Jimi Hendrix for the Anna Goodson Coaster Promotional 2009!

Here is the coaster design I did for this years coaster mailer that Anna Goodson Management puts out each year. You can head on over to www.agoodson.com to see the rest of the coasters. I think everyone did a bang up job.

A Much Needed Update!

Well I'll be the first to admit that I've been a little neglectful of this blog, but here we go with tons of new stuff. This one was done for Barnhart USA for the Denver School District. They wanted a comic book villain vibe and I gave it my best shot.

This is my first job for Globe and Mail. The story was about how airport dining has always been a drag and how certain restaurants are attempting to change all of that by creating more fine dining experience in airports.

This is an illustration that I did awhile back for Alternative Press that I somehow had forgotten about. Rediscovered it the other day and thought I would show it to you all. The story was a top ten of the worst things that can happen on a band tour.

Today is my b-day and I'm celebrating with a ton of updates!!

Just wrappeed up this little bad boy for the Las Vegas Weekly before I absconded to a beach in Connecticut for a week. I guess Gallagher and Carrot Top have always been bitter rivals and the LVW managed to get them both in a room together to bury the hatchet. This one was a blast to work on. Bright colors and crazy looking people.

Another fun piece i did for first time clients "The Capitol". I've been getting a lot more jobs where I'm required to draw likenesses and that makes me very happy. I enjoy the challenge and hope to do more of them soon.


This one was for the Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, also first time clients, where I had the pleasure to work with the art director Benjamin Purvis. I remember reading an interview with him at Illustration Mundo awhile back and have always wanted to work with him ever since. This was a small illustration about how doctors and people in the medical field might take advantage of a universal healthcare system for their own personal gain. I've really been pushing the old cartoon cell look of late.

Also, the cover design I did for the new Modest Mouse Black Vinyl limited edition EP can be seen fully animated at their website. I need to figure out how I can photograph the actual album so everyone can see it, but if you can't wait you can always visit your local music shop and pick one up.

Bullfight?

This was another image for Las Vegas Weekly about a new form of bovine friendly bullfighting. Apparently, true bullfighters are up in arms about the bastardization of their sport and think that velcro padding and nerf spears should be kept on the playground. I think the image is pretty self explanatory. I dig the background most of all. It was a last minute detail that ended up tying the whole thing together. Also on another note, I am now officially represented by the good people of Anna Goodson Management. I'm honored to be a part of their team and am looking forward to our growing relationship as professionals. Go check out the other illustrators they represent over at www.agoodson.com.

Bob Dylan For Paste Magazine

Paste Magazine wanted me to do this illustration for a book review they were doing about musicians whose lyrics have doomsday undertones. Using the Dr. Strangelove imagery was requested and I went full steam ahead to create the likeness of Dylan in all of his big haired glory. It is amazing how often this Kubrick icon is used in modern day illustration. This was a very small illustration and was only a couple inches in print. I had a great time working on it and I hope to do more for them in the future. Making portraits is a blast.

New Posts For A Lonely Blog

Well it's been awhile since I've updated and I'm here with new work to liven this blog up a bit.

This was something I did for Las Vegas Weekly about an old gun club that is threatened of being shut down by the encroaching suburbs surrounding it that are complaining about the noise. Again, my style is continuing its evolution towards more cartoony and less serious. It's fun to draw and is a nice change of pace from my more serious work. I worry at times that my portfolio is too diverse and might confuse potential clients as to what my style actually is. In the end I tell myself that I got into this line of work to have fun and to grow as an artist.

This was my first job with Forbes and is probably one of the best and most fluid experiences I have had yet in my short career as an illustrator. The art director was delightful and the ideas from sketch to finish came out without a hitch. I look forward to working with these guys again real soon.

Santa Fe Reporter

The Santa Fe Reporter asked me to design a cover for their next issue for a story about John Allen, the creator of the Biosphere 2 project. He is a true visionary and the concept above came about pretty fast. At first I wasn't sure about it. It is different from how I compose most of my pieces and I was worried that his likeness wouldn't come across with half of his face cut off like that. As I was refining the sketch I realized that it wasn't his likeness that was important. His ideas are what define him and I would wager that very few people actually know what this man looks like.

Here is the final and I have to say that I'm pretty proud of it. I like how quickly it reads and I'm also happy with how the landscape in the dome turned out. If there was anything I was nervous about turning out well it was that. I am also pleased as punch with the play on words. The man really does have a biodome.

