A Monster Made in Albany
New York State’s proposed new Assembly and State Senate districts have some funny boundaries. Leaders in Albany drew a handful of districts that look more like the inkblots in a Rorschach test than anything else.
I was one of five artists, along with Joey Carolino, John Daly, Thomas James, Owen Sherwood and Michael Sloan, asked to interpret these stains on the electoral map for City & State. I drew the 12th Senate District which lies on the Queens side of Newtown Creek and has one of the more unique shapes–sort of like a giraffe with the head of a lion. This monster is no more scary than the process of letting elected officials choose their voters.
A tree that looks at God all day and lifts her leafy arms to pray
This illustration is in the current issue of Barron’s with a story on the Sequoia Fund. The press-shy fund managers were reluctant to be photographed, so I had the opportunity to draw a really big tree. Sometimes illustrators are hired for their problem-solving skills and conceptual chops. Other times it is for purely aesthetic reasons, to help dress up a page a little bit. This is the latter.
Game of Phones
Initially, I thought I would end up drawing iPhones and iPads for this job. Smart phones and tablets are fairly easy to render in Adobe Illustrator. They are little more than a rectangles with a few gradients heading in opposite directions. The problem is that they are everywhere and so commonplace that they aren’t all that interesting to look at. And there hasn’t exactly been a shortage of iPhone covers since the device was introduced a few years ago.
The cover story examines the state of intellectual property litigation. Right now, the manufacturers of smart phones and tablets are suing each other alleging infringement of patents and stealing of trade secrets. The writer was working on a lede comparing this to a battlefield or seismic change. With that information in hand, I worked up a few iPhone-/iPad-centric sketches:
Of course, tablets and smart phones aren’t all that fun to look at. They are everywhere. And there hasn’t exactly been a shortage of iPhone or iPad magazine covers or newspaper spreads since the device was introduced a few years ago. With that in mind, I explored doing something that was more representative of intellectual property, and less about the technology that was currently at the center of these disputes. What I came up with was this:
This ultimately got the go-ahead. When it was approved, I received a note saying this idea and the tank sketch generated some debate in the Inside Counsel office. I think anytime sketches are provoking discussion among editors and art directors you’re heading down the right road.
Thank you to Art Director Liz Novak for trusting me to take this in a somewhat less obvious direction.
Everyday Heroes
I had the pleasure of illustrating the cover of this week’s Las Vegas City Life. The end-of-year feature recognizes Las Vegas residents who made a positive impact in 2011. Art Director Maureen Adamo pitched doing something superhero-related, in bright primary colors, but gave me the latitude to develop that idea a little more. Some sketches below:
Thinking along the lines of ‘Everyday Heroes’, a superhero doing something completely mundane, like waiting for a bus.
A neon hero glowing against an evening sky parodying of the famous ‘Vegas Vic’ cowboy sign.
An everyman donning the superhero cape and mask, towering over the Las Vegas skyline, which ended up being the choice.
After finishing the job up, I got a nice note mentioning that the editor was really happy with the cover. It is alway nice to hear that the boss likes the art.
Sportaldislexicartaphobia*
I’m participating in this year’s Members Open Show at the Society of Illustrators. The theme of this year’s show is ‘Fear’. I thought the image above that I created a few months ago about computer hackers for Inside Counsel would be a good fit for the show.
The opening reception is at 6:30 p.m., tomorrow, Wednesday, November 30. The show is on display starting today and runs through Thursday, December 29. Stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.
*Sportaldislexicartaphobia is the fear of paintings and other forms of visual art.
Helping Hands
Here’s a quick, pre-Thanksgiving job for the Chico News & Review.
The story profiles residents making a difference. Like any paper that runs recurring stories, the challenge was coming up with an art solution that didn’t look too much like previous years. The obvious solution – superheroes had been done a few times, as had some solutions with ‘shining stars’.
Thanks to art director Tina Flynn for the job.
It’s Christmastime in Hollis, Queens (and other places, too)
Christmas is rapidly approaching. That means you need cards to send out to family and friends. Instead of heading down to the mall buying the same ho-hum stationery as everyone else, visit my online store. Three unique, New York-centric cards are available. They’re guaranteed to delight your loved ones this holiday season.
http://johnwtomac.bigcartel.com
If you happen to be in the New York City metropolitan area and want to save on shipping, place your order via e-mail and I’ll be happy to make arrangements for you to pick up your order from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn or Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.