I received a call from Minh Uong at the New York Tiimes for this business section cover that ran in the weekend edition.
Private equity has been squeezing profits from various corporations. What are the repercussions? Marc J. Leder is the head of Sun Capital, the company that Mitt Romney founded. He is also the campaign manager of Mitt Romney's presidential run. If elected, who will get the squeeze? This feature article takes an in-depth look.
After considering the alternatives we decided on this image, of a large mecanical claw gouging the landscape.
I really enjoyed working on this image. Here is a detail of the background. I designed a number of factories in isometric form and developed the background to be interesting but not overpowering. I wanted the black excavator arm to stand out.
I worked on a number of sketches. Here are a couple of them. I liked both the concepts but the images here were a bit over the top.
I've been getting a lot of business-related assignments lately. Ecomomics may be the dismal science but that doesn't mean that the images need be that way. I also worked with Minh on this piece about emerging from the lingering after effects of a financial crisis.
Oeno Gallery is a beautiful spot. Owner Carlyn Moulton has been fantastic to work with in launching this show. Mecanismos opened on the weekend, and I took a bit of time to recover from the tension and excitement of launching a solo show.
The show runs through the holidays and will be up until January 3. There was a lot of work involved in getting it together and I am very thankful for all of the friends and folks who showed up at the opening, and to those who bought pieces as well.
I stopped by the gallery this afternoon, when things were quiet to take some photos of the space and the work in place.
I worked with Oeno Gallery to produce a book, including all 100 prints. It includes an introduction by Gary Taxali and I also talk about the process of creating Mecanismos, influences and ideas that went into the work.
$60, contact me if you would like to get your hands on one.
I knew who Magnus Pyke was before his rants of Science! set the tone for Thomas Dolby's ubercheesy techno pop smash hit. He was a panelist on the show Don't Ask Me. Hey, I'm a science geek.
The age of the gentleman scientist has passed, but there are like-minded individuals toiling away in relative obscurity, observing the world around them, taking notes and filling sketchbooks. I spent my formative years collecting insects and keeping a journal of sketches of the creatures I saw in the wooded ravine behind my house. That experience, and the observational skills it involved, laid the groundwork for a budding young illustrator. You have to have a boundless curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.
I had the chance to illustrate a cover for University of California, Berkeley's College of Engineering magazine Forefront.
Forefront used an illustration on the cover for the first time. Kudos to designer Alissar Rayes, who I worked with on the cover and inside layout. I also worked with Silas Pandoori and Todd Edmonds at Iron design, creating the cover for Cornell University's Connections. Another first-time use of a fullly illustrated cover.
When I went to University, my two favourite courses were Biology and Art History. At the time, I would have happily chose a career in either field. Art won out. I still love doing these assignments, being an illustrator exposes me to so many different ideas, concepts and theories.
The article for Stanford discusses artificial intelligence. It is an interesting look at using technology to diffuse complex and dangerous strategies and conflicts. Alissar nailed this layout contrasting a photograph of the scientist featured in the article with the illustration I created. They do look alike!
I followed up the cover illustration with inside spots based on the three main factors upon which human intelligence is based: learning, knowledge, and reasoning. Developing artificial intelligence requires an incorporation of all of these elements.
I know that computers are becoming more and more sophisticated and that we are fast approaching the time when artificial intelligence matches wits with users on a day-to-day basis. Programming a computer to play chess is one thing, but when the day comes that my computer suddenly cracks a joke that makes me laugh, I will throw it out the window. To paraphrase Douglas Adams, the one thing everybody really can't stand is a smart-ass.
I've been called it before. I prefer to be known as an illustrator, but I started out as one of them, so I understand where the name comes from. I'm talking about being a cartoonist. When I began drawing, cartoons were a great way to express my ideas. I drew strips and dreamed about doing an independent comic book series. There are so many amazing cartoonists out there that influenced my art. My work in the college newspaper led to paying gigs and I realized that there might be a way to make a living from this.
Drawing cartoons is a great way to add a narrative to the pictures. Setting up a panel teaches composition and layout skills. You have to be fast and adaptable. Over time, I realized I didn't have the patience to stick with a given set of characters and a given style over time. I wanted to have the freedom to explore new ideas, techniques and directions. The thrill of deadlines and the constant input of ideas from editiorial illustration assignments drew me into becoming a full-time illustrator.
That's not to say I don't do cartoons, I haven't left them behind, I have a lot of fun cartooning. I host The Monthly Prince Edward County Comix Jam (last Wednesday of the month at the Acoustic Grill) and work on books and assignments in cartoon style.
I have worked with Doogie Horner at Running Press and with Josh McDonnell on epic volumes like Sci-Fi Baby Names and First Timer's Kit: The Safe, Effective Way to Loose your Virginity. My latest project for Running Press is The Fart Dictionary. Written by Scott Sorenson, it's an A to Z compendium of fart definitions. A fart for every occasion, if you will.
When you get an assignment like this, the first question is: How do you draw a fart? There is plenty of cartooning shorthand for facial expressions and emotions, and movement and profanity, but a fart? I started sketching - scribbles, clouds, but wanted to keep things classy. A flourish, a sophisticated calligraphic swirl, would do the trick.
I was also limited to two colours on this project. It's the kind of thing that sounds like a restriction, but working in a limited palette requires better design and smarter use of what is available. I choose an acid orange and black combination. Josh agreed.
The Fart Dictionary - available at fine bookstores everywhere.
