Illustration Friday: Obsession

It’s an old student piece from my RISD days for this week’s Illustration Friday submission! It was created for an editorial illustration class and we were given articles on obsessions. This was the first in a triptych about late night binge-eating disorders. There was obsession with food (shown), overindulging, then feeling remorse. I haven’t seen this piece in a long time and it’s woefully apparent why I only made a B+ in that class.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Forgotten Files: The A-Blast

For 2 years in high school, I was the staff illustrator for my school newspaper, The A-Blast. We reported on such hard-hitting news like prom, after-school jobs, sports, and other typical teenager-stuff, but we also covered local and worldwide events like the Bin Laden-led terrorist attacks in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, the Columbine shootings, and others. Our award-winning student paper reflected the cultural diversity within Annandale High, and I absolutely loved my experience on staff. 

My tenure on the paper taught me how to meet tight deadlines, tackle multitudes of topics and themes, handle the scrutiny of critics and the art direction of my peers, and work with writers of all kinds. It certainly had a role to play in my development as an artist, as the awards I won while on staff looked great on my application to art school. I would encourage any high school student with their eyes on an illustration career to try out for their school newspaper.

The A-Blast looks different today than it did in high school, and it has long since embraced the digital age, but this student paper has retained the same quality and appeal that I enjoyed more than 10 years ago.

Illustration Friday: Prehistoric

Happy Friday, everyone! This week's submission for Illustration Friday is a blast from the past.  I did this back in 2003 while I was a student at RISD, to illustrate a children's story idea I had floating around in my head. Fortunately, prehistoric animals never lose their awesomeness!

I'd like to take this opportunity to announce a little book sale! Just in time for the holidays, I'm offering autographed paperback versions of the award-winning children's book I illustrated, Storm Codes, for $10.00 with FREE SHIPPING through December 31st, 2010. To purchase, go here.