Illustratorium

Political Circus Book

2012-01-30T16:06:00.004-05:00

Throughout most of October and November I was working on a paperdoll book for Dover, a series of tongue in cheek caricatured dolls of most of the political figures involved in the coming election cycle. It has just gone to press, and I've received my sample copies from the publisher, so I suppose it is open season on finally posting a sampling of these illustrations here on this site. The 'paper doll book' consists of 54 dolls including Barack & Michelle Obama, members of the cabinet, Republican challengers and major news pundits, and then the same dolls were recycled again at a smaller size for a companion piece 'sticker book'. Here is a sample of Obama's and Newt's doll & costumes from the book. The rest will eventually make it into my 'portraits' database here on the site later in the year, but for now, you'll just have to go out and buy the book.

Also, for the sticker book, I needed to come up with a pair of scenes that the stickers could be used on, both a 'circus tent' scene and a 'convention floor' scene. The crowd was a tricky proposition, as they wanted the 'pundits' from the paperdoll book included in the crowd, and they would have looked odd among 'regular looking' people, so I ended up populating the rest of the crowd with distorted and disguised versions of the rest of the figures (some women becoming men, some men becoming women in the process). The publishers also wanted a series of 'circus' themed 'props and characters' that could also be included in the collection, so I also came up with a page of circus whatnots and gizmos. You can click on each of the illustrations below to see a larger version.

Book Cover

2012-01-27T17:42:00.002-05:00

Book cover for Baker that I've been working on over the past couple of months. I think it might be near the finish line, but I have a feeling I haven't seen the last of it yet. I've still got twenty or so black and white interior illustrations to do on this project, and I've also been working on another paper doll project which I'll probably have news regarding at the end of next month.
Took a break on both ongoing big projects this afternoon to work on 16 black and white curriculum diagrams for CRC.

Political Circus Inaction Figures & Sticker Book

2012-01-23T13:33:00.003-05:00

Well, the 'big project' I was working on during October, November & December is about to hit the stores. Above is a book of paper dolls featuring all the politicos and newsmen for the upcoming election season, along with goofy outfits and props, and as a companion piece, they are also releasing a 'sticker book' with the same figures, along with several 'circus props' and a couple big 'scenes' to place the stickers on. These are available for pre-order on amazon, and I'll probably we waiting until the official release before posting any samples here, other than these cover images.

Web Site Redesign

2012-01-23T12:09:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready to send out some new mailers in the next month or so, and so in anticipation, have redesigned the website from the rather cluttered previous incarnation. As an experiment, I've done away with the 'thumbnail & rollover' style of navigation from websites of the past, and gone with a more linear exploratory site this time around. You can quickly go from samples of one style or another using the sidebar at any time, but otherwise, if you keep clicking 'next' or 'previous' you will be taken to different samples in a seemingly endless stream of illustrations (there's about 150 samples on the site, which should keep browsers busy for some time). Click on the image above to be taken to the main website.

Wrapping up the week

2012-01-19T13:00:00.003-05:00

Finished up a cover assignment for Red Thread magazine this morning (and here's the rough sketch from earlier this week, for those that are interested in that sort of thing). A little different style for me, trying to work in a 'flat color' environment, inspired by old travel posters.
I also had an assignment for US Catholic yesterday, and again, working in a different style, black pen and ink line with a color wash applied over the top (a style I'll likely be doing more of in the near future for a book project I'm working on, so I thought it would give me a good chance to loosen up in preparation). Below that, are the last of the 'witch' illustrations for this year's almanac assignment for Llewellyn.

Mysteriousness

2012-01-16T11:15:00.002-05:00

Starting the week out with another fiction piece for Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Below are a few more 'wiccan' illustrations for the ongoing project I've been working on for Llewellyn this month (two more to go, probably tomorrow or later today if I can work up the ambition).

Money (and more witches of course)

2012-01-12T11:31:00.002-05:00

Above was a rush spot illo I did for Barrons this week, and meanwhile, I continue to plug away on the 'wiccan almanac' project (a series of bw interior illustrations pictured below). This will be the fifth book in this series that I've contributed cover and interior art to (more of these samples to come next week).
Besides these projects, I'm also continuing to work on another upcoming book project that will have to remain under wraps for the time being, but I'm hearing rumors that the book that I was laboring on back in October/November is going to press and should be out soon (at which time I'll likely share some samples and a link to where it can be purchased).

Stamp project, almost

2012-01-08T08:47:00.004-05:00

Well, I've been sitting on this image since last August, but I see now that the official stamp is now available for preorder, and will be released in early February, it is probably safe to post this. I got a call from a client who I've worked for on various projects in the past, on a Thursday evening as I was on my way to band practice, and he was representing the family of the subject of an upcoming postage stamp honoree, and they were in need of a quick turnaround portrait based on a bw photo they had. I did most of the work on Friday evening and Saturday morning, and most of the corrections were rather minor and were completed by Sunday after several conference calls. Months later, though, it turns out that the Postal Service decided on another artist to carry the project to the finish line (Here's the finished product, available for preorder). I'm not too disappointed, its a bit different in style, more streamlined, and has the hospital in the background, which is a nice touch, and I'm sure the family is quite happy with the final result. Was an interesting couple days, was paid well for it during a particularly dry spell, and I was happy with the end result, and glad to finally share it here.

Witches & Lilies

2012-01-06T23:15:00.002-05:00

Further work on the Witch Almanac (images below), and worked up another color comp for the upcoming book project (above). Starting work on another large project this weekend, but will probably not be able to show any samples from that one until it is published (but considering the short shelf life it is likely to have, it will probably be hitting the shelves rather quickly this year). More witches to come next week.

2012 Off and Running

2012-01-03T10:04:00.003-05:00

Well, the holidays are finally over, the tree has been taken down and driven down to the recycling center, and we're back to work here at the Illustration Mines. Above is a cover illustration I finished up this morning for Farm Futures magazine. Nice to hear from them again, it had been about 2 years since the last assignment. Tried a 'gouache' technique for this one.
And, once again this year, I'm working on a series of black and white illustrations for a Wiccan Almanac. Below are the first two in that series (with more to come over the next couple of weeks).

Year in Review: 2011

2012-01-01T09:11:00.022-05:00

Despite the fact that 2011 was one of the slowest years since the mid nineties, it had its share of highlights and bright spots. I had a few high profile assignments this year that I hope to share later in the year once they 'go public', and I got some encouragement by hearing from a few old clients who I hadn't heard from in a while. Rather than wallow in self pity this summer during a slow period, I gave myself a challenge and assigned myself a 'drawing a day' for a 90 day span, which both served to keep me busy, and let me experiment with some new styles and techniques (some of which came in handy when the work started picking up later in the year).

On the personal side, my wife had to go back to work this year to help make ends meet (and the health insurance, which ended up being a bigger blessing in the long run). We didn't get much sailing in due to hectic schedules, but I did a great deal of bike riding during the summer months, and my wife and I joined an adult softball league in the fall through the community radio station that wife has begun deejaying for this year. My son finished up his Junior year at Columbia, and is now halfway through his Senior year, with plans on graduating in the spring. He has started playing with a number of bands and pick-up groups on the side, as well as working for both the school in the writing department, and for my brother at his restaurant on the north side of Chicago.

On the music front, the Jukejoint Handmedowns had a fairly good year, keeping pretty busy as well as adding a third member in the spring. I kept track of income for the 'music' this year, and actually made a small profit (not enough to make up for the shortfall in the illustration business, but encouraging nonetheless).

Anyhow, here's hoping for a brighter year ahead for all of us, on to my 23rd year in the business, with my 50th birthday coming in a few short weeks. Here's what I consider my 'best work' of the year (keeping in mind that there are a few pieces that I did last year which should be in here as well, but will share later for contractual reasons):

Senior Recital

2011-12-29T13:44:00.002-05:00

My son asked me to do a painting for his senior recital this spring. I'm not sure I'm 100% finished with it yet, but here's what I came up with so far. Always a danger of 'overworking' something like this. I think I'll take a break for a couple days and maybe go back into it again .

Searching for a Style

2011-12-29T09:28:00.002-05:00

Working on developing a (somewhat) new style for an upcoming series of books. These were the first two experiments. The publisher hasn't yet decided whether they want to go with color or black and white, so I did one of each.

More upbeat economic indicators

2011-12-26T07:53:00.003-05:00

A couple assignments for Dow Jones this past weekend, just before the Xmas break. Funnily enough, the illustration above was a concept that I had proposed for another 'year end' assignment two years ago, but at that time was thought to be too 'dire and depressing', but the AD at the Wall Street Journal came to me this week proposing a resurrection of the concept for a new article in the weekend edition (a spoof of the iconic photo from the depression era). Apparently, it isn't 'too depressing' anymore. (since it was such a strong horizontal, I've also posted a larger version, you can see by clicking on the image above).
Below, is an assignment for Barrons, about the pitfalls of having too much of a 'hands on' approach to managing your investments. After a lot of stylistic experimenting over the past few months, it was nice to get back to some comfy scratchboard again.

Greetings from the Krampus

2011-12-20T09:54:00.002-05:00

Last year's xmas promotional postcard has been enjoying a second life of sorts at my zazzle store this season (there's still time to give tee shirts to bratty children on your gift list), and interestingly enough, the whole 'Krampus' legend seems to be having a resurgence this year (here's an article a friend of mine linked to on facebook).
Happy Holidays everyone, and I'll resume posting next week.

