The Weekly List: Joe

There's nothing average about Joe. This name can refer to some of our greatest leaders, athletes, musicians, and dogs. On another end of the spectrum, some of the most insidious, evil and cancerous characters are named Joe. Heck, there's even a cup of coffee named Joe! This guy is all over the place. Here's my weekly list - an attempt to draw a bunch of Joe's.

Joe Strummer - founder of "The Only Band That Matters", The Clash

Dr. Joseph Mengele - German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz

Joe Cool (Snoopy's alter-ego)

Vice President Joseph Biden - contemplating gun control?

Joe Paterno - legendary football coach who's legacy was tainted by a horrific sexual-abuse scandal.

Joe Dimaggio - Legendary N.Y. Yankee (who was once married to Marylin Monroe)

Cup of Joe - a name possibly derived from 'a cup of jamoke' (a compound of Java and Mocha)

G.I. Joe - action figure

Joe Camel - former spokes-camel for Camel Cigarettes

Joseph McCarthy - U.S. Senator who exploited people's fear of communism

Thanks for viewing.

I'd love your suggestions for other Joe's I should add to this list.

In case you missed it, you can view last week's list right 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!

Bobby D.

One morning I was tuned into the Howard Stern Show. He announced that the great 'Bobby D' would be a guest in studio the next hour. Bobby D? Who's that? Bob Dylan? Bob Dole? Bob Deniro? It turned out the be the accomplished actor, Robert Duvall. In any case, the wonderful ambiguity of 'Bobby D' stayed with me - and inspired this tribute drawing.

1. Robert Deniro - my favorite goodfella of all time.

2. Bob Dole - the kind of moderate statesman who's sorely missed in today's congress.

3. Robert Duvall - a great actor, director, and tango dancer.

4. Bob Denver - star of a TV show I wasted much of my childhood watching.

5. Bobby Darin - Singer of one of my favorite songs, Beyond the Sea.

6. Bob Dylan - "I live like a poet and I'll die like a poet."

I'm certain I've overlooked some important  Bobby D's on this list.

Please write with any suggestions.

Thanks, and please come back and visit!

Update: You can see a new weekly list right here.

Rutgers Rules!

When I think of New Jersey, the first things which come to mind are The Boss, The Soprano's, Long Beach Island, Governor Chris Christie, and...Rutgers University. Judging from the variety of stories I illustrate for their alumni magazine, this dynamic school has much to offer our society. The drawing above is about a campus 'living-learning community' which aims to 'encourage the aspirations of female engineers by allowing them to live and study together, and forge nurturing bonds.'

For a story about the eradication of brown stink bugs in New Jersey.

On another end of the spectrum, the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers is studying methods of eradicating the brown stink bug, which is severely damaging crops in the mid-Atlantic states. For this drawing, I had fun depicting the Garden State as a leaf.

For a story about Rutgers community outreach in Camden, N.J.

Rutgers Alumni are always finding ways to support local communities. As an example, the Law School sets up free 'Ask a Lawyer' events in Camden. The Ben Franklin Bridge serves as a backdrop in this drawing.

 

Here are examples of the weird ideas that come to life in the sketch process:

Ideas for Living Sleeping Science.

Ideas for Getting Rid of the Stink

Ideas for Good Neighbor Policy

Thanks to John Van Cleaf and Michelle Cody for another satisfying assignment.

You can view my new illustration website here!

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!

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.

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!

You can view my new illustration website here!