me, and helped by countless others, Midnight was eventually adopted.
Project Background
Midnight “Don’t Judge Me” Ruiz is told from the perspective of the dog and formatted as a graphic novel. Originally imagined as a children’s book, we felt a graphic novel would give us the opportunity to show the realities of the shelter system. I made each of the 315 illustrations on a handmade clay tile. Each tile was cut to size to fit the format that was laid out ahead of time by the book’s author. I had to leave space for text and dialog when creating each image. Over a three-year period, I produced close to 400 tiles when all was said and done. The project was challenging and rewarding, and ultimately I was happy to be part of it.
I opted to illustrate this project in clay because it has been my medium for more than 30 years and is also a big part of who I am. Many years ago, I took a class with Ron Meyers at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. That was the start of my animal portraits, using my own dogs as models at first, and eventually painting other people’s animals. Over the years, I have made and donated many pieces to rescues to help raise money, and have done hundreds of pet portraits as commissions. The merging of my clay work and love of animals has resulted in something much more meaningful for me.
Creating the Tiles
For this project, I used earthenware clay. The lower firing temperature allows for brighter colors from underglazes and gives me the ability to bisque and glaze fire at the same time. I work out of a small studio so I was able to continuously load work into the kiln to give myself more space to make the tiles. Once my clay slabs became leather hard, I cut the tiles to size and coated them with white underglaze. Then I sketched the images onto the surface. Next, I etched the image through the underglaze, creating a thin, dark line. After painting each tile with a variety of underglaze colors, they were fired, glazed, and fired again. It took three years to produce the tiles. Once completed, they were photographed by a friend and professional photographer, Jessica Kourkounis.
I worked from hundreds of images I had taken and collected of Midnight. When I wasn’t able to access an appropriate picture of Midnight to work from, I would call his mom and have her take photos. Other illustrations had to be researched and figured out; for example, I made drawings of streetscapes, the inside of the shelter, and the various people in Midnight’s life. The end result is a story told through pictures and through words.
Having never done a project like this and not being an illustrator by trade, I am very happy with how the book came out and how I was able to convey emotion. I had a good success rate with tiles staying flat, which can often be a challenge. I was also pleased with my ability to tell the story through the images. There were times throughout the project that I felt in over my head, but I kept working and managed through those tougher times. Three years of constant studio work and creating images on clay not only honed my skills, but also allowed me to relive my time with Midnight. This is one of the many gifts of doing animal portraiture.
Reaching the Community
We took on this project to both celebrate a dog who made it out of the shelter and to tell the story of life in the shelter. The hope is to help educate people, young and old. We have gotten the book into a number of libraries, and I have spoken to students about the project and the shelter system, and hope to do more community outreach in the future. Fifty illustrated tiles from the project were on view at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia in the summer of 2025.
Hundreds of dogs are surrendered every month to ACCT Philly, and many more are found roaming the streets. This crisis is happening all over the country and beyond. In 2023, 7000 dogs were taken into ACCT Philly and the numbers haven’t stopped. Luckily, Midnight is one of the dogs that made it out, but many others won’t. We wil l always be grateful to our dear friend Susan, mom of Midnight, for giving him the best life possible.
the author Anne Koszalka is a potter, teacher, and animal advocate who works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has volunteered for the last six years with New Leash on Life-USA, a Pennsylvania nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of inmates and saving the lives of dogs.
September 2025: Table of Contents
Must-Reads from Ceramics Monthly
Unfamiliar with any terms in this article? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!
Click the cover image to return to the Table of Contents