Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Driving Music City Book Cover

This illustration was commissioned by singer/songwriter Diane Durrett for the cover of her book Driving Music City. The book chronicles her early experiences in Nashville as a limo driver to the stars. She knew exactly what she wanted, and that made my job very easy. I was given a list of the celebrities and did rough pencil mock-ups, and she chose the ones she wanted for the cover. The rest ended up peppered throughout the book. From the top: Elton John, Faith Hill, Greg Allman, Sting, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Steven Tyler, Jimmy Buffett, Mick Jagger, and Diane Durrett. (ink, acrylic on illustration board, 2007)

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Caricature Maps

Caricature Maps (ink on Illustration board, 28X35). These are caricature maps of cities I've done for a local graphics company. They are a major client of mine and I do several each month for them. I've drawn cities and communities in California, Texas, Georgia, Nebraska, Iowa, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, and Rhode Island...all from the comfort of my studio. These two are East Haddam, CT., and Goshen County, WY.

Four Different Types of Illustration

The Snowpeople (ink on illustration board, 11X17) was commissioned by Henderson-Shapiro, an ad agency for their client, a major pharmaceutical company, to be used as a holiday card. I did seven or eight different concept sketches and the company settled on the most boring one. It happens.
The Groomsmen (11X17, ink, acrylic on illustration board) was commissioned by an individual as a gift for his groomsmen. I was given loads of information about these guys so I could develop a funny drawing full of "in" jokes.
Lady on Horse, (12X16, graphite, airbrush, on paper) was commissioned as a Christmas present. Apparently the saddle was VERY important to the subject, so I had to make sure I got all the details.
Prom Couple (8.5X11, ink on paper). This guy commissioned me to draw him and his girlfriend as a present for her on her graduation. I used a specific type of marker on a specific type of slick paper to get the smooth effect. Sadly, I believe this type of paper is no longer made and all other types I've tried allow the marker to bleed. It's a great look and can be done quickly and "on the spot".

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Waving Man (ink on illustration board, 4X4) is a caricature that was used on a business card. Everyone in his office loved it except him.
Pablo Turns 50, (ink, acrylic on paper, 24X36). This was a commission for a man turning, well, 50. The client provided me with a large roll of paper and instructed me to draw the image at the top. At the party, everyone would be drawing their own caricatures of Pablo beneath it. Apparently this is some kind of Italian tradition. The main problem I ran into was that I couldn't cut the paper down to a managable size, so it had to roll off the bottom of the table in front of me, and I had to make sure I didn't crease or mar the paper while doing the drawing. Also, I only had one night to do the project.
Girl with Bassoon (12X16, graphite, airbrush on paper). Cute little girl, fun drawing, AND I got to draw a bassoon.
Marriott Group, (ink on illustration board, 16X20). This was a retirement or appreciation gift for the man in the center. They provided great photos, and I think I really got good likenesses on all the people. My favorite was the African-American man in the plaid shirt. Normally I do seperate sketches of each person for group shots, but I remember on this one I just dove right in and started right on the board.

Holiday Card Illustration


I drew this couple at the State Fair of Texas in 2007 and they were so happy they wanted me to do an illustration of them with their pets for their Christmas card. I really don't like cats, but I do like the way the cat turned out. I think he's the best one in the drawing, (graphite, airbrush, 12X16).