I’ve been absent for a while working in the shadows on a time-consuming project for many weeks now (no excuse for not posting!), but I was happy to get two fun jobs within 10 minutes of each other a few weeks ago, so I feel they should be posted together.
The detail on the left is from an illo for Retail Traffic magazine, and is about how big box retailers like Home Depot are expanding into new, unfamiliar territory selling plasma TV’s and videogames in a quest for profits.
The detail on the right is from a piece for the Soapbox column in Publisher’s Weekly. A veteran children’s book editor wrote a funny essay where her agent interviews both herself, and her over-eager naïve alter-ego; the first-time children’s book author.
Visit my site to see the full images:
LINK: Big Box Retailers Expand
LINK: The Editor’s Alter-Ego

A sketchbook drawing of the fireplace in my apartment (within which a TV sits). Color and textures were done in photoshop.

A couple recent illustrations done for WSJ.com’s economic forecast survey.

I made these sketches during the Christmas Eve service at my Dad’s church. He’s delivered Christmas sermons there for twenty-two years and he’ll be retiring in January.
I’ve done a lot of sketching in church.

I just finished this for Barron’s Online for a package titled ‘007: The Year Ahead. You can almost imagine Richard Keil aka Jaws lurking in the background.

This article for The New York Times was about a family’s unusual encounter with a bike thief. The kid in the story had his bike stolen, and he had a prime suspect in mind. When the victim’s father showed up at the suspect’s house to confront his family with the accusation, they denied it, and the family was forced to give up (a similar thing happened to me as a kid!).
Amazingly, more than a year later, the suspected thief shows up at their door with an older man an envelope full of money, and the kid apologizes for stealing the bike. It’s a pretty awkward moment for both adults and certainly for the kids themselves. I felt this was a moment where both kids lose some degree of their innocence, and deal with some tough stuff for the first time.
You can see more of my work for The New York Times here.

Above is a watercolor-pencil drawing done in my sketchbook of the Brandberg Massif; a fascinating circular monolith located in eastern Namibia. This Middle-earth like place is known for its ancient rock paintings such as The White Lady, which according to wikipedia is located deep within the mountain. I discovered this place while skiming above Google Earth and have recently realized what a treasure trove of reference material is located within that program. Stay tuned for more from other Invisiblemen/Invisiblewomen.
Download the Google Earth bookmark here:

I hit the Spring Studio for some long overdue figure drawing today. The only thing I ended up liking is this drawing from the very first 2 minute pose, when Minerva (the owner) stood in for the tardy model (who wasn’t very good). I need to log some more time there, as I feel a bit rusty, and it takes some time to get your drawing mojo back, I find.
While drawing, I’ve been listening to the excellent new album
“The Crane Wife” from The Decemberists. The track that will stay in your head and keep you humming all day long is the duet Colin Meloy sings with with Laura Veirs “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)”.

Down to the last few pages.