Additional midweek entries

2011-12-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

A few more pieces this week, these are both for US Catholic. Since these will no doubt appear in the same issue, I tried to make the style a little different for each.

Some Assembly Required

2011-12-14T12:12:00.003-05:00

Above was an illustration for Barrons this week for an upcoming article on 'fixing the budget'. Also, this week, I finished up a series of caricature illustrations for Dover for an upcoming book (I did a similar series of illos on baseball themes last year this time).

Union Boogeymen

2011-12-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

Taking the day off today for my 28th wedding anniversary, driving down to Chicago to see my son blow his horn at school in their 'Combo Fest' (he'll be graduating this spring). Here are a few more finished illustrations to round out the end of the week. The above illustration was one I wasn't initially all that excited about, due to the subject matter, but I somehow managed to find a solution that both made both me and the client happy. This was a cover illustration or Business North Carolina about that state's long standing antipathy towards unions. (at one point, they requested a policeman's hat on the fellow coming out of the closet, but then it ended up looking like there was something perverse going on in the bed).
Below is an illustration for Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Been doing work for them since my first year in business back in 1989. Been kind of slow in 2011, I think I only did about 4 of these this year, but from what I can see of the samples they send, it looks like they've cut way back on illustration overall, so maybe I should consider myself lucky to have gotten those 4.
Below that is a sample illustration that I did for an upcoming possible book project.

Sketchaholics Anonymous

2011-12-06T12:17:00.003-05:00

Above is a quick turnaround illustration for the Chronicle that I did on Monday. Otherwise, the workload continues to be rather heavy on the prelim sketch phase. Below are a sampling of sketches for further upcoming projects, and I'll see you later in the week when I start finishing some of these up.

Going to be a busy music weekend coming up, I'll be taking the day off on Friday to drive down to Chicago to hear my son blow his sax at his college's 'Combo Fest', and then driving back home to prepare for the Jukejoint Handmedowns first appearance at 'Nick Fink's' (this is a cool old bar on the other side of the river from us in Comstock Park, been around since 1888 with some great black vinyl booths and velvet wallpaper), and then our adult string orchestra will be having its christmas concert on Sunday afternoon (I play cello in this group, and the wife plays viola).

Sketch Friday

2011-12-02T13:04:00.004-05:00

Recovering nicely from my surgery on Monday, but still having trouble sitting upright for long stretches of time at my desk. I managed to finish up the big book project that I'd been working on for the past month and a half (but can't post samples of until next year sometime), and am starting work on several other projects for December. Here's a few rough sketches for various assignments for the coming weeks, plus an unused sketch from an assignment last week that I preferred over the one that eventually got chosen by the client.

Black Friday

2011-11-25T16:27:00.002-05:00

A few late breaking illustrations for 'Thanksgiving week' which I did on Wednesday. Above was for the Wall Street Journal, and below was for Highlights. I'll be finishing up my large book project this weekend, and then going in for some minor surgery on Monday, so I may be out of commission for a few days next week.

Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-21T13:44:00.003-05:00

Been a while since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I've been working on a large book project for the past month and a half and am getting very near the finish line, but unfortunately I won't be able to post any examples until publication sometime next year (I've had a couple of assignments with this restriction this year). In the meantime, I've had a couple small projects this past weekend, for a couple of publications that are getting stuff done early to take time off for Thanksgiving. The above illustration was for Barrons, and the one below is for the Chronicle.

End Times

2011-11-09T09:19:00.002-05:00

Here's how the cover for Red Thread turned out. Maybe I should make this my holiday card this year. (click the image above to see a larger one)

Playing Catch Up

2011-11-08T13:21:00.002-05:00

Past the halfway point in the large book project I'm currently working on (and unfortunately am unable to share on the blog until next year sometime), but am taking a break in the middle of this week to work on a few other assignments that are coming due at about the same time. The Red Thread cover I started yesterday and will be hopefully finishing up this afternoon (looking pretty good so far), but this morning I had a few scratchboard assignments to finish up, which I'll post for today's blog entry. The above illustration was one for the Chronicle. A rather tricky assignment for which I didn't feel all that confident of my concept sketches, but the editors seemed to find one that fit the bill (below is one of the alternate ideas, which I personally preferred, and if I end up with any free time later, might finish up just for fun).

I also had an assignment for US Catholic, which I also finished up today (you can click on the image to see a larger version). I guess I'm out of touch with what altar boys are wearing these days, because my original sketch had the old black and white style outfits that I grew up with, but the editors wanted them to look like the sort of things they are wearing these days (which to me look like druid cloaks or possibly Jawas outfits from 'Star Wars').

I'll post the Red Thread cover tomorrow when I finish it up.

Confusion

2011-11-04T13:18:00.003-04:00

Been a busy week. Still working hard on the upcoming book project (about at the halfway point), but continuing to squeeze in the day to day projects in the margins. The illustration above was one I did for the Journal this morning/afternoon, and below is the rough sketch for a cover for Red Thread that I'll be finishing up next week.
But for now, I'm going to take the rest of the weekend off, and drive to Chicago to see my son for his birthday.

Lost in Space

2011-10-25T09:58:00.003-04:00

One additional weekend assignment to squeeze in before I hunker down and dive into my current book project. This one above was an assignment for the Chronicle to accompany an article about science literacy. (click the image above to see a larger one).

Weekender

2011-10-24T09:37:00.002-04:00

Very busy couple of days this past weekend. Spent most of Saturday working on the upcoming hush hush book project, but still found time to take a long bike ride to clear my head before a marathon 4 hours of playing music with the Jukejoint Handmedowns at a bar in Belmont that evening. Got to bed around 3, then woke up at the crack of dawn on Sunday to begin work on an involved 'What's Wrong' picture for an upcoming back cover of Highlights. Got it done by the end of the day, and then crashed for a long night's sleep. You can see a larger version by clicking on the above image, or you can see the revised version in which they had me change the 'bird man' to just a bird this morning for some reason. Back to work...

Contentedly Busy

2011-10-21T09:47:00.002-04:00

This continues to be one of the best couple of weeks I've had all year, with regards to workflow, and I've still got a full weekend ahead of me. My postcard just hit the mails this week, so hopefully this trend will continue over the remainder of the year. The above assignment was a front page illustration for the Journal for this coming sunday's edition (the 'chalkboard' will be filled with various bullet points) that I finished up this morning (though I expect there will be slight alterations here and there before the day is out). And below, is a cover illustration for Business North Carolina that I finished up on Wednesday. A little different than my usual style, but it was interesting trying to work out all the details in this complex layout. (with both illustrations, you can see a larger version by clicking on the image)

Busy Spell Continued

2011-10-18T10:30:00.002-04:00

Continuing to burn the candle at both ends this week. Aside from a daily quota of illustrations for an upcoming book project, I also am managing to squeeze in regular short deadline assignments. The illustration above was a cover illustration on 'fantasy football leagues' for Red Thread magazine. (click on the image to see a larger version)
Pictured below, is a quickie logo illustration for a friend's tee shirt design company, for a theatrical production of 'A Christmas Story'. Now back to work...

Busy Spell

2011-10-17T11:06:00.002-04:00

Have been experiencing a busy period over the past couple of weeks, which is a nice change of pace from the majority of 2011. In addition to the large project that will be occupying my time for the next month or so (which I'll be posting examples of next year sometime when it gets published), I also had an assignment from a new client last weekend, The Boston Globe (pictured above), and another long horizontal essay illustration for the Chronicle (pictured below), and larger versions of each can be seen by clicking on the images.

I also got a call from a client I hadn't heard from in a while (though I did a book project on the side with the Art Director earlier this year), US Catholic, with a semi-humorous fiction piece (pictured below). Several more large projects coming due this week and next, and I'll post when I get them done.

Steve Jobs

2011-10-11T11:37:00.009-04:00

Did a quick turnaround assignment for the Chronicle this morning to accompany an essay about the author's 'first mac', and an indirect homage to Steve Jobs and his passing. It certainly struck a chord with me, as I went through a lot of the same mac models over the years (replacing a bulky electric typewriter, which was my first 'equipment purchase' when I started freelancing).

Our first mac was the 'Mac Classic II', which we used mostly for bookkeeping, mailing list management, word processing, and we played a few primitive text games on it. I first began experimenting with drawing on the mac with this one, but it was mostly bw pixel manipulation.
Our second mac was sometime in '93 or 94 and was probably an LC model of some sort. "In Color" (which a big eye opener at the time), and besides the same duties performed on the Classic, we also began using learning games for our son, and I started dabbling a little bit in code writing for simplistic computer games of my own design, and very limited drawing (all with a mouse, and usually on a painstaking pixel by pixel basis). This was also the first computer we had that connected to the internet (mostly AOL at the time). (the first computer with a cd drive, although we still used floppy discs for storage)
Our next was one of those blue G3 power macs sometime in '97, and this was the first computer that began actually doing illustrations on, when my wife brought home a wacom tablet and painter software for me to try out one weekend from where she was working. (back in the days of 'zip disks' and 'jaz drives' for transporting large files)
There was another mac after that one, but I don't quite remember the model (it is currently taking up space in our spare bedroom). Most of the work of 2001-2005 was done on this computer.
Currently I'm working on an iMac which we got about 5 years ago. My wife and son have each owned a couple laptops, which I've never quite gotten the hang of using (except once in a while when on vacation, and I'll use a mini wacom tablet to do work). We've also owned several iPods between the three of us (my favorite of Steve Job's innovations), and we may be breaking down and getting an iPhone in the near future (I have friends who rave about theirs, but I've been hesitant).
So thank you Steve for all the macs over the years.

