IF: Tree / Blown Covers: Autumn

It has been a while since I've posted to Illustration Friday ... this is a submission made to the Blown Covers contest for their "Autumn" contest from a couple months back. Thought it fit with this week's IF "Tree" theme.

Blown Covers Submission: "Global Warming" (Runner Up #2)

My latest entry to the Blown Covers contest. This month's theme was "Global Warming". I was very pleasantly surprised that it was chosen as Runner Up #2 ... thought for sure it wasn't going to get noticed, especially given the number of awesome entries on this topic --- both visually and conceptually. Chris Greco kept working on this theme after the submission deadline and posted some subsequent stunning ideas on his blog ... check them out here. As always, many thanks to Françoise & Nadja for keeping this contest alive ... not to mention the much appreciated "nod"!

Blown Covers Submission: "Cats & Dogs"

My entry for this week's theme: Cats & Dogs. I was happy with this one, especially since the idea didn't hit me until the evening before the deadline. I may rework this as a more finalized piece if I get the chance.

Blown Covers Submission: Graduation

This week's Blown Covers theme was "Graduation". I titled this piece "Indebted-nest Egg" ... sort of a reverse nest-egg, if you will, since most graduates these days are sitting on a pile of debt by the time they get their diplomas. This one got mentioned in the Runners-Up category. Always nice to be noticed, even though I didn't quite agree with Françoise's comments this time. I had a fun time trying out a different style and process with this one.

Blown Covers Submissions: Mother's Day

"Designer Baby"

"Prolific Strain"

"The Demotion"

A few submissions to the Blown Covers weekly contest from last month. The week's theme was "Mother's Day". These didn't seem to get much of a reaction, but I had fun with them - as always!

2 for 1: Illustration Friday (Puzzled) and Blown Covers Submission (Love in the Big City)

The kid's expression seemed "puzzled" enough for me to use this as a good excuse to post to Illustration Friday this week. The image was originally created as a submission for this week's Blown Covers theme: "Love in the Big City". I titled this piece "Questionable Taste".
It's not that I'm against Public Displays of Affection ... but now that I have a kid of my own, I'd appreciate it if couples could keep their PDA's in the PG category ... at least until after I've had "the talk" with my boy in five or six years.

I'm Blown Away! My Blown Covers Submission was picked!

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that my submission to this week's Blown Covers contest was chosen as the winner. The theme for the week was "Spring".
Many thanks to  Françoise Mouly and  Nadja Spiegelman for creating the Blown Covers site ... such fun for those of us who dream of actually landing a cover illustration. And, of course, thanks to Françoise for choosing my image this week! There were so many strong submissions - it was a real honor to be noticed. Her comments on the image were:

This week’s winner is “Bearly Awake” by Jack Hunter, who cleverly uses the end of winter to show the arrival of spring. I’d have asked him to remove the bunny slippers — since they’re in the center of the picture, they distract you from connecting the bear with the newspapers. Also, in this day and age cigarettes on the magazine’s cover would instantly trigger angry letters. But I like the bear’s posture and the use of shadow - well done!

Thanks again, Françoise and Nadja!!

Blown Covers Submission: "Tax Break" or "Tax Concession"

Yet another submission to the Blown Covers site. The theme for the week was "Taxes Due". Still working on cracking the Runners-Up category ...

Blown Covers Submission: "Spring Fling"

A piece I submitted to Blown Covers for this week's theme: Spring Training. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Illustration Friday: Yield (or Failure to Yield)

One from the archives that seemed appropriate for this week's theme. Many a time I've fantasized about having a sign like this at hand when other drivers fail to yield ... a common occurrence here in Phoenix.

Illustration Friday: Popularity

Sadly, I'm old enough to remember when Pac-Man was all the rage ... back in the day when you actually had to go to an arcade with a pocket full of quarters to play. In any case, watching my son beat me at Angry Birds got me thinking that this might be a fun illustration for this week's IF topic. It was also a good excuse to put ArtRage to the test ... with a few finishing touches courtesy of Photoshop and Illustrator.

Anthony Weiner Caricature Studies

A couple of studies of Anthony Weiner that I was working on back when his escapades were flooding the headlines.

He has such a great face ... I couldn't resist taking a stab at it:

Based off this reference photo ... such a telling expression.

And one more quick one:

Illustration Friday: Suspense

A piece I did for an illustration workshop that I attended several months ago - seemed appropriate for this week's IF theme. We were supposed to attempt to mimic the style of another illustrator that we admired ... not sure if I got it right, but it was an interesting exercise.