Alphabet Soup of Advice

This portrait of our first president accompanied an article in today's Wall Street Journal. There are many kinds of financial advisers offering services to investors: CFA's, CPA's , RIA's etc. This article explains what these acronyms stand for (example: CFA = Certified Financial Adviser), and what the people behind these titles are trained to do. It's a helpful guide for investors to find the right match. I thought it would be fun to show George Washington sampling an 'alphabet soup' of acronyms. Thanks to art director Orlie Kraus for this tasty assignment!

Below are ideas I submitted for this story:

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American Lucifer

The 2012 Vice Presidential Debate takes place this evening. Coincidentally, I recently drew this portrait of a vice president who's been debated about very much; Aaron Burr. He lives in infamy for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. He was also put on trial for conspiring to invade and take over Mexico (he was acquitted).  But Aaron Burr also had redemptive qualities. He was a feminist, a rationalist, and a supporter of manumission (the act of a slave owner freeing his slaves). He also perfected many campaign techniques which are utilized in modern politics. This article for Princeton Alumni Weekly examines this complex man who historians are presently reassessing. I created this mirror-image portrait to convey Aaron Burr's dueling legacies. A special thanks to art director Marianne Nelson for this fascinating assignment!

Here are layout ideas I submitted for this story:

Mirror images of Aaron Burr, portrayed as a devil and an angel.

Straight-on portrait of Aaron Burr with relevant elements of his story.

Contradictory portraits of Aaron Burr overlap.

Aaron Burr as devil, reflection as angel.

Reference to famous duel with Alexander Hamilton

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You can view my new illustration website here!

May the best man win this evening's debate!

The Secret Cellar Cover...

Here's my new cover for Michael Beil's fabulous Red Blazer Girls series, out today! These adventures follow a feisty group of middle school sleuths who solve mysteries throughout Manhattan. My daughter and I are big fans of Michael's writing, so it's a thrill to contribute to these tweener mysteries. I'm also thankful to art director, Kate Gartner, who pushed me towards this bold style. You can see some interior spots from the The Secret Cellar here.

Here's my sketch process, starting with thumbnails:

After feedback from the thumbnails, it was time to create some more detailed comps:

A fountain pen plays a central role in this mystery. Here's the circular art and sketch ideas:

It's always nice to see my artwork in it's proper context. Here's an older photo of my daughter reading the second book in this this series, The Vanishing Violin:

I'm looking forward to presenting her with a new copy of The Secret Cellar!

Happy reading everybody.

You can view my new illustration website here!

On the waterfront

I was in a crabby mood while drawing this picture for Rutgers Magazine. Researchers at Rutgers' Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences have found that water quality along the New Jersey coast has improved in recent years. Given this encouraging story, there's reason for Jersey shore crustaceans to party!

Here are sketches I submitted for this story...

Shut Up and Drive....

This illustration accompanied a story about safe driving practices. Engineers and researchers at Rutgers have "designed a smart phone app that identifies where the cell phone user is in the car. If it’s the driver’s side, the app communicates to the caller that the driver is unavailable; if the call is urgent, it simplifies communication steps for the driver in order to reduce distractions." Worthy apps like this will certainly help smart phones get even smarter (and hopefully save lives in the process).

 Thanks to art director John Van Cleaf for another fun assignment!

You can view my new illustration website here!

Osamouflage Bin Laden

On this 11th anniversary of 9.11, it's comforting to know Osama Bin Laden is out of the picture. He created a powerful mystique just by staying invisible. I worked on this series two years ago; with a camouflage-theme to convey his elusiveness. In the end he was exposed as a loser; hiding out with his porn collection.

"Osama bin Laden is dead, and New York City’s spirit has never been stronger.” 

- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

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!

Drawing Dividends

This drawing reminds me of William Shakespeare's quote, "All the world's a stage." It accompanied a story in today's Wall Street Journal; about mutual funds which give investors access to dividends from overseas. In illustration, 'harvest' themes tend to be very cliched, but transforming America into a patio, and continents into trees added a unique twist. Thanks to art director, Jia Baek, for such a worldly assignment.

It's always satisfying to see my work on the printed page.

Here are sketches for this illustration...

Collecting dividends in mailbox from overseas

Dividends fly in from overseas to U.S. investor

Collecting dividends from trees that look like foreign countries

Collecting dividends from overseas well

Thanks for viewing.

You can view my new illustration website here!