Hemispheres Magazine
Final Illustration
December 2013 turned out to be one of the busiest months I've ever had as a working professional. Even though my schedule was packed, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with Hemispheres Magazine. My wonderful agent, Deborah Wolfe, ensured the project details were ironed out so I could focus on the work (one of the many benefits of having a great agent!).
For this project, I worked with Claire Eckstrom, an Associate Art Director for Hemispheres, and the experience was such an ideal one. Claire sent me the brief and gave me very clear direction as to what they were looking for. The article (which you can read here), centers on a company which teaches leadership tactics through the study of, and travel to, famous war memorials and locations. The article already had my interest but you can imagine how excited I was when they said I'd be drawing WW2 era paratroopers!
With clear direction and an inspirational topic, I was off. I produced 2 iterations of the concept, both with a focus on dynamic composition and layout. I had a lot of fun working on the sketches, so I had high hopes the finished piece would work well.
Sketch Option A
Sketch Option B
Claire chose option A and with that signoff, it was time to bring the color and noise! I had a very clear idea of how I wanted to compose the colors of this image. I worked with a palletized color scheme and focused on using the negative space to frame out key elements of the illustration - in this case, the business man and soldier. It came together quickly once I managed to get the basic values blocked in so the rest was just a matter of finishing out the details.
Big thanks to Claire for the opportunity to work on this one! It was a genuine pleasure to work with Hemispheres and I can't wait to do it again!
Detail Shot 1
Detail Shot 2
Mental Floss Magazine
Mental Floss Spot Illustration
I did a spot illustration for Mental Floss Magazine for their November 2013 issue. I have to say this was one of the most unique briefs I have ever received! The brief: draw 2 heroic men rescuing a whale. The challenge was unique, fun, and a chance for me to put a bit more action into my work.
Working with Mental Floss was great. They have their process down well and know exactly what they want. We ran through my typical illustration process of presenting roughs, color comps, and the final.
One of the other fun aspects about this piece is it called for action, something which drew upon my years pursuing and studying sequential / comic book art and anime. I developed an early love for dynamic composition and was pleased to be able to use that in this piece.
Sketch 1: Closeup of Heroes
Sketch 2: Pulled Back View
Polished Illustration: Greyscale
Alternative Color Option
If you're interested in commissions for this type of illustration, feel free to contact me!