posted: August 19, 2010

Important lesson: If you use your spouse as a reference model, do not make her LOOK fat.
Especially for a magazine she and all her friends subscribe to.

The magazine was Runner's world which is an honor to work for because it's always chuck full with great illustration.

Subject was mental grief over injuries and how to recover faster. Marc Kauffman was the AD.

Rough ideas. Marc picked my favorite, but I knew the comp needed major consolidation. And he wanted the figures switched. Hmmm, where to find a female model?...

Color studies, and now I start to get into trouble....

My wife posed for this, and she thinks I made her look fat. I totally disagree. She was convinced the magazine would make me repaint the figure thinner. Surprise honey, they didn't.

But I still can't convince her, and she may never pose for reference again!

Here's the main piece in print.
Lucky for me the "other" one is small on the turnpage, maybe no one will notice it.

posted: July 26, 2010

Got to illustrate the "Messiest Divorce in Sports", yeah even messier than Tiger's...
That of the McCourts, the owners of the LA Dodgers. The story is pretty entertaining, definitely worth reading if you are a Dodgers fan, in the latest issue of ESPN the Magazine.  Art director was Ed Mann.

And a few days after I finished the piece, I got to see Dodger Stadium for the first time when I was in LA for ICON6. Which was a treat.

Had fun with the roughs, I even gave them a typographic option. Why? I just couldn't help myself and got obsessed seeing if it would work. Fortunately Ed picked the more compact solution

Whenever I'm lucky enough to do a spread for great designers, I'm so excited to see what they come up with after I turn in the artwork. I love being surprised and at ESPN they always deliver.

posted: July 13, 2010

Got to tackle the complicated issue of the Arizona immigration law for Nick Jehlen at the Progressive.

Some sketches. Always wanted to spoof RC Gorman, although the backstory really wouldn't fit, since he was NAVAJO. Just going for a southwest feel here.

Some reference...

Apologies to Georgia O'Keefe, I know you worked in New Mexico.

And this is why Nick Jehlen, is my favorite art director in the whole world!
Because he let me do this spoof of those kitschy southwest lizards, for the inside.
Well I'm off to Los Angeles for ICON6, hope to see you there...unless I get detained in Arizona on the way.

posted: June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!
When I was a kid I found an old stained Continental Airlines pilot's tie in the gutter one June morning.Wanting to be an airplane pilot at the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever, so I gave it to my Dad for father's day.For a week or two after he wore the old raggedy thing to work. I was satisfied. Only later did I find out he would take it off and switch ties a few blocks away from home.
 
This card is for a boxed collection of greeting cards I'm working on.

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Nabaum is teaching at TutorMill, an online mentoring site for students of illustration!