Anyway, back to work. The illustration below was another tee shirt design for a newer client, and I've been busy working on a book project that will have to remain under wraps for the time being.

Looking at that first illustration I did this morning for the Chronicle, I'm reminded of several others I've done over the years with a similar layout:

Digging for Treasure

2011-10-05T14:17:00.002-04:00

Been a busy week. I started sketches for a large project (that unfortunately for the blog will have to remain under wraps until publication), plus had a few projects with shorter deadlines due midweek. The black and white illustration above was a quick turnaround assignment for Barrons, and below is (believe it or not) the first assignment to come from the large postcard I sent out earlier this year. This was a new client, Scholastic (although I may have done some work for them through a 3rd party in the distant past), and was a map of the United States showing various interesting 'New Years Ball Drop' items that are used throughout the country.

Queasy

2011-09-30T13:14:00.002-04:00

A couple of projects from the latter half of the week. The above same day illustration was for the Wall Street Journal, and below is a 'cameo portrait' of a folk singer for a client down south.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

2011-09-28T13:19:00.003-04:00

A couple of early week illustration assignments. The one above was for Barrons (completed early while awaiting oks on other projects), and you can see a larger version by clicking on the image above (or see the sketch by checking out the previous post). Also finished up an Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine fiction piece a little bit early for similar reasons (and with a gimpy hand, having injured it while playing softball the night before).

Weak End Rap Up

2011-09-24T11:43:00.003-04:00

Some unusual projects on my docket around the end of the week. I've been approached by a music producer out east to work up an inside/outside cd package with a 'sci fi' theme (the idea is that the cd package is in fact a relic of an alien civilization, the exterior like a weathered 'black box' and the inside full of technological doo dads and whatnots, and also incorporating the band's 'logo design' in such a way that it is hidden in the designs). This stuff is way outside my usual comfort zone, but I've been having fun playing around with various unusual techniques and tricks, mostly in photoshop. Probably still not at the finish line with this project, but here's a sneak peak at the progress so far.
(these tiny reproductions don't really do justice to all the details, so if you click on each image, you will see a larger version)

Also been doing a lot of sketching for upcoming projects (one of which, for Barrons, is posted below), mostly ahead of schedule, because I'm going to try and take a long weekend and catch up on some sailing on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Unfortunately, my body didn't get the message, and decided to come down with a cold on Thursday, which I'm still fighting.

Days 87 through 90 (end of challenge)

2011-09-21T14:57:00.005-04:00

Day Eighty Seven

Today's illustration was a quick turnaround assignment for Newsday that I did on Friday afternoon for the Sunday paper. This story was on 'cyber terrorism threats'.

Day Eighty Eight

Finishing up the 'funny animals' for Baker this weekend. Next, I'll be working on a complicated 'what's wrong' picture for Highlights back cover assignment. Stay tuned.

Day Eighty Nine

I haven't yet gotten the go-ahead on the Highlights job, so I began work on the 'Witch' book cover. Here's a few sneak peeks at a couple of the elements while it is 'in progress'.

Day Ninety (end of challenge recap)

Today's illustration is a cover assignment for Llewellyn Publishing. I've been doing these for the past 5 years or so, and you can see previous editions here (2012 edition), here (2011 edition), here (2010 edition)and here (2008 edition). I also saved another version of the 'roses' on the cover that will be used as a back cover wraparound element (pictured below). You can see a larger version of the illustration above by clicking on the image.

Well, Ninety days later (and only took me 113 days to complete, once you factored in all the 'days off' I gave myself). I started this 'drawing a day challenge' back in June as a way of distracting myself from the horribly slow sales year I've been experiencing, and as a way to motivate myself to work outside the box, and to draw something every day regardless of whether or not I had an actual paying assignment. I have to say it was a positive experience overall. I found myself experimenting more, and then found myself actually using the new skills that I picked up in 'extracurricular' work and utilizing them in assignments. Work has picked up slightly in the three months that I've been doing this, which is a trend I hope continues, and I may just repeat this experiment again next year, should circumstances allow.

Days 83 through 86

2011-09-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

Day Eighty Three

Another rough sketch, this one for the upcoming 'witch' book cover that I've been doing every year for the past five years about this time.

Day Eighty Four

Working on finishes for a book cover of 'animal jokes' for Baker Book House. More to come tomorrow.

Day Eighty Five

More animals for the Baker Book House project. The Hippo and Monkey are for the cover, and I've also been asked to do several inside animals for sprinkling around the text (these will be in bw, but I'm doing them in color anyways and then converting them to greyscale). More to come.

Day Eighty Six

A few more of the animals for the Baker Book House 'Animal Joke Book' project.

Days 79 through 82

2011-09-13T14:20:00.002-04:00

Day Seventy Nine

Hard to believe it was ten years ago already. I've noticed a lot of other illustrators have been doing a fair share of 9/11 Anniversary illustration assignments, and I was beginning to think it was going to pass me by. But I got a call from Newsday this morning with a quick turnaround assignment. Thankfully not another image of airplanes and exploding buildings, but something with a little more of a hopeful (yet vigilant) feel to it. This one will run with an editorial in the Sunday paper.

Day Eighty

Got an email assignment last week regarding a tee shirt design of a bear smoking a tree shaped cigar and wearing a ranger hat. This project needs to be 'color separated', which is something I have very little experience with, so I may be turning over part of the 'print prep' work over to my wife. Below is the color version (with the 'less than seven colors' specified).

Day Eighty One

The children's 'joke book' project continues, with a few more revised sketches. From the way things are looking, I'll probably be posting a lot of rough sketches this week.

Day Eighty Two

Today's sketch is a quick caricature of Mitt Romney for a possible upcoming project. (Addendum: The project got the go ahead in October, but I won't be able to post any examples until it is published sometime in 2012, but I spent most of October and November working on it)

Days 76 through 78

2011-09-08T08:46:00.003-04:00

Day Seventy Six

A lot of sketches today for various projects in the works. Finished versions will be posted over the next few days.

Day Seventy Seven

Today's illustration was for a client down in Georgia.

Day Seventy Eight

Today's illustration was a quick turnaround piece for the Wall Street Journal on retirees for this sunday's edition.

Days 72 through 75

2011-09-05T16:02:00.003-04:00

Day Seventy Two

Today's illustration was one that I actually finished up yesterday evening. An assignment for the Chronicle, which was about reading book reviews at the beach. Since it was such a strong horizontal, you can see a larger version by clicking on the image above.

Day Seventy Three

Nothing much on the docket today, just a rough sketch for a quick turnaround job due on Thursday. I'm doing a little more recording and mixing work on the Jukejoint Handmedowns cd, and took a little time off to do a pen and ink sketch of Edward G Robinson.

Day Seventy Four

Today's illustration was a quick turnaround assignment for Barrons for an article about diversity in Mutual Funds. (you can see a larger version by clicking on the above image)

Day Seventy Five

Well, in honor of Labor Day, I got up early and did a couple projects this morning, like I do nearly every other day of the year. The illustration above was a cover illustration assignment for Philadelphia Weekly, and I also worked up a sketch for an upcoming assignment for Highlights. Happy Labor Day everyone, and back to work tomorrow, bright and early.

Web Page Overhaul

2011-09-02T12:45:00.004-04:00

In conjunction with the postcard mailing I'll be sending out in the next month or so, I'm also doing a website overhaul, redesigning the page so that it meshes with the postcard look and feel. I'm keeping many of the same samples (and adding a few new ones from the past year) and some of the same functionality, but with a different look. Above is the main image that browsers will be greeted with, and then as your mouse travels over the image, the menu is made visible (see below).

Once you click on the menu items, each will follow in a similar layout manner (an example of one of the scratchboard sample pages below). I'm still in the process of changing over many of the interior pages, but it should be up and running 100% by next week sometime. (in the meantime, some of the old pages still retain the 'old design')

I wish I'd saved screen shots of all my old web page redesigns, as I've been using a web page to advertise my services since around the mid to late 90s, and it would have been interesting to see the page's evolution over time.

UPDATE: Jami Giovanopoulos from the ispot was kind enough to clue me in to a sight called the Internet Archive Wayback Machine that shows you the different incarnations my site has undergone since approximately 2001 (minus the occasional dead link). Interesting, I had no idea such a thing was even possible. I even went so far as to look up my earlier 'clunky' aol web address from the nineties (much more dead links, but interesting to see).

Everything But the Squeal

2011-08-29T16:51:00.005-04:00

Getting to be that time again, so I'm designing a new promo postcard to send out to potential clients. Since I'm also in the process of recording a cd for my band, I thought I'd get double duty out of these cards, and print the overrun with a blank back side, and then I can also use this postcard to mail out to music venues/record shops in the area to promote the cd. The image is one that I did earlier this summer as a cd cover for the music that we hadn't yet begun recording (but we did have the title, and that was good enough for me).

