Animal Testing, Yes or No?

For John Hopkins magazine on whether or not it would be ethical to bio-engineer an lab animal that didn't feel pain. Art director was Pamela Li.

Here's the roughs. I risked pushing the colored one, but I needed to see if I could get close enough to pulling it off. Luckily Pam liked it as well.

Here's the tight drawing, after a dozen re-drawings trying to get the black rabbits legs right.
After looking at reference photos of rabbits confined in little "stocks", I decided to crop in on the space also.

I actually ended up doing two versions of the final, because I felt the texture in the first one, on the left was distracting. What do you think?

Tiger TIME

Here's a full page for TIME magazine's international edition I did a few weeks ago, but just got it in the mail. The subject was about how unsold exports are piling up at the docks of Asian countries, giving them quite a shock. Art direction by Cecelia Wong.

Here's the roughs. Cecelia liked the boats going off the fever line water cliff, but asked me to put in some tigers instead. No problem! I love drawing animals.

Tight sketch.
An inside quarter page.

And in print.

BYU magazine

For a piece about keeping spiritual commitments.
Art director was A.J. Rich.

Here were the roughs for the opener and 2 insides.

After exploring a bunch of compositions here's the tight sketch and color study I arrived at.

Finishes of the two inside pieces. My wife Shayna posed for the rain one.

Here's the spread in the magazine, I love how he ghosted it over.
I think A.J. is great tying it all together so beautifully, in fact I hired him a few years ago to do one of my typography intros on my website. Can be see at alexnabaum.com, they load randomly so you have keep reloading the page until you see his.

Economist Cover

For an Economist special report cover in April, on the the Rich.

In the current economic downturn the super rich have been the biggest losers.
You have to feel sorry for someone now worth only 200 million down from 300 million,
sniff...

Here's the roughs.
The line drawing.

One of a couple photoshop color studies.

I did 6 other illustrations for the inside, here's 2 of my favorites.

Disabled Rights

This was for an essay in Atlanta Magazine which compared the past struggles for human and civil rights to the current struggle for rights for the disabled and handicapped. Art director was Eric Capossela.

Here are the roughs. Eric picked the strongest.


My idea was sparked by memories of seeing the above painting and drawing. Although I wasn't familiar with the the Wedgewood jasper-ware medallion. It was commissioned by the Quakers in 1788 and is particularly beautiful, I wish I owned one.


The reference was helpful but not enough though, for the pose I was after.
So I had to shoot myself, "disrobed" in art school parlance, since I couldnt' find my loincloth, for reference.
Not to worry, those photos will not be posted.



After a color study I realized it would read better in full white more like the familiar handicapped logo. My technique of embossing paper and running paint over doesn't work well at all for white.
So with the help of photoshop I figured what the reverse would look like and painted it like that.

The actual painting, before a simple invert in photoshop for the final.

Today's NYT OpEd

For today's OpEd by Strafor's George Friedman about how Russia throws a monkey wrench into supplying the war in Afghanistan, which will give Obama some tough decisions. Art director was the ever cool Leanne Shapton, when I was a bit late with the final.

The roughs, can you guess which one was my favorite?

Preliminary drawing, my print didn't pick up enough of the details, but alas there was no time.

Forbes

For a full page in Forbes on student debt.
Art director was Robert Mansfield.


Here's the roughs, my favorite was picked, it went well with the "Crushed By College" headline.

the preliminary drawing.

Some color studies, I went with the linework because the colors seemed to compete with the tassle, and the bare lines seemed to make the anvil/cap seem heavier.
Robert said it turned out so well, it was being considered for the cover in addition to the full page.