A year in review

Looking forward to 2023, I have some projects in the works and as I'm sure with almost everyone else, happy to close the door on 2022.

I just booked some new beer label illustration, a gallery show and am in the middle of another large painting. While the world is turning to AI, I'm looking to get back to my roots, to images and projects that inspire and create energy.

Here's a quick snapshot of personal and commissioned work:

Selling my first large painting was a real boost, but also a challenge to keep moving in that direction. I absolutely love working large, and have a workable studio space.

One of my favourite assignments was for North Caroline State, on the role of technology in advancing agriculture. The University recently built a new plant sciences centre complete with a rooftop greenhouse. Here are some illustrations from the feature:

Spring work

Decades after the Avro Arrow was shelved, records and aircraft destroyed, amateur sleuths and devotees still work to piece together the legacy. Recently, one of scale models test fired into Lake Ontario was retrieved. Other leads have turned up to be dead ends, but the legend continues to grow. . .

Love to work on subjects like this! Thanks to AD Meg Botha at Watershed Magazine.

Vaccines offer a new beginning. The innovation and development of the COVID vaccine offers hope after a long year and a half of restrictions and tragedy.

 
Recent assignment for Barron’s.

I've been working on a personal project. Here's an isometric study of a vintage toy robot:

Modern Robot, Yonezawa (1950’s)

Process

What is consciousness? How much about the human mind remains misunderstood or completely in the dark? If we can accept the need for understanding mental health, then why is treatment often elusive or unavailable? This past year and a half has been unprecedented, and I have seen friends and family struggle under the weight of grief, anxiety, and depression. We’re all on a journey. There are signs of hope, and for me, art is an escape and a constant in my life.

I’ve had some time to think about my work and revisit some ideas that got buried, left behind, or neglected. I need to clear my own head so new creative impulses can emerge.

Initial Sketch:

When I submitted this sketch, I thought the concept was a home run, but the client didn’t like the direction and walked away. It happens, (hey, their call, even if it’s wrong).

Finished and refined line drawing with colours blocked in:

I’ve been working on this project for a while, at my own pace. What a luxury to have the time to make things right. I’ll walk you through the process. To start, all of the elements were edited, inked and refined to establish a finished set of lines, and then the colours were blocked in. You can see some other elements were dropped, like the scaffolding and laser beam.

Refinement of colours/line weight:

Colours will be edited later in the process, so I limited the palette to 4 colours. Everything gets overlayed with a 50% highlight and then it gets spot reduced to let the underlying colour come through. With this piece, I also decided to work with an additional shadow as well.

The initial sketch had a ladder, which I found clunky and unworkable, so I drafted a scissor jack in its place. I’m undecided about whether to include the technicians/mechanics in the final. What do you think?

  Final image:

30 Years

Looking back on the past year: a mix of challenges, successes and interesting assignments.

This year marked my 30th year as a full-time freelancer, a milestone. In one way, it's a marker of both age and experience. In another, it's a testament to resourcefulness, creative thinking and being able to adapt to change. Throw in some perserverence and determination and you have a balance that's carried me this far. I'm incredibly proud of the work that I do and the clients I have, and I'm constantly humbled by the incredibly talented artists whose work I admire and that I consider friends. I don't intend to slow down any time soon.

Being an illustrator requires a constant burning curiosity and a certain level of optimism. You have to look at your work objectively and listen and learn when you get challenged by a new assignment. I also spend time pursuing creative ideas, doing personal work, and working with wood or paint or remodelling my house. I get outside as much as I can to recharge my batteries and avoid burnout and anxiety (something most working artists deal with regularly). Always looking for the right balance, it's a work in progress.

I left my teaching position at Sheridan in December, a difficult choice because the students I work with are so talented, enthusiastic and energetic. I'd love to return to the classroom but for now I will make good use of the extra time.

A composite of images from 30 years in the biz:

Some assignment work images:

PM Network, illustration and layout in the spread (Art Director Hugo Espinosa)

Box Store Sci-Fi Book cover for Tor.com (Design by Christine Foltzer):

The McLuhan Way, for Watershed Magazine, about the local legacy of Marshall McLuhan:

Interesting feature on EVTOLS (Electronic Vertical Take-off & Landing) vehicles for AOPA:

The right NOT to bear arms, about the dangers of teachers carrying firearms, for Teaching Tolerance:

It was a busy year, so these are just some of the highlights. I resolve to post more work in the new year. On that note, I made this for a group show and calendar at Blizzmax Gallery. Best wishes for 2020, keep your head up!

The world we live in

I get to work on a lot of scientific and research-based illustrations, which I love. We live in a beautiful, complex, and troubling world. Everyday, in a way, is a miraculous thing. If we want to continue to enjoy the things we have, the things we take for granted, we have to have our eyes open to what is happening locally and globally and be willing to adapt, make changes, and preserve what we can.

The first illustration was for Science magazine, a new client, for an article on an Environmental Film Festival, covering human, local and global topics. There were a lot of interesting and intriguing subjects like biodynamic food and farming, urban gardeners in L.A., wild bird egg poaching, women and water, as well as larger global and climate change concerns. Art director Michele Chu invited me to do an overview, taking in some of the broad-ranging topics and weave them together in the illustration. I adopted a clear and simple vector style to allow a balance and flow in the spread.

 

Here are the sketches:

I also got a call to work on a Cap and Trade proposal for the Province of Ontario, aimed at reducing carbon emissions. I wanted to convey the idea of change and transition over a period of time. Areas of focus included industry, transportation and energy. It all comes down to individual choices and the way in which we approach the economy. Finding the right balance between jobs, progress and sustainability.

Here's a shot of the cover, produced by Hambly and Woolley.