Got a call from our mailing list vendor, and we had a discussion about different marketing tools, and one thing he suggested was to include something on the postcard that requires some sort of action on the part of the recipient, like entering a code on a website or offering some sort of % discount in exchange for a response. I've decided to offer a series of free gifts to the first 25 or 30 people to sign up in response to the card (I haven't quite set up my website for this yet, but will work on it over the next few weeks). The gifts will probably be in the form of free copies of a recent paperdoll book that I got a LOT of complimentary samples from the publisher, plus a few items from my zazzle store. In exchange, I'll likely design some sort of survey form that can be filled out and submitted online through my main website.

Days 67 through 71

2011-08-29T16:46:00.003-04:00

Day Sixty Seven

Today I had another fiction assignment for Dell Publishing (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine). Been doing work for this client for about 22 years, with my first assignment in the fall of 1989. Only the second one I've done for them so far in 2011.

Day Sixty Eight

A couple more illustrations for the academic book project. 3 more to go. A lot of black and white lately, may have to do a color piece just for myself this weekend. Might also be time to start working on a fall mailer just to remind people I'm still here.

Day Sixty Nine

Another of the spot illustrations for this ongoing academic book project I'm working on. A couple more to go (which I'll probably end up finishing tomorrow), and then I'll be moving on to a couple color projects.

Day Seventy

Today's illustration is the last two of the spot illos for the academic book project I've been working on all week. I still need to do some sketches today for a new Chronicle job, plus I'll need to get started on a color piece for Highlights for early next week. Looks like beautiful weather this weekend, so I may take the next two days off and do some sailing.

Day Seventy One

Had a busier than usual day today. Finished up a revised version of one of the black and white spot illustrations for the academic book project from last week (pictured below), plus did a color spot illustration for Highlights (pictured above). Also started work on an illustration for the Chronicle, which I'll probably finish up either tonight or in the morning and will post it tomorrow.

Days 61 through 66

2011-08-22T14:33:00.003-04:00

Day Sixty One

Took the weekend off, and went back to work on the above illustration on Monday morning. (You can click on the image above to see a larger version, and you can click on this link to see the version with an additional element requested by the art director, which I wasn't all that crazy about). I also spent some time this morning working on some rough sketches for the Chronicle, for which I'll be working on finishes either later today or tomorrow.

Day Sixty Two

Today's illustration is an assignment for the Chronicle for their 'online version', a portrait of quantum mechanics scientist Richard Feynman. I also whipped up a quickie self portrait yesterday evening whilst my wife was down at the radio station recording her show (which I decided to use as my 'sidebar portrait', as well as an icon for my zazzle store)

Day Sixty Three

Today's drawing is one of 8 that I'll be finishing up over the next few weeks for an academic book project.

Day Sixty Four

Today's illustration is a quick turnaround assignment for the Journal.

Day Sixty Five

Today's illustration is another of the pieces for the academic book project I'm working on.

Day Sixty Six

Took the weekend off to work on some music recording and mixing, and got back to work on Monday morning with another of the illustrations for an upcoming academic book project. I also did some tweaking to an earlier illustration, per the author's request (pictured below). More to come this week.

Days 56 through 60

2011-08-12T15:14:00.003-04:00

Day Fifty Six

Took the weekend off, to do a little recording for the upcoming JJHD cd, visit with my son home from Chicago, and spend some time with my Mom up from Florida for a brief spell. Not much going on today, just a few rough sketches for upcoming projects.

Day Fifty Seven

Still awaiting okays on a couple projects, so in the meantime, I worked up a pen and ink sketch of actor Robert Ryan. There was an interesting article on this actor in Sunday's Times, which has been percolating in my head for the past few days. This is also a pen and ink style that I'm thinking of using for an upcoming book project, so I'm doing a little practicing in getting the bugs out before it begins.

Day Fifty Eight

Again, working in black and white line, I tackled a portrait of Esperanza Spalding today. I think I overworked this one just a little bit. The hardest part about line work and cross hatching is knowing when to say 'when'.

Day Fifty Nine

Didn't actually get much drawing done today. Went on a long bike ride and helped a friend pack up his belongings for a move out to Denver for most of the day today (plus an evening band practice). So, today's drawing will actually be a sample of one of 16 sketches I did yesterday afternoon for an upcoming book project. The finishes for these illustrations will probably start appearing next week, as I get them completed.

Day Sixty

I've spent most of today working on a cover illustration for a magazine client (a rough sketch was posted earlier in the week). I'll be posting the finished version in a few days, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek of the 'in-progress' work.

Days 52 through 55

2011-08-05T10:09:00.003-04:00

Day Fifty Two

Not much on the workbench this morning, and since I have tickets to the Steve Earle show tonight, I thought I'd attempt a portrait. I don't think I captured the likeness all that well, but I had some fun with the beard.

Day Fifty Three

Worked on a cartoon illustration for the 'freaks of nurture' blog today. And revisited yesterday's illustration which I wasn't too keen on.

Steve Earle put on a pretty decent show last night (some sound issues, especially in the second half, where the sound actually seemed to get worse), plus as usual at recent concerts I've attended, audiences seem to be getting more and more annoying (and cell phones and gadgets have only made them more so). Anyhow, this morning I looked at yesterday's portrait, and I really didn't care to leave it like that, so I went back into it and did a bit more work. This one's a little closer.

Day Fifty Four

Will be starting on some sketches for a few clients tomorrow, but today I'm taking it pretty easy, doing some house cleaning for a party we'll be hosting on Friday evening, and driving down to Kalamazoo to pick my boy up at the train station. In the meantime, I've been having a difficult time with my riding lawnmower over the past few weeks, which is in need of a few simple repairs, that, thanks to the design of the mower, require the entire assembly to be taken apart to even access the area where the repairs need to be made. My previous mower, which I had for about ten years, gave me very little problems, but this one, which is about five years old now, has plagued me with repairs since almost the first summer I bought it. Currently it is in several pieces downstairs in the garage awaiting a few parts.

Day Fifty Five

Today's illustration was a quick turnaround assignment from the Journal. I may post the "also rans" sketches later this afternoon if I get around to it.

Days 49 through 51

2011-08-01T13:00:00.004-04:00

Day Forty Nine

Here's the finished illustration for that WSJ job. Personally I preferred the 'magic trick' sketch, but this one probably fits the story better, which the editors decided to go with.

Day Fifty

During the eighties, I had an extended period where I had pushed illustration to the side, and spent my time working in the field of graphic design and typesetting. This was in the days before computer graphics, and much of the type of work I was doing (paste ups, photostats, halftones, type specs) has since gone the way of the horse drawn carriage and manual typewriter. I haven't done much in the way of graphic design in the past twenty plus years, but since I've been involved with this music group, I've started dabbling with poster design as a way of promoting our gigs. It's been quite fun and personally rewarding, especially since the only client I have to please is myself (and my bandmates, who so far haven't been all that opinionated on the subject).
So today, rather than posting an illustration, I'm going to post a series of poster/flyers that I've been creating in photoshop over the past several months for the 'Jukejoint Handmedowns', and more of my graphic work for this band can be seen on our 'facebook page' in one of the 'photo galleries'. Photos used in these posters are courtesy of my wife Terri Foley.

Day Fifty One

Took the day off drawing on Sunday, as we had to drive down to South Haven for some babysitting duties. Didn't really have much planned to do on Monday when I got back to work, but the morning emails contained a quick commission to draw a dog for the advertising for a musician's stickers and tee shirts down in Georgia. I also had enough free time that I was able to finish up my 'freaks of nurture' comic adaptation (pictured below, click on the image to see a larger version).

Days 46 through 48

2011-07-28T13:46:00.003-04:00

Day Forty Six

Today I finished up the Roy Lichtenstein-esque illustration for the Chronicle (I posted the rough sketch yesterday). Not a lot of difference, other than tighter linework and slightly different color choices. This was a fun little project, it sort of reminded me of my days of graphic design back in the eighties, working with zipatone screens. I also saved a version of the black and white art, before I added the color swatches (pictured below).

Day Forty Seven

Today I've been working on sketches for the cover of an animal joke book for kids for one of my book publishing clients. The layout is still up in the air, so I'm giving them each animal separately so they can move them around in the design at this early stage.

Day Forty Eight

Today I spent a great deal of time working on another 'Freaks of Nurture' comic blog adaptation. I did a rough sketch for this several weeks back, but for some reason or another it was put on hold for some 'writing tweaks' that never quite materialized. I got about half done with it today, and will post the rest once I get it finished in the next few days. (click on the image above to see a larger version).
I also worked on some rough sketches for a Journal spot assignment. The finish is due tomorrow, so check in then to see which one got chosen.

Days 41 through 45

2011-07-25T09:24:00.004-04:00

Day Forty One

Today's illustration finishes up a project for the National Geographic School Publishers that I started a couple weeks ago. This black and white spot illustration was a latecomer to the project and only just got okayed a couple days ago.

Day Forty Two

Today's illustration was an assignment for an upcoming issue of Barrons. Got it done a bit ahead of deadline since I had some time to spare today.

Day Forty Three

Today's illustration is a fiction piece for River Styx magazine.

