Gender Outlaw!

Recently I had the pleasure of working with John Dixon from the Village Voice for their cover story on Kate Bornstein, a male to female transsexual lesbian who challenges our preconceived notions about sexuality and gender.  The article by VV's editor in chief, Tony Ortega, is an amazing look at this larger than life American "outsider" which includes forays into Scientology, marriage, kids & grandkids, and domination.  
Many thanks to John Dixon for the superb guidance and encouragement.  

Digital Renaissance Fair

Here's an editorial illustration I recently did for Seattle Magazine's August issue. The article was about how to bring in a wider crowd to the Renaissance Fair by incorporating some current trends in popular culture and technology to the mix. The AD Sue Boylan wanted to convey a scene in a mud pit with people playing with their various mobile devices, labtops, etc...

Here are some sketches of the concept;

I was given the ok to come up with sketches for other approaches, and I kind of liked this interpretation of an executioner tweeting. Maybe it was a little too morbid...

The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook

These illustrations were done for the recently released Quirk books title "The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook," a guide for would be pirate enthusiasts. I've been really fortunate to work on a number of titles for Quirk books, and not one of them has ever felt like a "job." The book was written by Jason Heller, a regular contributor to The Onion.

Hellboy with Mullet.

Here's a little something I've worked on recently to get me back in the swing of things. Lately my creative drive has been severely lacking, partly due to general laziness. I've been catching little moments of inspiration here and there, and luckily with this piece I just went with it. It feels small and inconsequential, but it also gives me just enough momentum to carry on, hopefully building up speed along the way.

It's good to start small, and not get caught up in being too grandiose.

Done in watercolor on Fabriano WC paper. about 3 x 3.

Android Karenina

Quirk Books latest mash-up from the esteemed Ben Winters, Android Karenina, is out now! Tolstoy's seminal work has now been infused with cyborgs, grav-trains, trans orbital bullet ships, wormholes, and alien infestations. Fifteen black and white illustrations done by yours truly are tucked inside this doozy of book! Once again thanks go out to Doogie Horner and Jason Rekulak of Quirk Books for giving me the opportunity to provide content for another mash-up. Each illustration proved to be a unique and varied challenge that made the process thoroughly enjoyable! Here are some of my personal favorites:

Monster Stew!

When I was a wee lad, I used to draw monsters. A LOT of monsters. Monsters on napkins. Monsters on ruled paper. Monsters in coloring books. Monsters on the walls. So when I was asked to create a series of illustrations of well known monster arch types, I couldn't resist.

The book is called "Horrorscopes" and it's being published by Chronicle Books. I was asked to create twelve interior illustrations plus a border illustration that would be used throughout the book.

Kudos to Kristen Hewitt, the wonderful art director, for keeping everything cohesive, and reigning me in when I got too gory (which was often...).

Without any further ado, enjoy the monster stew!

Sherlock Holmes!

I've got another book coming out from Quirk Books today; "The Sherlock Holmes Handbook: The Methods and Mysteries of the World's Greatest Detective," by Ransom Riggs. The book is full of interior illustrations and it's a fun read for any fan of Arthur Conan Doyle's most loved character.

Originally I was given the task of creating a look similar to the original Sidney Paget illustrations that appeared with the published stories, but it was too daunting a task to handle. Thankfully they were happy with the look I was able to provide, and I think they conveyed the right atmosphere for this kind of subject matter.

This project required a lot of versatility in that I had to illustrate a variety of scenarios as well as objects and animals. It was a fun challenge and I love the design of the book, done by Doogie Horner over at Quirk; it looks and feels like an old hardcover novel from the 19th century.

Here are some samples:


Sherlock experiencing a bit of malaise.


Sherlock Holmes exhibiting his skills in Bartistu.




A cane is not necessarily a sign of a handicap.


Move over Errol Flynn.


Shedding a clever disguise.


The Hound of The Baskervilles.



The Victorian Opium Den as described in Holmes' world.


The Baker Street Irregulars.


The avid beekeeper.


An accomplished violinist.


The demise of Professor Moriarty.

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters!

The good folks at Quirk books are coming up with another monster mash-Up book this September; Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. It was a dream project to work on all the interior illustrations. The beautiful cover art was created by Lars Leetaru.

This was a very rewarding project due to the fact that I was able to illustrate such a wide variety of cool miscellany: sea monsters, underwater sea bases, giant pirates, gynormous lobsters, and intricate underwater diving suits! It was pretty much the reason I became an illustrator!

Thankfully I can show two illustrations from the book, which comes out September 15. Many praises must be given to Doogie Horner and Jason Rekulak for having faith in me to get the work done. They gave me good direction and were enthusiastic about the artwork I showed them throughout the months it took to complete the title. Click on the title link above to reserve your copy at Amazon!

What's the deal?

As some of you know, I haven't been the most ardent keeper of my blog. There's a number of explanations (excuses) I could pilfer from to explain my abscence-the biggest being my involvement in some book illustration projects i've been entreched in for the past year. A couple of them I can share with you, some I can't...

Last year I was approached by Quirk Books with an offer to illustrate a new addition to their Secret Lives series, The Secret Lives of the Supreme Court. It was easily the most extensive project I've ever been involved in; 35 two color illustrations + cover art. With some luck, and some patience from my enduring wife, I was able to meet the deadlines and come out of it all unscathed.

Here's a sample of some of my favorites from the series:


Antony Scalia


Clarence Thomas


Frank Murphy


Harold Blackmun


John Roberts


Louis Brandeis


Sandra Day O'connor


Thurgood Marshall


William Howard Taft


William Rehnquist


William Brennan

The process was pen and ink colored in Photoshop. Looking at the work now I have mixed feelings about it. I'm proud of some of the illustrations, and embarrassed by some of the others. All in all that's not a bad thing...it's good in some ways to feel a little unsatisfied, only because it can push you to get better in the long run.

Many thanks to Doogie Horner at Quirk Books, for guiding me through the whole process and pushing me creatively, as well as campaigning on my behalf for the project. And also many thanks to my wife Mary, who put up with my long nights and my fuzzy sleep deprived brain for so many months.

Next up; a peak at the cool Sherlock Holmes project I had the great fortune of working on!