Chris Buzelli

Newseek cover?

2008-04-14T14:37:38+00:00

Thistle

2008-03-13T02:11:40+00:00

Finally, that AD, SooJin, hired me for a job. Funny, she has the same rare last name as me.

The story was about "ETFs", short for exchange-traded funds. Thank goodness, SooJin, deciphered the story into one word, "hybrid". She knows me too well. I love mixing creatures and creating new beasts. One of the perks of being married to the AD is that I get first dibs on the articles and then sometimes I get those last minute desperate ones. It's been a while since I worked for PLANSPONSOR, I've been busy on a few ad jobs, and I really wanted to impress her. I love it when she comes home from work, walks into the studio, peeks at the piece, and squeels with glee.

Love and Sex

2008-02-14T12:42:34+00:00

I've been waiting a long time to post this one. The Santa Fe Reporter asked if I could illustrate the cover to their special Valentines Day Issue 07. How often do you get a job to illustrate Love and Sex? I wish I had more.

The AD was really great to work with. I tried to push for the the 2 pugs humping but the editor wouldn't go for it. Darn! I'll save it for a rainy day and I'll add some slobber. Since this job, I've been asked to do a few Pug portraits. Happy Valentines Day to all!

Babe

2008-01-22T02:00:33+00:00

An AD called with a really refreshing job, nothing too conceptual. Illustrate the tale of Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox. It was for Southwest Gas Corporation annual report. The AD chose 3 illustrators to illustrate 3 famous campfire tales. The cover was illustrated beautifully by Marc Burckhardt.

I've spent many summers fishing in the northern lakes of Minnesota and frequently passed through the home of Paul Bunyan—Bemidji, MN. The town has a huge statue of the giant lumberjack and his neon blue ox. For me, its always a bonus that I can personally relate to the job in some way. Sometimes really bending the concept to make it work for myself. I would fish everyday if it weren't for the fact that I live in NYC. I love fishing, even if the fish aren't biting. Something about being on a little motor boat in the middle of a misty lake, loons wailing in the distance, watching my bobber slowly sink equals heaven.

The AD also wanted type and a border on the illustration. Uh-oh! I'm horrible with type and picking out a font. I have very little computer design skills. I feel so much more at ease when I just paint the type without too much planning. So that's what I did.

One more little story. When I first graduated from RISD, I had to pay the rent, so I went begging to Society of Illustrators for a job. I think it was Terry Brown, who gave me the very prestigious job of re-varnishing the baseboards and floors on the 2nd floor for the summer. I've entered into the show every year since I graduated. I made it into the book a few times. I was even asked to judge last year. During the judging I discovered just how hard it is to win one of those medals. Then this year, I found out I won the Gold in the Institutional category for this illustration. I couldn't believe it. WooHoo! I just went back into my saved e-mails to double check that I actually won.

Angels and Tears

2007-12-11T23:52:34+00:00

CBS records called and wanted a cd cover illustration for their new artist, PJ Olsson. They said that he wanted an image of angels flying over New York City. While I worked on the project, I listened to the new album that they sent over. I also got a chance to speak to PJ over the phone about the details of the imagery. PJ expressed that he really wanted my visual interpretation of some of the lyrics in his music. It was great speaking with PJ, a really nice down to earth guy. The one request that he wanted was "a lot of angels flying over the Twin Towers." I cringed a little at this request. It was like revisiting a deceased friend. The Twin Towers were my view outside my east village studio windows. I said I would try to fit it in. Anyhow, this was supposed to be a holiday-ish post. Happy Holidays everybody. Here is how the job went.

Halloween God

2007-10-30T22:43:54+00:00

About every other month I illustrate a section in Men's Health Magazine. The varied subject matter is a great break from the usual serious subjects. The AD is also very flexible with my choice of imagery.
This one was for "12 Things You Need to Make Peace With."
The items ranged from; Your mortality. Your rock-star fantasy. Not enough hours in the day. The neighbors’ holiday party.

"Double Your Salary"

"Does Your City Need a Vacation"
This was a list of the top workaholic cities. They analyzed the employment rates in each city as well as how much overtime its inhabitants work and the amount of vacation days they use.
Manchester, NH, San Francisco, CA, and Denver, CO have the most workaholics.
Milwaukee, WI, El Paso, TX, and Rochester, NY know how to chill.

