Law School Newspaper Illustrations

So I met this really nice guy at a bar a few months ago. He told me he is a law student- I told him I was an undergraduate Illustration major. He then asked me if I was interested in doing some work for his school's newspaper. Well, Faegans (the bar I frequent) has a night called 'Flip Night'. Basically the bartender flips a coin and if you guess correctly you get a free beer. Long story short- I had been winning a lot this night and have a huge soft spot for Franzikaner Heffeweizens. I answered this law student with an emphatic 'yes!'

I do not regret saying yes, but I did not realize how hard this would be for me. I am not a political/editorial artist really at all. It was hard for me to visualize the articles I had to illustrate. I decided that my Illustrator skills would better suit me for these assignments than my drawing ability. I actually really like the outcome- I think they are clean and to the point. (Which, from what I've learned, that's what you want out of a political cartoon or illustration).

The first Illustration is based on an article on how many of the owners of major oil companies used to be a part of or have connections with the formal KGB. The second Illustration is about how the withdrawal from NATO is in 2014 and how Afghanistan, Pakistan and the USA are trying to fight for how to deal with North Waziristan. The third illustration is based on a paper about how Obama has succeeded in weeding out a lot of terrorists but they have started to adapt to our tactics. The final image is my favorite one and it is about Pakistan's suicide bombers.

Whimsical World

I just finished my "whimsical world'' assignment. Of course mine is a dog sanctuary! We only had 2 weeks to work on this, so there are a few things I dislike about it. I do (obviously) like how Kiba came out. :)

Momotaro First Painting/Series

I finished the first painting in my Momotaro series.

Kiba & Pyewacket

I had to do a 'promotional piece' again this semester. I was having the hardest time figuring out what I wanted to do. I decided that I should do something with a lot of character, a bit of a story, and humorous- and I also wanted to enjoy doing it. The idea behind these promotional pieces is to send them off to potential clients, so if they like what's on your card they'll probably want you to do something for them that is similar to the image on the card. I think this is the epitome of the kind of work I want- animals interacting, characters, funny, and definitely geared towards a younger audience.

For those people who knew Pyewacket, he was very fat, very loud, and loved torturing Kiba. He would nuzzle up to him and nibble on him on a daily basis. Kiba was attacked by Pyewacket when he was a puppy and never dared mess with him again! Kiba remained terrified of Pyewacket for the rest of Pyepye's life- but he loved him. When Pyewacket died, Kiba was very distraught. I was not there during any of this because I was at school, but I was told that he howled and howled while my family buried Pyepye in the backyard. Dogs need packleaders, and Pyewacket was Kibas packleader in my absence. I miss my Pyewacket very much, I dont think I'll ever meet a cat as great as him ever again.

Momotaro- The Peach Boy

For my Narrative Illustration class this semester I am doing an interpretation of the Japanese Folk Tale, Momotaro. I had actually read this story when I was taking Japanese when I was in High School. I've certainly never been a fan of this story which is why I am changing it around quite a bit. The story follows a boy who was born from a Peach (Momotaro translates roughly to Peach Boy). I always found this to be very strange- so I've decided to focus completely on the journey of Peach Boy and the three animals who help him. They travel to Ogre Island to defeat the ogres. My peach boy will actually be based off my 14 year old brother. It will be very American oriented with subtle Japanese easter eggs planted here and there. These two are my interpretation of the Monkey and Pheasant that he befriends. My previous post is the Dog that helps Momotaro- who I obviously based off of Kiba (who is japanese!).

Keeble Weeble

I miss my puppy a lot. I am sad to almost be a graduate, but also so excited to move back home and have a dog be apart of my daily routine again. Life is just so much better with a canine around. They just know how to live in the now and enjoy the simple things.