Friday, November 30, 2012

World Tour Exhibit


I'm thrilled to be exhibiting my map-drawings at Taste Budd's Cafe, Dec. 1st - Jan. 31st. These pictures were inspired by a dusty old atlas which sat in my studio for years. I contemplated taking this dilapidated book to my local recycling center, but thought better of it. Instead, I decided to explore my lifelong  fascination with maps, by turning the pages into canvases. The result is an ongoing journey around the world (through drawings). You can view much of this series, as well as other personal projects, here.


My day job is that of a freelance illustrator. I provide creative content for newspapers, magazines, books, etc. It's a rewarding challenge; solving visual problems for a wide range of clients (You can see examples of my illustrations here, here, here, or throughout this blog). But it's also important to honor personal ideas through art. Projects such as this make me more curious about this enormous world we live in. My goal is to keep exploring these ideas and find an audience to share them with.


I used Sumi ink to draw these pictures. It has a very bold confident stroke, and dries thicker and darker than india ink. Instead of using washes to create the lighter tones, I used a dry-brush technique (literally painting as the brush is drying out).


I had fun creating this promotion for the exhibit:


My World Tour will be up until January 31st. 
If you're in Red Hook, I hope you'll take a peek.

Maori Rock Carving, New Zealand
A special thanks to Dan Budd and Taste Budd's Cafe
for providing such a wonderful exhibit space.

Budd's Buzz is my favorite coffee in the world.

Thanks for viewing, and happy travels!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

How Tweet It Is


I love collaborating with local institutions. These spots were created for Marist College, which is just 20 miles down the Hudson River from my home. This alumni magazine article addresses how the school is embracing social media. Twitter, Facebook and other platforms are utilized to promote the school to prospective students, advertise events, and keep the community connected. Marist has plenty to offer, and social media is an excellent way to get the word out.

This spot accompanied a chart showing Marist College's 'following' on various sites.

Facebook acts as a portal to prospective students.


The process of creating three simple drawings can get pretty messy, as evidenced by this pile of sketches and references in my studio:

A special thanks to Leslie Bates giving me into this fun assignment.
You can see more social-media-themed illustrations here.

Update: You can see my latest project for Marist College right here.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Supreme Filing Cabinet



Sometimes the most literal images are the most effective. This piece for American Lawyer accompanied a story about what's on the docket for the new U.S. Supreme Court session. The justices will rule on big antitrust and class action cases, as well a high profile affirmative action suit. There's also a possibility that same-sex marriage will be addressed this year. Art director Morris Stubbs liked this idea of a 'supremely' big filing cabinet representing a big docket. This drawing was influenced by one of my favorite artists, David Suter, who is a master of visual puns and transformational art.

Below are ideas I submitted for this story:


Thanks to Morris Stubbs for adding another fun assignment to my docket!