Smart Houses
Cover Illustration for Mortgage Banking Magazine about how the digital age is changing the housing market. Sarah Hollander, AD. Sarah and I have worked together since the beginning of my career in the 80’s and it has been an amazing ride. This cover is for the final issue of Mortgage Banking Magazine. Much thanks to Sarah and the Editors for the honor of illustrating their final issue.
Wall St Journal: Merging Clouds
Illustration for the Wall Street Journal about the complexity of matching cloud operations of companies when they merge. At times it is so complex it can actually break a deal. Dan Smith, AD
Nautilus Magazine: To Rescue Democracy, Go Outside.
Len Small from Nautilus always calls with the most interesting subject matter. His latest assignment was about how social media has turned into tribes where people rarely venture beyond their worldview and this phenomena is a threat to a working democracy. We went with a metaphor of “platforms” with people grouped in their own group. It is always a challenge to find a composition which will work both in vertical and horizontal format. This is one of my favorite illustrations this year which seems to happen a lot when working with Len.
Top: Inside art for a story about virtual tribes.
PlanSponsor Magazine: Series
Art director SooJin Buzelli called with a series of illustrations which needed to be done for various columns for PlanSponsor Magazine. She requested all illustrations against a white background which I was more than happy to design. Designers have been interested in “thinking outside the box” and it has been a nice evolution for my work. At the start of my career most of my illustrations were against white so it’s nice to see trends returning. The top illustration is fears baby boomers have in retirement. A Bergman inspired ghost seemed a perfect metaphor which would also add something a little unusual to the story.
Top: How much to withdraw from savings?
Top: The many levels of compliance when advising
Morning in Hong Kong
A routine I’ve enjoyed is spending time every year in Hong Kong while my wife works on performances in her home city. This trip I am swamped with assignments but technology has made it much easier to work on the road. Here is my list of gear to bring for illustration based on years of traveling:
- 15 inch Macbook Pro with Retina display- Otto Steininger gave me advice that 15 inch was the optimum size for working on the road and it’s been great advice. I use a 27inch iMac at home but don’t even miss it with the Retina display 15 inch.
- Intuos 4×5 tablet-
- iPad Pro with Apple Pencil- Pair this with both AstroPad with turns the iPad into a cintiq like device. Procreate is a wonderful standalone app for creating images. The iPad Pro is my dream drawing tablet for travel.
- Dropbox Pro account- Having all projects and files on the cloud has made assignments infinitely easier when traveling back and forth. It has also made keeping track of business records much less painful.
- Lacie 1TB portable drive- Even with the cloud, it’s a good idea to have a copy of all the files you may need. Also used to back up the laptop.
- Multiple input international power adaptor. The Monster Outlets to Go 200 travel adaptor is my favorite and I can plug all my gear into it.
- extension cord for the Macbook Pro.
- External mobile battery pack. I use a Mophie Powerstation but sure there are many great brands.
- Small sketchbook and pens.
- Bose Headphones. Who doesn’t need their music?
I could see a day when I don’t bring the Intuos pad but the line quality is a little different than working with the iPad so it’s nice to have it handy. With the iPad I don’t need to have sketchpads anymore but still like to keep a sketchbook handy. All this fits easily into a backpack with plenty of room to spare.
One of the great things about being an illustrator is the mobility. It is amazing how little it takes to bring your studio on the road.
Chronicle of Higher Education: Writing blocks
Illustration for Chronicle of Higher Education for a column titled, “Writing’s Insidious Imps”, Scott Seymour, AD. The column was about the demons which constantly block us from writing. Projects like these are always a treat because it is an experience which is universal.
PlanSponsor Magazine: Seventy
Illustration for SooJin Buzelli and Plansponsor Magazine about the growing need to delay retirement. There has been a trend this year with many clients asking for artwork against white so there are more options for type design. This trend and is has been the perfect excuse to bring a more natural line back into the work.