Trust Your Fastball

This illustration for Harvard Magazine accompanies an essay by Chad Oldfather. In 1987, he moved from his small town in Minnesota to attend this hallowed ivy-league institution. Overwhelmed by this daunting new setting, he had to learn how to overcome his feelings of intimidation. As a fan of the Minnesota Twins, Chad found inspiration in an unlikely source: an article about a new pitcher on the team, Willie Banks. He identified with the struggles of this player, and learned (metaphorically speaking) that he just needed to trust throwing his fastball again. In other words, he needed to take chances, let it rip, and let the chips fall where they may. This approach helped propel Chad through a solid college experience, law school, and a successful career in legal academia.

My own daughter, who just graduated from college, is about to embark on her first big job opportunity in Cambridge, MA, and will live a few blocks from Harvard. I will share this essay with her, as a reminder to throw her fastball when need be!

Below are sketches I submitted:

A special thanks to art director, Jennifer Carling, for this inspiring assignment.

Meadowbrook Moose

Here’s a fun project for the Meadowbrook School in Weston, Massachusetts. I was asked to create a cut-out doll for a brochure which promotes this excellent K-8 institution’s annual fund drive. It depicts their mascot, the Meadowbrook Moose, along with cut-out accessories which he/she/they can be outfitted with - showing school pride. As a moose lover, I had a blast designing this character, along with the little dress-up elements. Special thanks to fantastic designer and longtime collaborator, Dan Beard, for this fantastic assignment.

Below are sketch ideas I submitted for this assignment:

 Please visit my website to view my illustration portfolio.

Dreaming of Harvard

This drawing accompanied a Harvard Magazine story written by undergraduate, Berta Greenwald Ledecky.  While attending high school in her native Ireland, she was disillusioned with it's rigid education system. Berta dreamed of an education that would brighten her horizons. Searching the web, she discovered an intriguing summer program at Harvard. Berta worked diligently to save money for this opportunity. Upon attending, she had a truly enlightened experience, much more about asking questions than taking dreary multiple-choice exams. It opened up her world, and she's never looked back.

Eying Harvard from across the pond.

A Mary Poppins umbrella transports Berta across the pond.

An enthusiastic leap across the pond.

Weighing education experiences in Massachusetts and Ireland.

A special thanks to Art Director Jennifer Carling for a fun assignment!