The Village Voice

This was the other project I took on last week. It's my first cover for the Village Voice and it was a lot of fun to work on. The story was very sad about a girl who was kidnapped and murdered and how the police didn't do their part in trying to find her. Since the story was already very graphic and depressing the art director wanted an image that wasn't too dark. The story was titled "Missing In Action" and I think the image works well with that.

Here is what the final layout looks like. The art director was Ivylise Simones and I think she did a bang up job.

Rhino Bowl

This is my first illustration for the RiverFront Times. It was for their Night&Day section and it was about a charity event that will raise money for Rhinos through bowling. It was a quick turn around with another project going on at the same time. It was fun to work on and I hope to do more for them soon.

Nexos

Nexos is a Spanish magazine published by American Airways. They asked me to do an illustration for an article about words that get lost in translation from Portuguese to Spanish. The art director and I both liked the idea of people looking for something lost in the woods so conceptually this was an easy one to develop. I wanted the image to work more as a spot than a full illustration and I'm really happy with how it ended up.

Don Quixote

Miami New Times was doing a story about a street musician who travels around playing his piano in random parts of the city for everyone to enjoy. He considers himself a modern day Don Quixote and that was the theme we decided to take for this illustration. Horses are tough to draw as anyone who has ever tried to draw one can tell you, so I ended up actually going to the library this time for reference which I need to be doing more often than just using the internet. If you don't know, the library is an ancient form of Google that is still used even today mostly by children learning how to use it and homeless people. Anyhoo, I think this one turned out and I had some fun working on it.

SPECTRUM 15!

I found out yesterday that this illustration which was done for The Pitch Weekly will be published in Spectrum 15: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. I've always been a big fan of this annual and it is an honor to be involved with it. I used to flip through this book when I was just a kid so it has been with me for quite some time.

Hi Doc

A german children's health magazine called "Hi Doc" contacted me a week ago to do a cover and spread illustration for a story about a boy with such large ears he can hear everything in the world. The cover was a simple design and was finished pretty quickly. The spread however . . .



. . . took a little bit more time. I wanted to fit in as many things as I could to create a sense of sound and music in nature and the world around him. It was a lot of fun to make and I always love the chance to sneak my dog into my illustrations.

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.