Harvard Remote Learning

 

Here are some drawings for Harvard Magazine. In this age of COVID, even a school with a 40-billion dollar-endowment has struggled with the limitations of remote learning. This article is about how they’re attempting to make the virtual experience more engaging and meaningful for students. The drawing above addresses ways in which Harvard is attempting to make zoom called more interactive, and multi-dimensional (with polls, charts, breakout sessions, etc) 

A history professor is exploring the idea of 3D tours of cultural monuments and ruins.

  

Music students are collaborating remotely to compose group compositions.

Harvard has an excellent IT staff to support needs of professors.

Enormous thanks to art director, Jennifer Carling, for another super-fun assignment!

Group Chat

Here's a full-page illustration for HR Magazine. It accompanies a story about how group chat software is catching on as a form of communication in businesses. Because of it's more informal and conversational nature, Millennials consider group chat a superior form of company interaction. Older workers still prefer the more formal format of email. This article weighs the pros and cons of these communication methods. Popular group chat brands include Slack and HipChat. Thanks to art director Mari Adams for a super-timely tech assignment! Please check out my new website here!

Mr Liquid Crystal

James Fergason invented LCD technology. His contributions to science have led to everything from my first calculator and Casio watch, to Gameboys and ipods. His daughter Teri wrote a book about his amazing life. I was thrilled to contribute a portrait for the cover, and am looking forward to learning about his journey. Wonderful Book design by Susan Shankin.

You can check out more cool stuff at my new website!

Mr. Liquid Crystal

James Ferguson  made an enormous contribution to the digital world by created LCD technology. His daughter Teri wrote a book about his fascinating life. I was thrilled to contribute the cover illustration - which incorporates the colors of natural liquid crystals.

This project came about after Teri came across a portrait I created of her father in 2011, for the tech company, Softmart.  The drawing (below) appeared in a calendar celebrating great technological innovators. In adapting this piece to a book-cover, I found Teri and designer Susan Shankin to be a pleasure to collaborate with. Looking forward to reading about his life!

You can view my new illustration website here!

Inventors of Ethernet

Robert Metcalfe and David Boggs are the inventors of ethernet. They developed a standard for connecting computers over short distances. This portrait appeared in a calender showcasing great innovators in technology. My client, Softmart, is a leading provider of software licensing, IT hardware and asset management tools to organizations.

For sketches, I worked with past and present references of Mr. Boggs and Mr. Metcalfe-integrating their likenesses with ethernet technology. Art directors, Dan Zuena and Ray Gideon, liked this 'coaxial cable spiral' theme, showing the inventors, circa 1973. This calender page is for August, so I utilized a Summer pallet of colors.

August 2013 Softmart calender page

Now, whenever I turn on my personal computer network,  I give thanks to Mr. Metcalfe and Mr. Boggs (for their contributions to technology). Their portrait reminds me of two TV heroes from my youth; they're like the Starsky & Hutch of IT!

I tend to utilize multiple drawings on vellum paper to construct an illustration. With this project, I had so many scraps of drawings sitting around my studio, I decided to collage them together. I like the translucent affect  created from this experiment.

Thanks to Dan Zuena and Ray Gideon for another fun assignment.
You can see my contribution to last year's Softmart calender, a portrait of Jame Fergason 

(inventor of LCD technology), right here.

You can view my new illustration website here!

James Fergason, Inventor of LCD technology

James Fergason (1934 - 2008) invented the improved Liquid Crystal Display, or LCD. His contributions to technology resonate strongly, especially when I think of my first calculator or digital watch. IT company Softmart asked me to create a portrait of him for a calendar celebrating great innovators of computer technology. Art Directors Ray Gedeon and Dan Zuena were fabulous to collaborate with. Even though the new year is still a month away, their beautifully designed calendar  sits prominently on my desk!

 Below are some of portrait ideas. It was fun to integrate this inventor's likeness with various elements of LCD technology.

The art directors liked this dry-brush approach, but asked me to replace a recent reference
to Mr. Fergason with a younger reference.

This idea presents James Fergason from behind technological curtains.

Here I played with the idea of putting the inventor's name in LCD lights.

I was commissioned for this project based on portraits of in my portfolio of a some other innovative historical figures:

Thank you James Fergason , for your important contributions to modern technology!

You can view my new illustration website here!