"Where You'll Live to 100"
This list was the top cities with the most centenarians, i.e., guys who are 100 proof.

"Prostate Cancer"
This one was a tough one. At first, I just imagined scientific drawings of the prostate.

Your To-Don't List
24 Things a Man Should Never Do
Here are a few
1.Check your BlackBerry in bed. To a woman, that's like having a threesome with your boss.
2. Ask for a kiss. Her eyes will say yes or no, and nothing kills the mood like asking for a translation.
17. Hang anything -- your cellphone, your keys -- on your belt. You'll never get laid again. True story.
18. Pluck your brows. It's okay to groom. It's okay to like a woman who grooms. It's not okay to groom like a woman.

Beijing

2007-10-04T16:49:43+00:00

I was hired to paint four poster images for United Airlines' new service to Beijing. The illustrations were based on ancient Chinese fables and they are to coincide with the upcoming Olympics. So far, I have seen the images in the United Airline Magazine and on their promotional emails. Friends have seen an animated version on their in-flight movie screens and on huge posters in various airports. It's great when friends/family recognize your work without the credit name. I am always scared that my work is not immediately recognizable.

The dragon was big hit with the ad agency and the client in China. So the rest of the paintings also included a dragon. However, they did not want the dragons to be similar.

TIME for Fall!

2007-08-27T12:48:53+00:00

TIME called and wanted a cover illustration for the Fall Preview Arts page. Fall Arts included upcoming movies, television shows, theatre, books and music. The AD did not want to include any of the specifics for each section. However, she mentioned, "unveiling and a glimpse" other then that it was open to my own interpretation. I tried to keep the ideas simple, however, I threw one in there that included all of the Art sections. Here are a few of the sketches and the final. The squirrel getting a glimpse inside the glowing acorn was my favorite.

TIME cover

2007-07-02T20:38:35+00:00

It has been a dream of mine to make it on the cover of time. I finally made it! Well, hopefully it's a start.

I was hired by TIME to illustrate the Art section opener. The only direction that I was given was that the editor wanted Harry Potter on a broom with money coming out of it. I thought I could sneak in a couple of different ideas. But, in the end, the editor won. Here are a few of the money sketches.

Also the AD wanted the painting of the full body Harry Potter but wanted the option of cropping the image if the editor went for it.

SummerBirds

2007-06-20T16:01:09+00:00

I am a huge fan of music CD cover art. I used to buy CDs solely based on the cover art. Most of the time the art was better then the music. The web and itunes have ruined the fun for me.

Earlier, this year, I posted some of my favorite bands on illustrationmundo. To my surprise, I recently got a phone call from one of them. SummerBirds In The Cellar asked if I would like to illustrate their new album. They are a great new young band. http://www.myspace.com/summerbirds

I met them at one of their concerts in NYC to discuss details. They were doing the struggling band thing and living in their van and sleeping on various couches. The job was for free. However, I was happy to do the job for a band that I love, especially while I paint. The title of the new album is "Druids" and one of the the songs is titled "Ghost Collector." This gave me the visual spark for the image.

They also wanted me to do the cover type. I did a few different versions. They actually came back and told me that they liked the cover image too much to cover it with type and decided to put the title on the back. I can't wait to see the printed CDs and t-shirts.

Secrets

2007-05-11T13:51:12+00:00

"The longer a person lives a lie, the more it will weight on her or his soul. Eventually, we have to come clean or our secrets will eat away at our relationship." This cover image was for an article entitled "Facing the Truth." It's such a great opportunity to illustrate the cover of a publication, especially when you can connect personally to the concept. Here are 3 sketches. Reflection is filled with secrets/sea serpents. Lady confronting her secret/beast on her shoulder. Swan with reflection of snake. Thank you all for the warm welcome on my last post!

Owl Tattoo!

2007-04-09T01:27:43+00:00

I received an email from a stranger in Huntsville, AL. Attached were pics of her new tattoo. She got my illustration permanently inked on her arm. Very flattering! I just don't have the guts to do the same. I get tired of my images way too quickly.

The original Owl Skeleton image was done for a promotional brochure for the Directory of Illustration. The AD was Mark Murphy. A great guy to work with.