Nevada For Sale

This was another illustration for Las Vegas Weekly and this time a portrait of Nevada's governor was involved. I don't get the opportunity to do portraits very often, but I love doing them. Here was the rough. I actually had a better sketch before this one, however Photoshop shut down unexpectedly before I was able to save it. I invented some new curse words that morning. This one was an attempt to capture the qualities I liked in the first sketch, but anyone whose ever done this line of work will tell you that rarely happens.

Here is the final. It's usually not until this stage that I really start to focus on capturing the likeness of the person being portrayed. I really nailed him though. Too bad people outside of Nevada probably don't know what he looks like.

Las Vegas Weekly

Las Vegas Weekly contacted me about doing this illustration a day before I was to leave for Miami. I really wanted to do it and decided to punch it into overdrive to get it done. I completed this sketch in about an hour and had it approved so I could move onto final. Keep in mind that the concept was pretty much given to me. Having to work out an idea from scratch probably would have tacked on a couple more hours.

Here is how the final turned out. I'm most proud of the background. I've always struggled with trying to keep backgrounds simple without looking to unfinished. This one strikes a nice balance.

The art director was kind enough to send me a pdf of the final layout.

Mountain Bike Magazine

Mountain Bike magazine asked me to do a spot for their opinion section. This one was about how environmental organizations are making it more and more difficult for bikers to experience certain trails since a lot of forests have been turned into nature sanctuaries thus barring human beings from ever stepping foot in them. The writer of the piece believes that these preserves should be opened up for recreational purposes. Here are two sketches that I presented to them. I really liked the one with the hands, but they chose the chain sketch. Looking at it now it probably does read a little faster. I'm always looking for opportunities to draw hands.

Here is how the final turned out. The image was going to print pretty small so I tried to make the final design as simple and clear as possible. I also used a pretty stark contrast between the warm and cool colors to create depth. I'm pretty happy with how the biker turned out.

Break Away

This is my first illustration for Break Away magazine. Break Away is a christian youth magazine and this story was about a group of youth missionaries that were held up at gun point by the most wanted thief in Africa. He and his cronies all wore African tribal masks to hide their identity which immediately made this image a fun one to work on. I was a little nervous that this image might be offensive when taken out of context.

Here is a sketchbook page where you can see some of my original concepts. The most obvious change from the original sketch is the machine gun. The art director also asked that the African Mask be made to look less menacing. I still kind of like the gun sketch better. I really wanted to paint a machine gun.

Witches

I finished up this image this morning for an art event later this week that my friend, Barry Fitzgerald, is organizing. It will be in Lawrence, Kansas at Blue Plate Dinners from October 21 - November 22. Tons of illustrators are participating so be sure to check it out. The only requirement for the show was that it involved food in some way and that it could fit in a freezer bag in which it will be displayed. I am very happy with how this one turned out. These are actually characters that I want to use in a comic book that I'm attempting to develop at the moment.

New Business Week Illustration

This was a full two page spread for the latest issue of Business Week. The story was about companies who gather information on their employees by mining data from their computers, telephones and anything else that might leave a trail. This then gives the company better means at using their employees in the most efficient way. I also did several spot illustrations that ran along the top of the story.

Here is an example of my favorite spot I did for them. All of the spots were connected to each other through the numbered ticker tape. This was a huge project and was a lot of fun to work on. I have decided to never draw a tiny business man for the rest of my career. I must of drawn over a hundred of these suckers by the end of it all.

New Illustrations!!!

Okay. It's been awhile since I last updated. This first image was for New Angeles Monthly. The story was about a new library being built in Silver Lake, California. The story itself didn't really have much conflict in it so I decided to create an image that was pleasant an welcoming. This illustration was also done 100% digitally. I'm not sure if it was easier or more difficult to do it this way. It was fun however.



This is my latest illustration for Nexos magazine. This was for a story about how children are better at learning multiple languages than full grown adults. This is my third spot for this magazine and it is a lot of fun trying to break down my ideas into simple, clear designs. They also take about half the time. I really need to start making all of my illustrations like this.

Business Week

Business Week was writing a story about college students being lured into signing up for credit cards by college alumni associations. These Alumni groups later receive a profit cut from the whatever the big credit card companies make off the student. So these universities are basically selling their students into debt. This was the rough sketch I sent along for approval. They liked it and told me to move along to final.

Here is the final drawing in all of its glory. One thing the art directors realized after I had painted on it for awhile was that the image was strangely cropped on the right side. They asked if I could extend it to include the rest of the man in the corner and also the entirety of the pit of debt. I agreed that the image would greatly be improved with the change and went to work on a pretty complex patch.

This is how the final turned out. I'm pretty happy with it. I really like the guys in the foreground. I think the fine folks over at Business Week were happy as well.