Life as I See it

Life is what's happening while you're waiting for something else to happen. I try to capture these moments in my sketchbook. Here are a few excerpts from recent journals...

sketch of a rather vivid dream I had.

I burned 230 calories at the gym while drawing this scene...

View from my pew, Christmas Eve 2015, Church of the Advent. Hatboro, PA

Some quick gesture drawings from a figure drawing session...

sketching while spinning...woo hoo!

A minister preaching at St. Pauls Cathedral, Buffalo, NY

You can view more fun sketchbook excerpts here!

Sitting In at Princeton

Here's a new piece for Princeton - about a student reporter embedded at a sit-in in the school president's office. The students were protesting the university's use of Woodrow Wilson's name on a campus building. They were also shining a light on his racist views. While the president's office was in lock-down for 32 hours, the reporter (Gabe Fisher) was able to blog real-time updates about negotiations between students and the school president, Christopher Eisgruber (standing). The sit-in sparked a passionate debate about race, legacy, political correctness, and the concept of scrubbing history.

In this illustration detail, the university president leans against his desk on the left.

Below are ideas I submitted for this story...

A special thanks to art director of Princeton Alumni Weekly,
Marianne Nelson, for another fascinating assignment!

You can check out my new illustration website here!

Political Games

I've been creating an ongoing series - combining portraits of famous political figures with board-games which they might be associated with. Here's a consolidation of the portraits thus far.

Sarah Palin Scrabble

A few Scrabble words associated with Sarah Palin.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney in a House of Cards.

Portrait of President Obama on a chess board.

 Portrait of presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson, on an Operation game-board

Portrait of Fidel Castro on a set of Dominoes

A different sort of House Of Cards...with a young Queen Elizabeth II

Thanks for visiting.

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

Retiring Abroad

This piece appears in today's Wall Street Journal. It accompanies an article, The Six Common Financial Mistakes People Make When Retiring Abroad. Below are a few of the sketches I submitted to convey this story.

A special thanks to art directors Orlie Kraus and Sheryl Dermawan 

for another enlightening assignment.

You can check out my new illustration website here!

Queen Elizabeth II

I've been doing a series portraying politicians in the context of board-games and game pieces. While Queen Elizabeth is technically a figurehead as opposed to a head of state, I thought this House of Cards theme seemed to suit her well. This drawing measures 20" by 32".

My dog Lily with the Queen of England

Prints of this portrait are available here!

"I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice 

but I can do something else - I can give my heart and my devotion 

to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations."

~ Queen Elizabeth II

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

Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is my favorite book. This civil rights leader's story addresses issues of race, crime, religion, hate, and ultimately transformation. His spiritual journey from a perspective of hatred towards one of love is truly powerful. In this age of intolerance towards Muslims, we can all learn valuable lessons by reading his story.

This portrait was drawn directly on fabric. It measures 16" by 20"

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

"To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is the disgrace."
~ Malcolm X

Blues

Here's a portrait of blues great, Billie Holiday, which I drew on fabic.

"Don't threaten me with love, baby. Let's just go walking in the rain." - Billie Holiday

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

Ben Carson MD

If Doctor Ben Carson was a board-game, what kind would he be? Given his gifted hands as a surgeon, it's gotta be Operation (that's a no-brainer).  My portrait of this presidential candidate was drawn directly on an Operation game-board. His political views are not the right prescription for me, but if I ever need brain surgery, I'm calling Ben Carson MD.

This is part of an ongoing series, Political Games,  which presents portraits of prominent political figures in the context of games. You can see my depiction of Mr. Carson's main rival in the GOP election here.

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

"Economics is not brain surgery." ~ Dr. Ben Carson

Fidel Castro

Here's a portrait from my series, Political Games, in which I draw politicians on game-boards or game-pieces. Here I imagined former Cuban president, Fidel Castro, through the cultural lens of dominoes (an extremely popular game in Cuba). It seems as though either he or his brother Raúl have been in power for an eternity. One wonders when those dominoes will fall.

Here's a detail of the original, which measures 9" by 12"

"I am Fidel Castro and we have come to liberate Cuba." ~ Fidel Castro

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

American Educator

These drawings will appear in American Educator - a publication geared towards public school teachers and administrators. They accompany an article, From Reaction to Prevention, Turning the Page on School Discipline.  It looks at current discipline practices enforced in public schools - and suggests ways to make them more effective. I was asked to to create simple positive images to soften the intense subject-matter of this story.

Creating an engaging and inclusive classroom.

encouraging conflict resolution

emphasizing a safe and ordered environment

This piece opened the story...

A special thanks to creative director Jennifer Chang for another fascinating assignment.

If you'd like to discuss a project you need illustrated, please contact me at

danielbaxter@webjogger.net  
or visit my new illustration website here!

Harriet Tubman

I drew this portrait of African-American abolitionist, Harriet Tubman on cloth-swatches. A true humanitarian, she helped bring over 70 slaves to freedom before and during the Civil War. After the war, worked tirelessly to promote the cause of women's suffrage. The Underground Railroad may have functioned completely under the radar, but Harriet Tubman's selfless efforts are permanently weaved into the fabric of our history.

The original portrait measures about 22" by 30".

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you 

the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

~ Harriet Tubman

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

Presidential Chess

If President Obama was a board-game, which one would he be? Given all the strategic moves which must be weighed in the complex Middle East, I imagine he'd be Chess. There can be unintended consequences to any action our president takes - so I don't envy his responsibilities. But I admire Mr. Obama greatly for his keen intellect and steady leadership.

"In a world of complex threats, our security and leadership depends on 

all elements of our power - including strong and principled diplomacy."

- President Barack Obama

Dick Cheney

There's a TV show about a ruthless, manipulative, power-hungry politician named Frank Underwood. He's a scary guy, but the story is pure fiction. Here's my attempt to capture one former occupant of a real-life House of Cards, Dick Cheney.

I used 81 playing cards to paint this ink portrait, which measures  22" by 32"

Prints of this portrait are available here!


"We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators."

- Vice President Dick Cheney (before the 2003 invasion of Iraq)

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

From Rags to Riches

Born into a rough-and-tumble life at the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn - this rap mogul hustled his way up to a penthouse in Tribeca, Manhattan. As a young man, he sold crack. But these days, he sings a very different tune. Jay Z's songs sell everything from Burberry to Hermes. It's a true rags to riches story.

Detail of Jay Z portrait

This is part of a new series of portraits called frabic, and it measures 16" by 20".
Please visit again soon.

"I keep you workin' at Hermes,
Burkin bag 
Manolo Blahnik Tim's,
 aviator lens
 600 drops, Mercedes Benz
The only time you wear Burberry to swim

And I don't have to worry, only worry is him."

- Jay Z  (lyrics from Bonnie and Clyde)

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

From E-tail to Retail

Here's cover art for a great new client, Shopping Centers Today. Art director John Lewis gave me very straightforward instructions; draw a hand coming out of an ipad - shaking another hand. Sometimes, the simplest of ideas can be the trickiest to execute. In this case, I think I did OK (whew!). Thanks to John for making this such a fun and easy experience! Below are a few color comps for this piece...