Day Forty Four

A personal quick paint sketch today. Been thinking a lot about trees lately, as subjects. I ride my bike through nearby Riverside Park on a daily basis, and I've been noticing more and more of the interesting variety of trees as I pass by them. I might like to take a sketchbook down there sometime and just fill up a book with nothing but trees.
Yesterday evening I played a music gig at an art gallery in Ada, and was wandering around looking at the paintings during our rest breaks, and it sort of got me inspired to play around again with some 'virtual paints' this morning. Nothing overly ambitious, just a fast and loose tree sketch.

Day Forty Five (halfway point)

After a very busy week, I decided to take Sunday off. Today's drawing is a rough color sketch for an assignment for one of my regular clients, where they asked for a Roy Lichtenstein-esque scene with a very particular set-up and text. I love assignments like this, where I can analyze and emulate another artists' style, as I usually come out of it with new techniques and tricks that I wouldn't otherwise have stumbled across. The finish will probably be a lot tighter in the linework and will most likely be posted tomorrow.

Days 38 through 40

2011-07-19T20:33:00.006-04:00

Day Thirty Eight

Today's illustration will unfortunately have to stay under wraps for the time being. An unexpected job dropped in out of the blue on Thursday evening, and I've been spending the past few days feverishly finishing it up. The conditions are such that it remain confidential until sometime in 2012 when it becomes public. But suffice to say it is probably one of the best looking pieces I've ever done, and easily one of the most interesting assignments that's ever crossed my desk.

Tomorrow I'll probably not post a drawing, as I'll be busy playing a four hour gig at a motorcycle festival in Muskegon with my country band.

Day Thirty Nine

Finishing up the Chronicle project this morning with a few interior illustrations along the same lines as the cover and spots I did last week.

Day Forty

A lot of the day today spent working on the above cover illustration for a Detroit area client. Mostly done, but I've still got some tightening up to do on the upper portion of the illustration. It's late, and time for call it quits and catch a late supper. I'll post the finished piece tomorrow.

ADDENDUM: And here's the finished version, completed the following morning:

Days 34 through 37

2011-07-15T11:59:00.003-04:00

Day Thirty Four

Busy week continues, today's illustration is a sneak preview of a corner of a big one due at the end of the week. Spent most of the day on this one yesterday.

Day Thirty Five

Still working on the large complex cover illustration from yesterday, but also managed to squeeze out some sketches for a WSJ job for tomorrow, and another quick turnaround finish for Barrons this morning. Been a really good busy week, with three new assignments coming down the pike yesterday and two the day before. Hoping it's a trend and not just an anomaly.

Day Thirty Six

Today's illustration has been in the works for several weeks, this is a cover for an employment supplement for one of my regular clients. I'll also be doing several interior illustrations to go with it (which I'll probably be posting tomorrow and the next day). I also had a quick turnaround illustration for the WSJ this morning (pictured below). You can see a larger version of the above illustration by clicking on the image.

Day Thirty Seven

Today's spot illustrations are a continuation of the same project I posted about yesterday. These three are for an article about labor relations in the same special supplement. I've tied the cover and inside illustrations together by using the same 'female central character', and there will be two more 'larger' spots for other articles to come over the weekend.

Days 31 through 33

2011-07-11T15:53:00.004-04:00

Day Thirty One

Today's illustration was a quick turnaround assignment for Barrons (since it's such a strong horizontal, I've also provided a larger version that you can see by clicking on the image above). Going to be a busy coming week, and no complaints, because it's a nice change of pace from how the rest of this year has been shaping up. Keep them assignments coming folks! Now, back to the 'virtual drawing board'.

Day Thirty Two

Spent most of the weekend either recording vocal tracks for an upcoming cd for the Jukejoint Handmedowns or working on the above illustration for what used to be National Geographic School Publishing (the company has changed hands between now and when this illustration was originally assigned). This illustration goes along with the 'cockatoo' illustration from a few days ago, and a black and white illustration that I'll likely be finishing up sometime this week, once the ok on the sketch comes down the pike.

Day Thirty Three

This is the start of what is proving to be a very busy week for me. Aside from a number of assignments, I've also scheduled several music practices throughout the week in preparation for several gigs in the second half of the month. I've several samples to post today, as I take a short break from the action.
The drawing above was a rough sketch for a fiction piece for a new client. Below is a series of illustrations that I did for Business North Carolina. This is for a rather dry story about banking and takeovers and business meetings, and as a way to spice it up, they wanted rough sketches to look like 'movie storyboards'. The hard part for me, of course, as a detailed oriented scratchboard illustrator is in leaving things loose and unfinished, so this was a particular challenge. Originally I wanted to do these using a style that looked like 'design markers' but I had a hard time working with the medium in a way that I was happy with, and after several false starts, I went back to watercolor wash instead.

I also was asked today to provide a black and white version of the 'parrot' illustration that I had completed this weekend. The size was slightly different, so I had to do a little bit of manipulation of the design elements. (pictured below, and see the previous post for the color version)

Back to work...

Days 28 through 30

2011-07-07T12:34:00.004-04:00

Day Twenty Eight

Back from the holiday weekend, and working today on a rough sketch for an upcoming cover assignment due next week for one of my magazine clients.

Day Twenty Nine

Today's illustration is an assignment for Barron's. Fun to get back to scratchboard again, and since I've been experimenting with different styles the past few weeks, it almost felt like relearning this style again from scratch (pardon the pun).

Day Thirty

A third of the way through my self imposed 'ninety days of drawing' challenge. Today I had several rough sketches due for a handful of upcoming assignments (a sampling of which are pictured below) plus I started work on the finishes for the NG job (above).

Days 23 through 27

2011-07-01T13:42:00.005-04:00

Day Twenty Three:

Skipped yesterday, after a late night on Friday for an out of town gig with the Jukejoint Handmedowns. This morning, I decided to just start doodling and see what came out. What came out was a self portrait. I think one of the happiest discoveries for me so far on this 'drawing challenge' has been the 'gouache' tools in Painter. Still have a long way to go towards mastering them, but they are a joy to experiment with.

Day Twenty Four:

Today's workload consisted of a series of bw sketches for a school workbook project for later in the week, so after it was done, I decided to play around with some of the more unfamiliar 'watercolor' tools in my software package, and did an illustration of an armadillo.
Still waiting around on ok's from other projects that I'm sure will be keeping me busy throughout the rest of the week, plus my music group is going to be doing some recording in the middle of the week (we're hoping to have a cd released by the middle/end of the summer).

Day Twenty Five:

Yesterday was a 'music day', spent recording with the Jukejoint Handmedowns, so I didn't get much drawing done. I have an upcoming assignment which requires that I make use of a medium that I haven't worked in since design class back in college 30 years ago, so I decided that today I'd try messing around with 'design markers' in preparation for this project. A tricky medium, and the hardest part is trying to keep it loose and not overwork it.

Day Twenty Six:

Yesterday was a busy 'work day' with an assignment for the CRC for 14 black and white illustrations (one of which is posted above as an example), plus some rough sketches for a Barrons job due next week.

Day Twenty Seven:

Today I had a quick turnaround assignment for the Wall Street Journal, plus some rough 'storyboard' layouts for another client's upcoming project. I'm going to take the weekend off for the holiday, but will be back on Tuesday with 'day twenty eight' of my ongoing 'ninety days of illustration' challenge.

So, in the meantime, I'll also post the three concept sketches for the above assignment.

Days Nineteen through Twenty Two

2011-06-24T12:23:00.003-04:00

Day Nineteen:

Today's drawings are a couple rough sketches for an upcoming project for a west coast client. I had done a rather large project for them about two years ago, and hadn't heard anything since, but then got a call out of the blue from them a couple weeks ago (turns out they are riding out the recession like a lot of folks, cutting back and scaling down, and have only just recently began assigning work again). There will be more to this project later, but for now, this is what I've been given the green light on.

Day Twenty:

Spent a lot of today working on rough sketches for upcoming projects, so along that vein, today's illustration is more along the lines of a 'quick sketch'.

Day Twenty One:

Today I started laying out the next comic feature for the 'Freaks of Nurture' project (and began the finished artwork, sample panel above). This one is a departure of sorts from the previous ones, where I'm adapting a 'story' that doesn't really have much humor in it, but it is nicely written and I'm enthused to get going on it.

Day Twenty Two:

For today's drawing, I did another experiment using the paint tools. Last winter, I did an illustration for a website called 'Covered', where artists submit illustrations based on old comic book covers. I decided to try this again (although this time I didn't bother submitting it to the site, since it usually takes about a month or so to be posted, and they prefer you don't post it to your own site until that time), and this time chose an old fifties 'romance' comic book for my inspiration.

Days Fourteen through Eighteen

2011-06-20T14:59:00.004-04:00

Day Fourteen:

Yesterday's 'day fourteen' illustration is coming in a little late for various good excuses. I was working on a rather large WSJ assignment (which will more than likely be 'day fifteen'), plus my music group The Jukejoint Handmedowns began work on recording their first cd for several hours during the day.
So, anyways, today's illustration is one for the Freaks of Nurture blog, an essay about 'fear'.

Day Fifteen:

And here's the Journal assignment I've been working on for the past few days. This is a cover assignment, which needed to leave room in the center and along the right edge for copy purposes.

