"A disproportionate use of force"

I finished a personal illustration the other day, after hearing about the killing of 15 year old Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca. Sergio was killed on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, by a Border Patrol agent. The agent has claimed that several people were throwing rocks while he detained a suspect. The Mexican government has called the incident "a disproportionate use of force."


I realize that throwing rocks at a person is not the equivalent of shooting a person with a squirt gun. Neither is a 15 year old throwing rocks equivalent to a trained law enforcement agent using his firearm with deadly force. The issue is "disproportionate use of force," which seems popular these days. Whether it's Palestinian children shot to death for throwing rocks at heavily armed tanks, 9 civilians armed with broom sticks and clubs, shot to death by Israeli commandos, or an offensive operation in the Gaza Strip that kills over 1400 people (while Israel suffered 13 casualties). Glenn Greenwald explains how people justify disproportionate uses of force in his blog post for Salon.com.

Harvard Law Bulletin Job

I finished an illustration for the Harvard Law Bulletin a while ago, but I just got my issue in the mail from Ronn Campisi, so now I can post it. The article is about a law clinic at the school for online journalists that need legal aid. Thanks again, Ronn!

L.A. Times Op-Ed Assignment

I finished an illustration for the L.A. Times Op-Ed page last week, for an essay about ghostwriting. The piece explained the various reactions to ghostwritten political books, and what the author feels are the real problems with them.


I worked with Wes Bausmith on this, who was great, as always .

L.A. Times Health Section Cover

I got an email from Joey Santos at the L.A. Times last Monday, for an upcoming cover of the Health Section. The job also included a black and white interior piece, and possibly a few spots to accompany other essays. The turnaround was quick, so the spots weren't going to work, but I was able to do the cover and the inside illustration.


The first essay was by a man who discovered that reciting Shakespeare's most famous sonnets helps him to keep pace while exercising.


The second essay was by a woman that loves the act of eating salad. Her husband, however, prefers to blend his ingredients, and drink his salad. As always, it was great working with Joey.

CA Illustration 51 is here!

My copy of Communication Arts Illustration Annual 51 just arrived the other day. As usual, it's filled with the veterans of the industry, artists I've admired since high school, and lots of new talent as well.

I was lucky enough to get a recent project from the Harvard Law Bulletin accepted. Ronn Campisi commissioned me for a piece in the Book Review section, for a novel about the rise and fall of a college president.


It is a great honor to be included among some of the best illustrators in the field. Thanks again, Ronn!

Westword Cover

Last week I did a cover for Westword, the weekly here in Denver. The feature story is about Alan Sudduth, a man from Aurora that's serving a 70 year sentence for the murder of a cab driver. However, evidence points to the friend that was with him at the time of the shooting. Not to mention the friend has admitted to the killing, and testified that Alan did not commit the murder. The problem: if Alan tells the authorities who really pulled the trigger, it's considered snitching, and is a serious offense in prison, and in the neighborhoods where Alan grew up.


The issue is on newsstands around town today (the 22nd), so if you're local, go pick one up! I worked with the very talented Jay Vollmar on this.

Dallas Observer Cover

I just finished an illustration for Alexander Flores from the Dallas Observer. The piece was for the cover story on Dallas County judge, Jim Foster, who was recently defeated in the Democratic primary. Check out the story here.


For any Peter Sellers fans viewing this post and finding the cover eerily familiar, you're spot on! When Alexander called me for the assignment, he already had the concept in mind. The story of Jim Foster is reminiscent of the main character in the 1979 comedy Being There, starring Sellers, and Shirley MacLaine. Alexander wanted readers to make that connection (it's also mentioned in the article), and so decided that the cover should be a remake of the film poster:


The only real change the editors wanted was to the Dallas skyline, and the surrounding landscape. I would love to give credit to the original creator of the poster, but can't find the name anywhere. Anyone who knows it, feel free to drop me a line. Thanks again, Alexander!

Communication Arts: 2010!

A couple weeks ago I was informed that a project I entered into the Communication Arts Illustration competition was accepted. I entered one piece that I worked on with Ronn Campisi for the Harvard Law Bulletin, and one personal piece. The Law Bulletin piece was chosen, and will appear in the Annual, which will be out in May.


I was hoping my personal piece would be chosen as well, but that's the thing about personal work: it's not always as pleasing to everyone else. Still, having only entered two pieces, I was lucky to get any in. The illustration annual is extremely competitive, and it's an honor to win two years in a row.

Airport Insecurity- Boston Globe

I finished this piece for Grant Staublin at the Boston Globe a couple weeks ago. It accompanied an essay in the Sunday magazine about security measures in airports. Read the article here. The image quality of my illustration on the website isn't very good, so here's a better one:


The article argues that although the steps that the government and airlines take to prevent terrorist attacks are bothersome and inconvenient, they are also necessary. While I don't necessarily agree with every point made in the piece, as an illustrator, it's not my job to agree with everything the writer says. I do, however, see the reasoning behind the article's conclusion. With my illustration I wanted to ask the question, "just how much security is necessary?" Thanks again, Grant!

