Winter Blues

The polar vortex has forced many Hudson Valley residents to hunker down indoors this winter. I've discovered sketchbooking is a great way to battle cabin fever. It's been fun to draw the dogs in my life - as we patiently wait for spring to arrive.

Clementine and Lily relaxing on the couch

I beat the winter blues is by working out at the gym on a regular basis. It's also a unique and energetic environment to draw in.

You can view more sketchbook selections here.

Thanks for visiting, and stay warm!

 " In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. "
~ Albert Camus

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/winter.html#Aev8YyKp3wk7JsqT.99

Hip-Hop Name-Changes

I'm fascinated by the streamlining of corporate names. For example, International Business Machines morphed neatly into the iconic IBM.  Or, Bavarian Motor Works slimmed down to the sleek BMW.  Something similar occurs in the world of hip hop. Recently, I read that Jay-Z was removing the hyphen in his name, so he'd simply be known as Jay Z. Another rap mogul dieted down from Puff Daddy to P Diddy, and eventually to just Diddy.  I tried an experiment - integrating these artist's images with their name changes. Eminem once said that 'words are like puzzles'. I like to play with words and images - to see how they all fit together.

Another artist started his career with the fun-loving moniker, Snoop Doggy Dogg. With fame, he became known simply as Snoop Dogg. Upon discovering the Rastafarian religion,  he transformed into reggae artist, Snoop Lion. This may be the first case where a dog was successfully re-branded into a cat.

My apologies to Snoopy. I'm not sure how a beloved Peanuts character got into this drawing.

"When I'm not longer rapping, I want to open up 

an ice cream parlor and call myself Scoop Dogg."
~ Snoop Dogg

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman was an incredible actor. After reading about his life in Rolling Stone, I came to truly admire Philip's dedication to his craft - as well as to his family. He seemed to genuinely love life, which only magnifies the destructive power heroin can have over people. This sketchbook spread reminds me that his physical appearance was nearly the opposite of any Hollywood stereotype. I'm glad people could look beyond his unkempt appearance - and recognize his genius as an actor.

Scottish Pictish

This piece is part of a series called World Tour; drawings which utilize old maps as canvases. It was inspired by mysterious Scottish carvings called pictish stones - which date back to the 10th century.  I'm thrilled that the drawing has found a new home here in the Hudson Valley. Fittingly, the new owner is a Scotsman who grew up in Inverness. Hopefully this piece will be a nice reminder of his heritage - and of Scotland's rich history. You can view my whole map collection here!

Thanks for visiting. You can purchase a beautiful print of this piece here!

National Association of Broadcasters

Here are comps for a pitch to the National Association of Broadcasters. The NAB represents the interests of radio and television broadcasters in the US. For this project,  I collaborated with the Fixation Agency in Bethesda, Maryland. These were envisioned to be a series of posters advertising the NAB's annual convention. I was asked to create archetypal characters who are passionate about their broadcast-industry careers.

Although this pitch wasn't chosen, I had a fun flushing out these minimalist portraits - as well as creating the hand-drawn typography. Thanks to art director, Elizabeth Ellen for a fun and unique collaboration.

Thanks for viewing. You can see my color portfolio here.

Mousetrap Musings

This brutal winter has brought a family of mice into my home. They invaded my kitchen last week - which lead me to set traps. I've been waking up in the morning to these grisly sights. As a sketchbooker, I'm not sure what drew me to such macabre subject matter. But these exercises conjured up many thoughts and questions...

You can view happier excerpts from my sketchbook here.

Chinese New Years Card

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2014 is the Year of the Horse. Last week I posted ideas for a promotional card celebrating the Chinese New Year (which started on January 31st).  I showed my daughter the sketches, and her favorite was the concept of a horse jumping over a giant "14".  I executed the final art to the best of my abilities, and wanted to share the results with you.

This image was inspired by Eadweard Muybridge, an Englishman who pioneered the art of capturing motion in his photographic studies. For any illustrator, his photos are excellent references for how people and animals move naturally. Below are sketches for this card...

May you overcome any hurdles that come your way in the new year!

100% All Natural Chicken

This is a new addition to my Food for Thought series of drawings.

You can view a big gallery of my personal projects here!