Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Dial-a-Chauffeur

This illustration was commissioned for a story in the current issue of Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Police in China have been cracking down on drunk driving, and have inadvertently created a market for professional designated drivers (depicted below as a chauffeur/guardian angel.) You can see read the article online here. Thanks to Shawn Hasto for the great assignment!

 

Here were some of the sketches...

sketch 1: Crashed car with "cheers" in smoke.

sketch 2: Sleeping it off in the back seat.

sketch 3: Chauffeur holding door as passenger crawls in.

sketch 4: Drunken headlights. (Not quite a complete idea, but I liked the visual.)

sketch 5: Chauffeur/ Guardian Angel. (The one that was picked.)

New York Times: Out Here

For the last few months, the New York Times has been running a series of articles about daily life in different parts of the country in a feature called "Out Here". Last week I was commissioned to do illustrations for two stories in the series: one about an old fashioned gas station in St. Michaels, Maryland; and another about the life on the river in Lebanon, Missouri. (You can read the articles here, and here.) Thanks to Anne Leigh for the assignment! These stories were a lot of fun.

"Out Here" Lebanon, Missouri

"Out Here" St. Michaels, Maryland

NY Times Op-Ed: Dialogue on Depression

I have an illustration in the New York Times today, alongside a letter to the editor by Warren R. Procci on the overuse of pharmaceuticals in the treatment of depression. Check out the article here for a more complete sense of the story. The art director was looking for something emotional and direct that stopped short of coming down too strongly on either side of the argument. (Illustrations for the letters section are supposed to be more even handed than the larger ones that run alongside the Op-Ed essays.) A small detail can sometimes be enough to tip the scale, as in the case of this illustration. My initial sketch was approved, but it was decided by the editors that the pill bottle should be uncapped so that the figure didn't seem like he was stuck. They were right, of course, and I made the change.

Sketch #1: In the Shadow of a Pill

Sketch #2: In the Shadow of a Pill Jar

Sketch #3: Figure in a Pill Jar

The Final Piece

Gingerbeard Man

Spirit Magazine: "Teen Talk"

If you are flying somewhere in July, (and you are on Southwest Airlines) keep your eyes peeled for my illustrations in the"Spirit," their in-flight magazine. These spots were commissioned for a parenting advice column written by Tom Sturges, the VP of Universal Music. I will include a little snippet of the advice below to give these some context.

"Never be embarrassed by your kids."

"Let your children develop their own style"

 

"Develop common interests" 

"Be nice every chance you get"

"Remain calm during disagreements"

Thanks to Brody Price and Emily Kimbro for the great assignment!

Seattle Met: Game Changer

I am excited to announce that as of this month I will be illustrating a monthly feature called "Game Changers" for the Seattle Met. In the past year I have had the chance to work repeatedly for a few regular clients, and it has been great to be able to develop a familiarity with each art-directors process. I am looking forward to seeing how this new arrangement will affect the work.

This month's article looks at a new line of exercise equipment that converts a user's physical exertion into electricity which is then channeled directly onto the grid. (You can read the article here.) Here were the options I sent:

A cyclist powering his own fan

Stationary bike w/ extension cord 

Cyclist / Light Bulb Fillament

Cyclist with outlet for head

Tension Wires / Cyclist 

Human powered generator

And here is the final illustration layed out on it's page:

I just finished the illustration that will appear in next month's issue, but I will have to wait until then to share it. Stay tuned!