Boston Globe Work- Fattened by Pills

I had an illustration in yesterday's Boston Globe Magazine, for an essay about a hidden cause of obesity in the U.S. The article points out that one of the primary causes of obesity is psychiatric drugs, anti-depression medication in particular. Weight gain is listed as a side effect for many drugs, which is a nice way of saying "a harmful consequence." And as more and more people (including children) are given prescriptions for whatever kind of problem they have, it's only going to get worse.

I worked with Grant Staublin and Chin Wang on this one, which is always a pleasure. I also just finished a different piece for Grant the other day, that I'll be posting as soon as it runs.

LA Times Health Section Cover

Joey Santos from the LA Times called me after the New Year's weekend with an assignment for the cover of the Health Section. The article explained the two sides of a debate surrounding psychotherapy. On one side are the psychologists that prefer the use of cognitive behavioral therapy when treating patients. On the other are those that prefer a more personal, customized approach.


On the final day I was working on the piece, Joey had a proposition for me: if I could make the deadline, they had some extra room and he really wanted to use another illustration inside the section. He wanted to use another one of my sketches I had turned in, but it would be black and white. Luckily, I finished the final for the first illustration early, and had time to do the second. I'm glad I was able to take advantage of the situation, and it was great working with Joey again.

Harvard Law Bulletin Work

Ronn Campisi contacted me after he received my Loteria cards, with a couple illustrations for the Harvard Law Bulletin, the alumni magazine for the school. Both were for the Book Review section. The first book, Negotiauctions by Guhan Subramanian, deals with some complicated stuff. You know, game-theoretic approaches to corporate mergers, the usual. So given the complex subject, Ronn wanted to keep the illustration fairly simple. The main theme of the book was deal-making, and finding the right offer out of many possible offers. Finding the best fit, in other words.


The second review was for Stubborn as a Mule, by Richard Fallon. The fictional story follows an overly ambitious, free-market obsessed college president, as he attempts to unseat a moderate Republican Senator. Judging by the review, the theme of the book seemed to be that over-reaching ambition and ego can lead to an inevitable fall from grace. This piece was a two-page spread, so I wanted to use the long format to convey the two stages: ambition, and the fall. Thanks, Ronn, for all your input.

LA Times Food Section Illustrations- Part Deux

As promised, here is the second part of the commission for the Food Section of the L.A. Times. It's for a great little story about mothers, home-cooking, and working class South L.A. in the 1950s. The author explains how his mother's cooking (the best in the neighborhood) instilled in him a certain view towards food. That it should be about more than filling your stomach. It should be prepared with love, and satisfy more than just your appetite. Read it here.


Given the subject matter, I wanted this piece to reflect stylistic elements of vintage illustration, especially children's books, and design of the 1940s and 50s. It came fairly easy to me, because I usually derive a lot of influence from those areas already. Thank you again to Wes, who is always a pleasure to work with.

On another note, Chris Huth from Indy Ink recently asked me to participate in a group show at the gallery. I've sold prints from Indy Ink in the past, and was happy to join in the festivities. The main stipulation was that all work in the gallery be priced under $100, to tempt people to buy real art, made locally, instead of a gift card to some international chain. For anyone with some last minute shopping to do, and interested in purchasing something made by real live human beings, right here in Denver, check out all the work at Indy Ink on South Broadway. I have three high quality giclee prints of my Loteria pieces up. I believe the show will be up through January, in honor of "Buy Local Month."

LA Times Food Section Illustrations- Part 1

I was recently commissioned to do two illustrations for the Food section of the LA Times. They were originally to appear in the same edition on Christmas eve, but the publish date for one got pushed up. This illustration ran in today's edition, in an article titled "The pleasure principle in wine giving." You can read the article, which gives advice on choosing wines for gifts, here. Or if you have REALLY good eyes you might be able to read it from the image below.


The stores mentioned are local to the L.A. area, but the wines discussed can be purchased in many areas, if you know someone who would appreciate receiving a gift of wine. I myself am more of a beer man (good beer, like Guinness, or Newcastle), but I'm getting used to wine. Here's a closer look:


I'll be posting the second piece after it runs, I believe on Christmas eve. I had the pleasure of working with Wes Bausmith on these, who is always great. Thanks again for all the great feedback, Wes!

Loteria Self-Promo Cards

I put these Loteria self-promotional cards together a few months ago, and I've been sending them out every now and then. For those who aren't familiar with Loteria, it's a card game played in Mexico that can best be described as Bingo with pictures. They've garnered some very positive responses from the Art Directors that have received them. It's a set of four cards held in a sleeve that slides on and off. Three cards have an illustration relating to the theme I chose to address (which is environmental issues), and the fourth card is an explanation of the project. The three illustrations also have a blurb on the back giving information on each particular subject.

I've sent a lot out to local firms in Denver, but if I missed you, drop me an email ( there's a link on my profile) with your mailing address and I'll get a set out to you. Or if you don't want the cards, you can just say "hi."