Cover for Emory

How to illustrate 'Ethics' ?
That was the challenge Emory magazine Art Director Erica Allison Endicott gave me.

The issue was about how Emory taught ethics and character.

Inside she needed a full page for more specific story on Web ethics.

Erica took my roughs to the committee. The very word "committee" struck fear into my heart.
But when she returned with this idea approved, I knew she could have a second career as an corporate negotiator if she wanted.

Any art director that can take sketches on such an abstract subject as ethics into a committee meeting and emerge with an idea not being completely destroyed or 'frankensteined' could work at Camp David in my opinion.

And here's the instead spread in with my color sketch, last I saw of it.

The web story mentioned, among other things, how people can behave differently online.

Double Page Spread for APlus

This was for a Chinese magazine APlus about whether property tax will put a dent into soaring real estate prices in China and create an opportunity for homebuyers.

Raymond Ho, the art director on this, liked the bicycle one, but it needed more exploration.

Trying out some possible layouts and developing the idea a bit more.

Raymond sent me this layout to look at when I painted the final which was helpful.


A bit of detail from the center.

China's Split Personality for TIME

Story was about how dealing with China, diplomats never know which China they are dealing with, the business side or the military side.
Art directed by Emily Crawford.
Some roughs, one of my favorites was the panda. I had to throw some quick photo color into to see if it would work.
But we went with the dragon which was fine.


Here's a color sketch Emily put on the page and showed me, which was very helpful, because it made me realize it was a bit too symmetrical.

So I added some arms and body, which seemed to do the trick.
The illustration ended up running only in the international edition, which I don't subscribe to so I'll post the finished layout when I get a copy.

ESPN cover process

After a super busy 3 months (where were you last october?) I finally took off a whole day off to go skiing last week and nearly missed a call from ESPN to take a shot at their Fiction Issue cover. I say "take a shot", because they commission 6 artists/photographers for their covers. Which I like, since there's less pressure knowing if you air-ball your shot, there's 5 other balls in the air and somebody is going to make it.

I had tried before about a year ago and didn't make it. Honestly I didn't think I had much of a chance because their covers by nature are rarely illustrated and when they are, it's vector or 3D. But since this cover was so conceptual and needed a different feel, I felt my chances were better.
When I first heard the subject "Sports Fiction" I thought what in the heck am I going to do for this! Seemed impossible, cause it's not about a specific sport, has to be general, and general is pretty hard to illustrate. But I came up with few ideas I felt could work.


Apparently one of the other artists was Edel, who I'm sure won't mind me posting his piece, since the dang thing is funnier and more memorable than mine! I'm guessing the only reason it didn't get picked was maybe the editors thought the mag's demographic (18-30 year old males, sorry guys), wouldn't identify Shakespeare or maybe only associate him with plays. That's my guess anyway. I wish I would have thought of drawing famous writers.... maybe something with Mark Twain's likeness..... hmmm next time.

But this is another example of why illustration rocks, the solutions are so original and varied.

Anyway Siung Tjia, who art directed this, thought the stadium vendor guy was worth going to finish on, and he came up with the brilliant idea of putting the cover lines on the books.Only tricky part was he wanted me to do the type! I knew he was right and it would look better that way, but man! Me doing typography for some of the BEST typographers in the business,
freaked me out! I appreciate great typography, in fact I've actually commissioned multiple art directors to do custom type for the 10 or so random splash pages on my website, but I never really studied the art myself.
And I didn't have much time, so I just stayed up hand lettering it over and over until I got something tolerable.


This is issue is chock full of illustrations by Jeffery Smith, Heads of State, Eddie Guy, Andy Rementer, Mike Bertino, Matt Owens and Shonagh Ray.

Evolution of China

Here's a experimental piece I just did.
I've had the idea for awhile and hoped to use it for an article but the right fit never came up, so I decided just to paint it.

Here's some of the studies.

Fight Pollution

Here's a piece I really enjoyed doing for Nick Jehlen at the Progressive.
It was about how powerful the fossil fuel industries are and how it would take a grassroots effort to fight their influence. The article was specifically focused on the aftermath of the BP oil spill and the government, so I covered that in my roughs that I submitted, by I always like to include ideas that have a universal appeal to them, and Nick often seems to pick those.

Of course it would need a much better composition.

Getting the white clouds to work together and read separately at the same time took a couple of failed attempts. Getting closer here.

Work selected for American Illustration 29 book now out

2 pieces of mine are in the American Illustration 29 book, just out last week.

If you didn't get one at the party go here to order:
https://www.ai-ap.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=BookOrderForm