New Lawrence.com Illustration

Just finished this up for Lawrence.com. The story was about transgender people and their ability to see the world through the perspective of both male and female. It was a pretty quick turn around and I ended up having to do the drawing and painting in a single day. I always like to have at least two days for painting to allow for time to get away from it and come back with a fresh set of eyes. The short deadlines due force me to quit fussing about and make some executive decisions that I wouldn't make with extra time. Sometimes that is a very good thing.

Cougar!

Lawrence.com was doing a story on peoples irrational fear of cougars here in Kansas. Not that you shouldn't avoid a cougar if you see one, but generally they don't attack people and keep to themselves. They wanted the illustration to look like a vintage horror movie poster and this is what I came up with. The most challenging part were the people running away in the corner. I swear that woman in the corner made me want to throw myself out the window, which wouldn't accomplish much since I live in a one story house. I think everything turned out though. The cop was the most fun to draw.

Bargain Auction

Lawrence.com asked me to do a color spot for a story about an art auction that happens here in Lawrence where people bid on local artist's work at bargain bin prices. I think it turned out. It has a simple, quick read.

Mexican Punk

I just finished this illustration for Alternative Press on a story about Mexican punk. You know, it's when you get a chance to paint skulls and mohawks that makes it all worth it.

LA CityBeat

Here is another recent image I made for LA CityBeat. The story was about teenage sex offenders whose lives are ruined by laws meant to keep true criminals in line like rapists and pedophiles. I had a completely different sketch in mind for this story that was approved and then later altered last minute due to editorial changes. These things happen and the art director was very helpful. In the end, I think we both created something very cool under the gun.

Here it is with the final layout. I really like their main header. Very dynamic.

Preparing For Spring

The Good Life, a Jersey based magazine, asked me to create an image for their gardening section. They liked the quality of some of my lighter images and were looking for something in that vein. I'm always happy to work this way in that the layout and design usually consist of basic shapes to create a simple yet dynamic drawing. Most of the detailing is saved for painting in photoshop. The flowers were probably the most difficult aspect to figure out. I had something far more complex in mind before I decided to go the simple route. I'll have a ton of new updates soon, however I have to wait a little while until some of those see print.

Online Privacy

This image was done for Lawrence.com on a story about ways to protect your personal information online. The idea for the person wielding an encrypted sword and shield came pretty quickly. I came up with several variations for what would be attacking from the computer screen until I realized the obvious and most clear solution with the iconic hand.

Uptown

I wrapped up this piece for the Pitch earlier this morning. The art director wanted a stylized painting of the Uptown Theatre in downtown Kansas City and told me to have fun with it. I was inspired by the neon in the sign and decided to go for a BladeRunner kind of vibe. I think it turned out well. I still get a little nervous when I have to draw buildings.

Eulogy for an Oak

The San Francisco Chronicle called me a few weeks ago to do a spot illustration for a story about a woman's relationship with an old Oak tree that was cut down in Golden Gate Park. In her story she describes the tree as a warrior that can never truly die and how it will live on in her memories and in the trees that it produced while it thrived.

Happy New Years!

Burlesque in Kansas

This illustration was done for the Pitch Weekly for their Night & Day section. This was one of those experiences where everything seemed to line up. The sketch process was quick and painless, the final drawing came out without a hitch, and the time spent on the computer was brief. The only challenge I had was figuring out how to approach the feathers. I ended up painting them on a separate piece of bristol and combining the two drawings in photoshop.

The People Under the Bridge

This illustraton was done for the Miami New Times. The story was on how the city has made it impossible for sexual offenders to legally live anywhere in Miami and have been forced to live underneath a bridge that fits within the guidelines of how close they can be to a school. The art director liked some of the fairy tale elements from my portfolio and wanted me to use that style for this particular piece. I most worried about drawing the bridge and making that look interesting, but not fussy. I kept its design very basic and added textural elements in photoshop. I had a ton of fun drawing the faces underneath the bridge. That's the place in the illustration where I allowed myself the freedom to be as detailed as I wanted.

Best & Worst of 2007

I worked out the final kinks on this image this morning and got it off to Alternative Press Magazine for their Year in Review issue coming out next month. This concept had a lot going on with it and took lots of time in the planning stages to really get it off the ground. I think the most difficult aspect of this image was getting the cards right. They needed a sense of direction and shape without looking to flimsy or fluttery. I am really happy with the final outcome and I think it fits the look and feel of the magazine as well. I had a great time working on this piece and I hope to do more for Alternative Press in the future.

Happy Holidays!

I just finished up this image for Lawrence.com on a story about crazy gift ideas for Christmas. Happy Holidays all! Also, just found out that my illustration, Elton and the Tree Giant, which you can see a few posts down will be featured in this years Society of Illustrators West Coast. It's been a great month.

Troubled in Iraq

This painting was for Lawrence.com for an article about strained marriages and relationships with soldiers in Iraq and their families back in the states. Again, this illustration was an exercise in simplicity. During the initial sketches I was trying to come up with concepts that would work both as spots and as full sized painting. I also had a lot of fun playing with different scanned in textures to create unexpected variations in the final image like the dripping oil clouds in the background.