Day Sixteen:

Another paying assignment today, this one to accompany a 'father's day' article for Newsday. Quick turnaround, sketches in the morning, finish by the afternoon. I'll also be working on some tee shirt concepts this afternoon, but the sun is shining, so I think I'm going to take a few hours off and enjoy the sunshine.

Day Seventeen:

Since it's the weekend, and I didn't have a lot of free time available, I decided to go back to some more paint experimentation with another 'yearbook' portrait. This time working a little bigger and in more detail.

Day Eighteen:

Skipped a day yesterday to enjoy a lazy Father's Day, and today's illustration is another paying assignment from the CRC. They wanted a series of small heads of parents, teens, kids, grandparents of mixed ethnicities in a fairly iconic colorful cartoon style.

Days Nine through Thirteen

2011-06-14T05:00:00.003-04:00

Day Nine:

Today's illustration is another (sort of) paying job. An illustration for a friend's promotional postcard mailer.

Day Ten:

For today's drawing I decided to go back to the gouache tools again. I wanted to play around with some portraits, so I found some anonymous high school yearbook portraits that I found on google and painted a quartet of them, trying to stretch myself colorwise, choosing colors I wouldn't ordinarily use, and trying for more of a rough painterly approach to it. This was a lot of fun, I may do some more like this tomorrow. (you can get a little closer look by clicking on the image above)

Day Eleven:

Enjoyed yesterday's experiment so much, that I continued along the same vein today. Tomorrow's post will more than likely be a paying gig.

Day Twelve:

Today's illustration was an assignment for Barrons. I wasn't sure how they were going to lay out the page, so I did two versions of this one, one with a background, and one without. The assignment called for a picture of the character of Liza Doolittle's father from Pygmalion.

Day Thirteen:

Today's drawing is an illustration assignment that I had for the Chronicle due early this morning. A few more assignments have trickled in over the past few days, so I may be posting less 'extracurricular' work over the next few days, and concentrating on making a living instead (thank goodness).

Day Eight

2011-06-09T10:11:00.002-04:00

Today's illustration in my ongoing '90 days of drawing' is an actual paying assignment for the Journal. I got the assignment yesterday, and the finish was due this morning by noon. The client requested two versions, one with a background, and another without, as the story may be coming in short and they weren't sure how the art would fit in. I've also included the three preliminary sketches for this assignment (pictured below).

You might notice a little bit of 'grey' in the white areas of the illustrations. For some reason, over the past week or so, the brightness or contrast or something has gotten screwed up on my computer, and I'm still in the process of getting back to where it was before. (I blame the wife, who likes to come out to the office to watch television on my monitor, and may have altered the brightness)

Days Five through Seven

2011-06-08T16:36:00.004-04:00

Day Five:

Was way too busy yesterday to do any drawing, so I had to skip a day in my 90 day challenge. Today I took an old photo of my wife's deceased mother and experimented a bit with the 'gouache' tools from my Painter software. Usually when I've 'dabble in painting' in Painter in the past, I've stuck to the 'oils' tools and sometimes the 'oil pastels', but this medium took a little bit of getting used to. It definitely had more of a 'wet on wet' feel to it. I'm not really crazy about the colors, so I may go back and work on this piece some more later. (you can click on the image above for a bigger version)

Day Six:

Wasn't entirely satisfied with my 'gouache' experiment yesterday, so I tried another one today. This time starting with a blank canvas and no reference and just started doodling off the top of my head. Still a ways to go with this medium yet, so I'll probably give it another shot later.

Day Seven:

For today's 'drawing a day', I chose to finish up one in a series of single page comics that I've been doing with a collaborator for the past year or so, for the 'Freaks of Nurture' website (click on the image above for a larger, easier to read version). I also had a couple illustration assignments come in this afternoon, and spent a portion of the day conceptualizing and doing rough sketches.

Days Two through Four

2011-06-04T08:52:00.003-04:00

Day Two:

Day two of my 90 day challenge. Today I set myself the assignment of drawing my least favorite subject matter. I've never much liked drawing cars, despite my early influences, reading 'car-toon' hot rot magazines that my Uncle Ken had piled up in his bedroom at my Grandparents house.
I've owned three VW beetles at one point or another in my life. The first one was a rust orange beater that I had for less than a year, and at one point actually stuck my foot through the rusty floorboards. The second one was like the one pictured, a yellow '74, in fairly decent cosmetic shape, but seemed to constantly need minor engine repairs, and had a problem with the heat ducts so that you would boil your lower legs in the summer if you had to drive it any long distance. We currently have a 'new beetle' that we are quite happy with (and I can actually fit my upright bass and amp into for gigs, as long as I don't need to take any other passengers).

My first car was a '75 Chevy Vega, a hand-me-down from my parents, which I used for basic transportation in the early 80's, until it practically rusted away. I remember when it rained, the windshield would leak, and the water would collect in the foam seats, so that when you got into the car, not only did you get a wonderful cooked mildew smell, but you'd also get a wet ass when you sat down.

Then during the eighties and early nineties, we had a series of dull and (mostly) reliable Ford Escorts, two hatchback models, and a station wagon once we started down the 'family' path. Several memorable driving vacations taken in these vehicles.

Day Three:

A quick one today, as I'll soon be heading downtown for the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts (I usually like to hang around downtown for most of the weekend, sampling the food from the vendors and catching local music acts), and my country group The Jukejoint Handmedowns is performing on one of the stages this evening at 8pm (and I'll also be playing in several other 'pick up' groups over the course of the weekend).
Continuing with my 'car theme':
Around the mid 90s, we were starting to do a bit more backbacking and tent camping, so we thought we might need a four wheel drive vehicle to better navigate some of the two track roads that we kept finding ourselves driving down on our treks in our old Escort wagon (and nearly getting stuck on a couple occasions). We had a brief two or three month affair with a used Isuzu Trooper that conked out on us, and forced us to buy a replacement vehicle, for which we chose a new '95 Jeep Cherokee. This car holds the record for the longest we've ever had a particular vehicle, and we only just sold it last year.

Day Four:

Gonna have to be another quick one this morning, I've got another busy day scheduled with the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts. Playing in an impromptu pick up group at 12:30, and then playing some jazz standards with my son at the Art museum at 3pm. The Jukejoint Handmedowns set was a lot of fun yesterday evening, a big enthusiastic crowd, and the combo was firing on all cylinders (you can photos at our Facebook page).
Anyhow, todays 'drawing of the day' continues with the 'car theme' I started a few days ago. In 2001 we bought a PT Cruiser (at the time thought it was one of the coolest looking cars we'd seen in a long time, which was basically the only criteria we used). It ended up being pretty reliable transportation for a decade or more (still have it), and is useful for carrying around music gear.

Summer challenge

2011-06-01T16:26:00.002-04:00

Well, this year has continued to be the slowest I've had since the early 90s. As the beginning of summer starts creeping around the corner, which for me has traditionally been a 'slow season', I'm more than a little apprehensive. But rather than sit and stare at the phone and wait for assignments, I've decided to assign myself a challenge for the coming season. I'm going to try and get a 'drawing a day' done for the next 90 days, as a way of 'keeping busy' and exploring new styles. This is day one. (click on the image above to see a larger version)

In a Rut?

2011-05-31T07:56:00.003-04:00

It's funny, but I didn't notice until I saw these two recent illustrations side by side, that I unconsciously repeated myself, both from a color choice standpoint, and from a layout and design standpoint. Even though the two illustrations were in different styles, and for vastly different clients and applications, they came out remarkably similar.

I need to shake things up a bit, obviously.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-27T12:28:00.003-04:00

A few quick samples and I'm off to a busy Memorial Day weekend. The above cartoon was a quickie for the 'Freaks of Nurture' blog. I also worked on a series of sketches for an upcoming illustration that I'll be finishing up this weekend (posted below).

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone.

Hot Flashes

2011-05-26T16:30:00.002-04:00

Finished up a 4 page project for a children's magazine publisher this week. This will be for an upcoming story in the October issue, an adaptation of the 'Minotaur' story from Greek myth. I went back and forth on this one, with regards to how I should portray the figures on the faux 'greek urn pieces'. On the one hand, I wanted to emulate the style of Grecian figures that you would normally see on pottery of this type, but at the same time, I also wanted to stay in keeping with my normal 'scratchboard style'. So I ended up sort of doing a cross between the two.
These 'broken pottery shards' actually spread themselves across a two page spread, and in and around the type, but in order to show it on the blog, I've done a little editing and rearranging.

Also this week, I had a fast turnaround book cover assignment from a local publisher. This is for a humorous book on female menopause, and is a rare chance to work in a cartoon style. A fun little assignment.

Madness

2011-05-24T19:53:00.003-04:00

Did a favor for a friend this afternoon. He's involved with a local theater company that is putting on 'Reefer Madness: The Musical', and needed a quick and dirty tee shirt design ('quick and dirty' is my middle name).
I also decided to make this image available at my Zazzle Storefront on a series of tee shirts, cards, posters and mugs.

Weekend Spot

2011-05-23T10:05:00.003-04:00

This was one for the Wall Street Journal over the past weekend. Been also working on a 4 illustration project for another client which I'll probably have samples to post in a few days.

