The War on Reporters for The Washington Post

The Obama White House is at war with leakers, according to The Washington Post. In an effort to stop would-be whistleblowers from disclosing classified information, the Department of Justice has been applying pressure to journalists. The administration has gone so far to prosecute some reporters using the World War I-era Espionage Act. Read the whole the whole story here. Art direction by Marianne Seregi.

Time to Read – John W. Tomac

Time travel is all the rage, these days.

In books, that is.

The Chicago Tribune took a look at this literary trend this past weekend. I got to draw this poorly-mannered Apatosaurus, no longer constrained by the space-time continuum, to accompany their story.

A big thanks goes to art director David Syrek for the fun assignment.

The Legacy of the Civil War

This summer marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. In honor of that milestone, The University of Rochester takes a look at the legacy of the civil war as well as the alumni who fought to defend the union in the current issue of Rochester Review. Editor Scott Hauser very easily could have opted for historical photos for this issue, but instead wanted something original and different. As a history nerd, I was more than happy to provide it.

Below, some art that appears on the inside:

The  first article argues that the war that the sacrifices made on the battlefield were absolutely necessary for creating the nation we live in today. The author goes on to argue that any option other than the unconditional surrender of the south would have resulted in a much different nation, one in which slavery likely would have persisted until the 20th century.

Frederick Douglass, who lived in Rochester for 25 years and is buried a short distance from the University of Rochester's campus. I don't get asked to do portraits that often. This was a nice challenge and change of pace.

The second story tracks University of Rochester students and alumni who fought at Gettysburg. The insignia on the buttons is the U of R seal.

Cal State Chico's Drinking Problem

Here is a quick-turnaround, cover job for the Chico News & Review. Cal Satate-Chico has a reputation as a party school. In the last year, binge drinking has led to four student deaths as well as a slew of other problems ranging from vandalism to sexual assault. This week the alt-weekly takes a look at the way other universities and college towns have dealt with similar problems.

The Mortgage Observer: 50 Important People

This is my first post here, so I'd be remiss if I didn't start by thanking Chris and the rest of the gang at Illostop for the invitation. Thank you for having me, I'm excited to be here.

The March issue of The Mortgage Observer highlights the 50 Most Important People in Commercial Real Estate Financing. While I did not make the list, I had the good fortune of creating the cover. Art director Ed Johnson asked for something with a big 50 and skyscrapers. I was more than happy to oblige. What can I say, I like drawing buildings. That may or may not be related to the countless hours I wasted in my younger days playing Sim City 2000.

Below an alternate version with a bigger 50 and smaller city.

I also made some attempts at giving this a little more of a conceptual twist.

In the end, we went ahead with a pretty straight forward solution, which for a cover makes the most sense.