Up those stairs and to the left

I had the pleasure of working with David Herbick on a full-page illustration for the Summer 2012 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review. The article details a study that looks at the growing trend towards hybrids- combinations of non-profit and for-profit organizations. The first example given in the article is the Hot Bread Kitchen in New York City; a bakery that sells breads made by immigrant women in the area, while at the same time helping them gain skills for management positions in the food industry.

 I wanted to show how the revenue generated by the for-profit side of the business helps these women advance their skills and career opportunities. Thank you, David!

Inflight Club

 If you happen to be looking at this blog while on a United flight (and it's still May), check the pocket of the seat in front of you. No, that's the barf bag, the other one. Yeah, there you go, Hemispheres Magazine. My illustration is gracing the pages inside, in the Tech section:

As I'm sure you gathered from the image above, if your eyes are good enough to read the print, the article laments the probable downfall of the Blu-ray video format. Very sad for us movie buffs, as it is far superior in quality to DVDs and streamed movies. Combining the broken, discarded dics with the shape of a broken heart just felt right. The AD on this was the wonderful Christine Bower-Wright. Thanks again, Christine!

FREE!

I had the pleasure of working with the ad agency Exit10 recently for an in-house publication they do for one of their clients. I provided a few spots for some of the articles inside:

This article went over the importance of social networking, and the importance of using technology and the internet to gain access to new contacts.

This article advised readers/investors to be wary of financially supporting companies that have questionable accounting or business practices, and instead invest in companies that are responsible and transparent.

This article discussed the "cowboy code," a list of rules to live by that businesspeople should take into consideration.

These spots were a lot of fun to work on, thank you again, Scott! OK, so the Hemispheres post will be next time.

Spinnin' like a spinnin' top (Jenny, Jenny, woooo Jenny, Jenny)

I just received a copy of the latest issue of The American Lawyer, with my spread in the "Corporate Scorecard" section. The article profiled the recent trend of big spinoffs in the last few years:

 As explained in the brief I received, when companies with multiple operations are looking to make some cash or no longer want to be involved in a certain area of their business, they sometimes spinoff a segment of the company. They basically sever their ties legally with a former part of the corporation, which can end up growing into its own large company. 

The "Scorecard" section also includes some great work from illustrators David Plunkert, Chris Silas Neal, and Heads of State, and I feel pretty damn honored to be among them. And my local buddy Shaw Nielsen is in the issue too! Thank you again to AD Jay Dea!
Coming soon: work for Hemispheres Magazine.

Them's fightin' words

This piece is my most recent  for Wes Bausmith at the Los Angeles Times. The story is the author's reaction to the empty pro-war rhetoric that politicians (especially presidential candidates) use to score points, without ever having to actually fight in those wars. He explains his feelings about watching his own son head out on tour, and comments how few politicians and elected (or might-be-elected) officials have children in the armed forces.

Wes had a very emotive concept, of a soldier treading off to war, while a politician waves and orates to his adoring supporters on the virtues of sending other people to fight a war. I think it worked out very well.

Thanks again to the wonderful Wes! Up next, a spread for The American Lawyer.

I want to suck your blog!

I  just got a copy of the current issue of Smith Alumnae Quarterly in the mail from Ronn Campisi, the AD. My illustration of the "modern-day vampire" is inside. The article it accompanies explains how, despite the history of these creatures dating back hundreds of years, they still manage to keep up on all the latest trends and technologies. They even tweet!

 

 This was a pretty fun piece to work on. Thank you, Ronn! Look at that- a whole post about vampires, and I didn't mention Robert Pattinson once... wait. Dammit!

Weird (food) Science

Here are some tiny little spots I contributed to Radcliffe Magazine recently (none of which have anything to do with Anthony Michael Hall). They're part of an article in the Winter 2012 issue about a class that explores the science behind the food we eat.


These were a lot of fun to work on. Spot illustrations are sometimes more challenging than larger pieces, because you have to get more information into such a tiny little space. I think these came out pretty successfully. Thanks, Ronn!


Ronn Campisi art directed this one. And coming soon, another piece for Ronn for an article about vampires... And it has absolutely nothing to do with Robert Pattinson- for the most part.

An excellent start to the new year...

I received my latest issue of Communication Arts in the mail the other day... The January/February Typography issue, with a feature on me, written by the wonderful Anne Telford.


I've been lucky enough to have been accepted in the last three CA Illustration Annuals, but when I received a phone call asking if I would give the magazine permission to do a feature on me, my heart about fell down into my gut. I've been reading Communication Arts and enjoying all the inspirational art and informative columns within its pages ever since I discovered it in art school. I read previous features on illustrators throughout the years, and fantasized about an opportunity to be among those artists that I admire so much. When that day actually arrived, it was completely unexpected and still seems a little unreal. This is one of the greatest honors I've ever received, and I'm extremely grateful to Anne, for coming out to Denver and for her awesome article, and to Communication Arts Magazine for allowing my work to grace its pages. Thank you, Rebecca! And a big thank you to Wes Bausmith, for the kind remarks he shared with Anne!
Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy New Year!