In unrelated news, proud to say that my son's grades just came in from Columbia in Chicago, and he managed a 4.0 this semester. He'll be starting his senior year in college this coming fall, and it seems like just yesterday he was starting his senior year of high school.

Spots and Samples

2011-05-17T10:27:00.002-04:00

Above, a spot illustration for the Chronicle over the weekend. They are entering what they call their 'paperless summer' and this is one of those 'internet only' illustrations.
Below is a sample illustration for a possible project for the same publisher of last year's 'literary paper dolls'. This may be a bit more challenging than last year's book, but may keep me busy for a few months in the summer.

Research spots

2011-05-10T13:07:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week, I did a series of small spots for an upcoming article in the Chronicle. These are to accompany an article about an academic researcher.

"The Talk"

2011-05-10T12:56:00.002-04:00

I finished up the latest comics in a series that I've been working on, sporadically, since last summer. These are written with a friend, who runs an autobiographical essay blog entitled 'Freaks of Nurture', and the first ten or so that we did were written directly for the medium, and those had more of a traditional 'set up and punchline' format that I found rather stifling and ultimately predictable. I've taken a different tack with these past two efforts, adapting some of his previous essays instead, and have been a bit more pleased with the results. This one concerns a 'sex ed talk' that he recalls with his stepfather. (You can click on each image to see a larger, easier to read version)

I also, for the same site, occasionally provide simple illustrations for new essays, and the one below I did last weekend for a mother's day story.

Summer's on the Way

2011-05-04T14:47:00.003-04:00

A little under 9 months until my 50th birthday. I promised myself years ago that I would consider the idea of getting a tattoo at that milestone in my life. The only problem, especially with designing it myself, is the fact that I tend to get real tired of looking at my own work after a short period of time, and I have yet to find a tattoo artist with whom I have complete confidence to permanently mark up my derma layer.
I've long been a fan of the retro tattoo designs, especially the 'sailor jerry' type, and I'm pretty sure it will be some sort of 'pin up girl', so I worked up a design this afternoon of which I'm kind of fond (for now). (Apologies to the legendary Gil Elvren from which I appropriated the pin up girl pose)
I have a very talented niece, who just turned 17, who is interested in becoming a tattoo artist, and she's been doing some experimenting with henna tattoos recently, so I thought I'd give her a chance to give me a temporary one as a 'test run'. I've been playing upright bass with a country/western group over the past year, and thought it might be a good 'look' for some of our street corner performances, if I got something like the black and white version below, on my forearm.

And, just to show I'm not completely goofing off this week, I had a job for Barrons that I finished up yesterday, with a 'summer theme'.

Dollars and sense

2011-04-28T15:24:00.003-04:00

A midweek assignment for the Journal's sunday edition, above, and I have to credit the previous 'army men' job for giving me a breakthrough in how I handle 'drawing dollars'. This is a subject matter that pops up from time to time, and I've been struggling with finding a satisfactory way of portraying 'money' for the past ten years if not more. I've tried the 'collage' technique in the past, using scans that I've found online, and I've tried drawing them from scratch, manipulating, filtering, etc etc etc, but I've never quite been happy with how they integrate into the finished product. I think I may have stumbled onto something with these past two projects (anyhow, it's an improvement).

Meanwhile, I've also been working on another of my 'freaks of nurture' comics. This is the first page of a two page story about a young man's introduction to the birds and the bees courtesy of his drunken father. (as usual, click on the image to see a larger version). The second half of the story will probably be posted sometime next week.

Army Men

2011-04-26T19:56:00.002-04:00

A fun project this week from North Carolina Business magazine. The Art Director wanted to use the 'classic army men toys' and have them dropping into town with 'dollar' parachutes (click on the image above for a larger version). Since I was unable to find the reference material for the angles I had in mind, I decided to go out and buy a set of these figures so I could pose the reference shots myself. I eventually found them at a local toy store, but the 'classic soldiers' were only available in a jumbo bucket (which also included tanks, plastic rocks, and air support), so it is a wonder I managed to get this job done, once I tore myself away from playing with these guys on my desktop.

Promising End-Of-Week Upturn

2011-04-22T14:01:00.005-04:00

A slow couple of weeks, but these past few days have seen a couple of new jobs trickle in. A little too soon to get optimistic, but I certainly appreciate having projects crossing the desk again. The one above, on the nuclear situation in Japan, was a same day project for Newsday, and I also had a quick turnaround project for the Wall Street Journal this week (pictured below). Interesting lately, how I sometimes like the rough sketches better than the finish (sketches for both projects included below -- the WSJ project had several changes to the 'acronyms' before the final round). Perhaps I should turn my 'sketch' style into yet another marketable medium.

I also got a call this afternoon for another project for next week that sounds like it will be fun, involving those little plastic 'army men' toys, and I've also been working on yet another comic strip for the 'freaks of nurture' project. Stay tuned.

On the Interwebs

2011-04-22T13:36:00.003-04:00

Besides the upcoming postcard, and the various email mailers I've been sending out this spring, I've also been trying to boost my web exposure with a variety of sites (some paid, others not). To start out with, I recently renewed my membership at theispot.com, with whom I've been associated since the spring of 2000. (click on each screenshot to visit the site in question)

And, as a side benefit to being an Adbase subscriber, I also recently set up a portfolio site on their 'Found Folios' site (I've yet to max out their image hosting capabilities, so I'll probably be adding to the samples at this site)

Also, this year I signed up with a UK based portfolio site, in order to try and make more contacts across the pond. Also, as a side benefit to this site, I am able to bundle extra postcards with regular mailings that this company sends out to potential clients. Time will tell if this proves worthwhile. (I've found this site works better with Firefox as a browser rather than Safari)

In addition, I've also signed up on the free site Illustrationmundo. Not sure if this one actually reaches any clients, but has a 'news' feature that I've been trying to make use of on a regular basis just to keep active and 'visible'.
Another couple that I'm not really sure are all that important (but I want to cover all the bases) are Facebook and LinkedIn.

And then of course, there is this blog, which I started in 2007, and then my own personal website which pre-dates all of the above. Interesting though, how good old fashioned postcard printings send via snail mail still seem to be the most effective marketing tools.

Rattling the Bushes Again

2011-04-19T19:55:00.006-04:00

Slowest work year since the early 90s so far in 2011, so I'm once again putting together a new mailing postcard in an effort to rattle the bushes and get some momentum going around here. While brainstorming about what to do this year (we decided that another large format card might be the best bet, since it worked pretty well last year), I got to thinking about what kind of work that I'd like to promote, and I remembered how much I enjoyed doing maps back in the early years of the past decade. This grew into the concept of doing one of those 'picture maps' with the 'greetings from' lettering across the face. My original concept was to draw a 'specific' item for each and every state (either a landmark, or famous person, or major industry), but after a while, the concept turned into a sort of career retrospective, where I was lifting images from old illustrations spanning the past twenty one years. Also, I wanted to highlight my versatility, plus the concept of using my old illustrations as reprint art, so I tried including as many different styles as possible. I've put together an 'annotated' version of the card with a special page off of my website, which will explain where each of these illustrations came from, original client and date, and also explain several of the personal tidbits hidden throughout the image. (click on the image above to see a larger version) These should be going out in the next couple of weeks, so if you don't end up on the mailing list and wish to receive one, be sure and drop me an email and I'll make sure you get added to the recipients.

Addendum: August 2011: I think this ended up being one of the least effective mailers I've ever sent out. I got one call, from a designer looking to have me do an illustration of an 'old time 'greetings from' postcard'. Another oddity about this mailing, was the fact that we never received a single 'return to sender' postcard back to us in the mail (usually we receive at least 25-50), which makes me wonder how reliable the mailing service we use actually is.

Riding the Wave

2011-04-15T09:01:00.002-04:00

An assignment for the Wall Street Journal weekend edition, on the surge in oil prices. I was also asked to provide another version without the 'sky' (pictured below).

Early April Projects

2011-04-12T11:58:00.002-04:00

Another long dry patch was finally broken last weekend, when I suddenly found myself working again on several new assignments. This 'illuminated letter' above was for the Chronicle, where I was one of several illustrators commissioned to do different letters for an article on 'the Bible'. I also had another cover assignment for Red Thread magazine, on adoption trials and tribulations. I normally don't like to do the scratchboard style for such a large format (the cover runs 11x17), but I kept the linework fairly chunky and the colors bright, and it seemed to work nicely. I wasn't crazy about the little 'icons' at the 'dead ends' of the maze, but it was an editorial request that I tried to accommodate whilst trying to keep it from getting too busy. (click on the image for a larger version)

CD Cover

2011-04-04T11:37:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend have been working on the design and artwork for a wraparound inside/out CD cover for a local band. The 'butcher's diagram' will be on the inside, with each of the songs, running time and credits occupying each section. You can click on each of the images to get a closer look.

And below are the layouts for the inside/outside of the packaging with the temporary lettering in place, along with the design for the cd art.

The band is in the earliest stages of recording these songs, so it may be a couple months before it is ready for release, but hey, the artwork is ready, by golly.

Fiction

2011-04-02T12:15:00.002-04:00

Finished up a black and white fiction piece for a new client this week, River Styx Magazine.

