Friday, June 14, 2013

"A Screaming Comes Across the Sky"

Ah... that's one of my favorite openings to a novel ever.

For years I waited for the fourth year illustration assignment which focused on a book series, always knowing that I would use the opportunity to create works for my favorite author Thomas Pynchon. I never really knew how I would approach it and I was honestly surprised with the results, which are pretty far from the aesthetics of my previous work. But I'm in there somewhere. And it felt damn good to pay tribute to the man, the enigma, the legend.

So here are the first three novels, collected as a set.




Below is a photo of the package that I also designed and created, fashioned after a package sent through the WASTE postal service. It got a bit tattered up after my presentation, and please forgive the photo blur. Twas a satisfying challenge creating the package and getting all the measurements right.


And finally, I included a box of special features that would arrive in this package. And this was the result of me and Jason Mehmel just geeking out Pynchon style, daydreaming about what we would love to see in the set. (The paper doll drawings are stock art since I didn't have the time to do additional illustration.)


And now I eagerly await his new book in September. Since I'm finished school, I will probably have the time to
PYNCH 4 LIFE

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Strangest Places


Behold! The final project for my Information Illustration class which was definitely the most fun to research! This was a documentary assignment where we had to follow someone around, creating on-the-spot sketches to convey a feeling for their craft, tools and being in the moment. Being a huge fan of the Calgary music scene, I knew instantly I would try to depict the energy of a live show.

But what band should I focus on? When I asked around, the name that kept coming up was... The Suppliers!

They're a great band and I was really lucky to sit in on an interview with them and then do some on-site sketching of them as they played at the Gateway.

I noticed the drawing took a bit of a dive after a few beers, but it also became a lot more fun.

The final image is a compilation of these spontaneous sketches and a central piece based on some reference photos. I hope it does the band justice because they are an active, talented bunch who put on a great show.

Music, videos and more from the Suppliers can be found here!