If you were in Chicago on New Year's day, and (after a handful of aspirin, and some hair of the dog that bit ya) opened up the Tribune, you would have seen my illustration on the cover of the Sunday section! We don't get the Chicago Tribune way out here in Denver, but it would have looked a little something like this:


This week's Sunday section is chalk full of articles based around "pushing the envelope." Taking risks in order to reap the rewards. Hugo Espinoza, who art directed, had this concept in mind, showing what happens when you open the possibilities and venture out of your comfort zone.



This was my first time working with Hugo and the Tribune, and it was a really nice collaboration. Thanks so much, Hugo!

Spot on

Here's a series of spots for Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Winter 2011-2012 issue:



The first page featured questions posed to alumnae, posted on the school's Facebook page. The first question was: "What is your most vivid memory of your first day at Smith." The second was: "When you married, did you retain your maiden name, take your partner's, hyphenate, or other?"


The second page featured a story on students that recently swam the English Channel, and the spot needed to show the route they took. I included the lighthouses of Dover and Calais. The swim actually ended at Cap Gris Nez, which has a very cool lighthouse itself, but Calais being a bigger, more familiar city, I chose its lighthouse. In retrospect, I wish had chosen Cap Gris Nez's lighthouse, but live and learn.


I also finished a few more spots for Radcliffe Magazine, but I don't think the issue's out until January. I'll post then. Many thanks to Ronn, who art directed both of these!

What do you get when you cross a lawyer and the internet?

No, that's not a joke. The answer is a new course at Harvard Law School: iLaw! It explores policy, copyrights, security, censorship, and other matters of the law, and how they relate to our ever-changing technology and the web. Check it out here in the article I recently illustrated for the Harvard Law Bulletin.


Get it? The scale on the right is flipped upside down and doubles as a mouse! Mouse? Internet? Clever, huh? Thanks again, Ronn!

Not In Our Back Yard

I finished a cover for Alexander Flores at the Dallas Observer recently. The story is on the very controversial process of hydraulic fracturing- or fracking! The affluent city of Southlake, Tejas has recently been confronted with the process, and residents have been split (not necessarily along party lines) in their reaction to it.


The monster-under-the-ground concept was already pretty established when I was commissioned for the job, but I also threw in one of my ideas. Alexander liked it so much he decided to include it in the interior:


The article really focused on the rift that formed in the town- those for, and those against drilling. I thought about thumbs up, and thumbs down, and eventually fit the natural gas "blue flame" in. The article is a great read, so be sure to check it out. It had been a little while since I had worked with Alexander, and it was a lot of fun to collaborate again. He has a Flickr account set up with all the Observer covers he's done- awesome stuff. Browse them here. It even has the two previous covers I did for him a couple years ago.

Still waiting for other jobs to publish before I can post them. Should be any day now... so stay tuned. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Sukle shout out

The really cool guys and gals over at Sukle Advertising and Design have a post up on their blog today about my work. Their hilariously-named Lunchmeat Underpants blog showcases their favorite ads, ideas, concepts, illustrations, and other various cultural artifacts.


A while back I sent some of my self-promo stuff to Sukle, and to my surprise, received an invitation to go down to their office here in Denver. They were all super nice and welcoming, and it was a real pleasure to sit down and talk. If you're a Denver local, you're sure to have seen a bunch of Sukle's work around town. One of my favorites was their series of billboards urging residents to reduce their use of water on lawns. Thanks again, guys!

SHHHHHHH!

Here's a little piece I did for Whole Living Magazine not too long ago, for the November 2011 issue. I'm such a slacker at blogging, the issue probably isn't even out any more. The article explained how sometimes just shutting up and keeping quiet can really lead to a little peace and tranquility.


The author actually went on a retreat to a monastery and kept a vow of silence for two whole days (that includes texts, tweets, and emails)! She initially found the promise to abstain from talking difficult, but eventually discovered the experience was extremely relaxing. I wanted to focus on the abstinence aspect of the experience- not talking is kinda really hard (ever see that Seinfeld episode when Kramer tries to keep a vow of silence, but ends up telling Sally Weaver about George's man-love for a she-Jerry?). I eventually arrived at the concept of being tied up to prevent yourself from talking, and when you pull on the strings, it sort of looks like the meditation position of hands. So... shut up, find inner peace, and watch the butterflies go by. Thanks again, Muzam and Jamie!

Even the pet cemetery voted for Bob!

Yes, that is a Simpson's quote. Here's an interior illustration I recently finished for Columbia Law School Magazine, for the feature article on gerrymandering and the redistricting process:


One of the issues the article touched on is the way the redistricting process can affect elections. By re-drawing the borders of districts, minority communities can be split up, thereby having no impact on elections. The process can also separate an incumbent from his original constituents, or draw two incumbents into a single district, forcing them to run against each other. This link was passed to me while working on the job, and explains a little more. I wanted to show how drawing the district borders could potentially disrupt people's votes. The client requested that the image involve a district map in some way, so I drew some of the districts in the shape of a hand dropping off a ballot, which is cut off by the newly drawn border.

The art direction and page design was provided by the wonderful Barnett Group. Thanks again, Aileen and David! And thank you, Matthew.