Ants

2011-04-01T14:49:00.003-04:00

Been drawing some ants this afternoon. These are for a redesign for a package of wooden toy blocks for a local toy manufacturer. The designer will be picking and choosing ants from these style sheets for placement on and around the layout.

Behind the Curtain

2011-04-01T09:18:00.003-04:00

A piece for the weekend edition of the Journal this week, plus I've also included the rough concepts for this one below. One of those unusual situations where I think I liked all three of the roughs better than how the finish turned out.

I've also been working on some 'ants' for the packaging for a wooden block toy, and worked up some samples for the client this week (one a little more 'cartoony' than the other).

Out like a lamb

2011-03-30T14:54:00.003-04:00

Not a lot going on this past week, had a quick turnaround illustration for the Chronicle on Monday (pictured above), and I've been working on some sketches for upcoming projects.
I also finished up the 2 page comic for the Freaks of Nurture story, which I had started last week. I tried something a little different with this one, instead of having my writing partner try to come up with a single page scenario (with obligatory punchline at the end), I instead adapted one of his existing blog essays. I found this a bit more challenging, and in the end, I was pretty pleased with the result.

Loose Cannon

2011-03-24T08:37:00.004-04:00

A case of insomnia last night led to this early early morning watercolor sketch of Tea Partier and GOP 'Loose Cannon' Sarah Palin.

Also, in the self promotion arena; I signed up earlier this week with another online marketing site, and my portfolio page is now up and active at 'Hire An Illustrator'. This is a UK based site, and features an unlimited portfolio upload feature, and the option to join in 'postcard package' mailings to their European markets. The portfolio page is best viewable, I've found, with Firefox, as it has a strange glitch when using Safari.

I'll also be re-upping with theispot.com's directory at the end of this month. I've been a subscriber to this site for eleven years now, and it has led to several new clients over the last decade, although it feels as if it has been slowing down in the past few years. I'd be interested in hearing what other illustrator's experiences have been with either of these two sites, or if there are others that I might want to check out.

Comics Page

2011-03-21T13:43:00.003-04:00

Been working on another comics story for the 'Freaks of Nurture' project, and just finished up page one of a two page story (more to come later in the week). Click on the image above to see a larger version.

Back to Pastels

2011-03-18T11:23:00.003-04:00

Had an assignment this week for a newer publication, 'Red Thread' out of Detroit, and, at 11x17, I didn't feel like the scratchboard style would quite work, so I returned to a style that I had first begun to market way back in my earliest days of freelancing, a loose, sketchy pastel style (except in those days it was actual chalk pastels on paper, and boy was it a mess, especially in trying to send to clients, and then the scanning process on their end...). You can click on the image above for a larger version.

Waiting by the phone

2011-03-16T15:06:00.003-04:00

I have a large-ish cover assignment for a Detroit client scheduled for the 2nd half of the week, but in the meantime, here are a few small jobs that have been trickling in during the week. The above illustration was a quick turnaround assignment for the Chronicle, and the illustration below was for a friend's blog where he talks about various hair stylists and hair mishaps he's endured over the years.

Unpublished

2011-03-09T12:31:00.002-05:00

Between projects this afternoon, so I assigned myself a lobster illustration, which I may use as a mailer in the future.

More Style Experimentation

2011-03-08T12:40:00.002-05:00

Had an assignment this week for one of my clients where I had nearly finished the illustration in my typical 'scratchboard' style, and found myself just looking at it and thinking that it needed a bit more 'life', so I scrapped the first version, and started again, this time playing around with a mixture of watercolor and colored pencil techniques. The finished version is pictured above (and a larger version viewable by clicking on the image), and I augmented it just a little bit by using a photoshop 'lens flare' (normally I try to avoid photoshop filters, but it just felt right in this case).
I found myself with a little down time this afternoon, so I worked up a quick painting of President Obama. It is surprising that I've only been asked to portray this president a couple times, considering how many 'Bush' portraits I did during his term. So I figured I might as well fill up the archive with a few more unpublished portraits.

Weekend Update

2011-03-07T02:00:00.002-05:00

Had several assignments in the latter half of last week for some of my regular financial clients. Two illustrations for Barrons, to be run in coming month, pictured above and below. Was quite pleased with how each of these turned out. I've also posted the rough sketches for each of these assignments at the bottom of the entry (click on the thumbnail to see a larger version)

Also this weekend I had an assignment for the Wall Street Journal's weekend edition, this one also featured some bears (and a few bulls for a change), and was about the bond market. I've also posted the rough sketches for this assignment.

And on the self promotion front, we're trying something different with the 'email blasts' that we've been doing this year. Instead of blanket emails to everyone, we'll be trying some targeted marketing, and for our first attempt, we made up an ad featuring medical illustrations to send to health/medical potential buyers.

Sunday Funnies

2011-03-06T02:00:00.000-05:00

Another entry in the ongoing series of comics that I've been doing for the Freaks of Nurture website.

Newt

2011-03-02T14:56:00.002-05:00

A lot of sketches for upcoming jobs this week, but while awaiting okays, I worked up a caricature of Newt Gingrich this afternoon.

Meet the New Boss

2011-02-28T12:54:00.001-05:00

Worked up a sketch of Rahm Emanuel, Chicago's new mayor this afternoon (whom my son shook hands with in Wrigleyville this past weekend).

Lab Work

2011-02-25T08:34:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm choosing to take this as a good sign. After what has been probably the slowest 3 months in the past twenty one years in business, the phone actually started ringing again on Thursday with new assignments. I had a quick turnaround assignment for Newsday (pictured above) about the closing of a Nassau county Crime Lab and it's implications for the region (pictured above), and I managed to finish up the last of the chapter opener illustrations for the book project that's been percolating around here since before Christmas (pictured below).
I also thought I'd share one of the alternate sketches for the Newsday sketches (below), since I rarely show the sketch phases of my assignments in this blog, and I probably would have enjoyed going to finish on either one of these.

This last one, was a faux 'logo design' for the fictional grocery store chain in the book, and once it gets approved, will be inserted here and there among the illustrations.

The Early Bird Draws the Worm

2011-02-24T08:49:00.002-05:00

A touch of insomnia this morning, so I ended up arising at 5:30, and just for practice, whipped off this portrait of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi before settling down to my usual workload. Tried to push myself into a looser style than I usually do.
Yesterday, I had a few more of the chapter opener illustrations for the book project I've been working on for the past few months (pictured below) with a few more to finish up by the end of the week.

Goofin' Off

2011-02-23T13:01:00.002-05:00

Messing around with the Painter animation tools yesterday & today and came up with this quick little looping animated gif. Still haven't quite figured out what to do with this sort of thing, but I'm going to continue experimenting with it when I get a little down time. (this one is a little on the big side, at 7 MG, so be patient while it loads - click on the image above to access it).

From Toe Jam to Teddy Bears

2011-02-22T13:52:00.002-05:00

Interesting range of topics already this week. The illustration above was for the Wall Street Journal for their 'aches & claims' column about a new laser treatment for foot fungus.
I've also gotten the go ahead on several more chapter opener illustrations for an ongoing project. A few of them are pictured below (and others have appeared in previous posts) and I'll more than likely have more to post later in the week.

Since it was president's day on Monday, we decided to send out another couple thousand email 'virtual mailers' with a president's theme. This has been an advertising method that I've long avoided, equating it with 'spam email', but we are giving it a limited try this year, since there are those on the mailing list that we subscribe to who have expressed an interest in receiving email mailings. We did two designs (and these were both recycled artwork from the past few years), and send out both in random fashion to several thousand recipients. The jury is still out on this, as far as effectiveness, but if there is anyone who stops by here who has actually received one, I'd be interested in hearing feedback.

Extreme Makeover

2011-02-19T02:29:00.004-05:00

Gave the previous website design the old 'heave-ho' this week and gave the whole thing an extreme makeover. Lots of new samples (and some oldies but goodies), and I may add a few new features in the coming weeks. Been giving 'email marketing' a try this year, and have so far sent out two 'virtual mailers' (no bites yet, but no angry complaints yet either, which is encouraging), and we may send out another one next week to announce the website redesign.

Further Installments

2011-02-14T12:52:00.002-05:00

Another comic for the "Freaks of Nurture" project. I also had a few more installments to the book project that I've been working on (pictured below). These are a series of 'chapter opener' illustrations for a book about a family owned grocery store chain. Others were posted in the previous blog entry and I'll be posting more probably later in the week.

Mid Week Roundup

2011-02-10T13:31:00.002-05:00

A few more projects that I've been working on this week, including the above quick turnaround illustration for Business North Carolina (click on the image to see a larger version). I've also been working on a series of chapter opener spots for a book project that has slowly been taking shape over the past few months. Below are a few that have gotten the green light this week that I finished up this morning.

I also did a quickie cartoon illustration for the 'freaks of nurture' blog regarding a 'not fondly remembered' family pet.

Afternoon of the Living Dead

2011-02-08T13:07:00.004-05:00

A fun job for the Chronicle of Higher Education this week, to accompany an article about a professor who uses zombie culture to expand on international relations. I also had a late addition to the 'baseball book' for Dover that I did a series of portraits for in December (Ted Turner, pictured below). The rest of the portraits in the series can be viewed in this earlier post.

Over the weekend, I finished up another in a series of comics for the "Freaks of Nurture" website I've been contributing to. Click on the image below for a larger version.