DIVA Magazine

None Upon Thars - DIVA

I recently created an illustration for UK based lesbian magazine DIVA. This art is for an article called "Gold Star Girls," that interviews 4 women on the notion of the "gold star."

So... what's a gold star girl? I had never even heard of the term until this article came along. Simply put, a "gold star" is a lesbian who has never had sex with a man. There's often a tendency to view a gold star as being the best kind of lesbian, and that they are somehow more special.

My brain couldn't help but make a connection to my favorite Dr Suess story "The Sneetches." Here are the opening lines to the story:

Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

It shouldn't matter at all. Though a certain amount of awe is easy to understand. After all, who wouldn't want to be sure and confident in life and sexuality right from the get go? But, the impression I got was that the "Gold Star" is just another form of branding. Just another way to judge someone. What I love about the article is that it throws that label to the curb and gives it a good trample. (I make it sound harsh, but it seems Lulu Belliveau and the interviewees are more eloquent than I.) Each woman, coming from her own experience, made it clear that there wasn't anything wrong with being either or. We shouldn't put anyone on a pedestal because of their sexual behavior or experience. So forget about stars and whether you have one, or none, upon... yars.

My hope is that this illustration appears as confident, accepting and non-judgmental as the ladies in the article.

A fun technical aspect of making this illustration was composing it to fit in the unusual space that was predetermined by the designers at DIVA. Hurray for creative problem solving skillz.

I also played a lot with color before I came to the "not pink" conclusion. BUT IT WAS SO HARD. Cause, in pink, this girl looks truly-truly-truly outrageous.

Big thanks to Luciane Pisani for contacting me for this!

Bathory

Erzsebet Bathory

An illustration I created during the trial period for another project. She'll never see the light of print, but I thought I'd share her here and spill some bloody historical details on you for funsies.

Elizabeth Bathory, or the "Blood Countess." A pretty gruesome lady.

Not a vampire, though sure to have inspired their myth, but a serial killer. A Hungarian noble women, born in 1560, to a family line known for it's cruelty; she was vain, privileged, and easy to anger. One of the more appalling details of her legend involves bathing in the warm blood of virgins to restore her youthful beauty. Her victims were young peasant girls and the daughters of lesser gentry spirited away to her castle with promises of work or higher learning. Her bloody-bath was never documented in any official capacity; based on the evidence recorded it's more likely she gained sexual thrills through blood and torture.

Though she was formally charged with the torture and murder of 80 young women, other testimony puts the number as high as 650. The number most likely grew due to time and embellishment. Much evidence against her was gotten through torture, so there's no telling what is true in this story or how much was skewed for political or religious purposes. On the other hand, the documented testimonies from survivors, the multitudes of missing girls and the evidence of human remains on her property is stunning to say the least. Once finally arrested, she was bricked into a small room in her castle and fed threw a slot in the wall until she died 4 years later in 1614. Whatever the truth may be, Erzebet's legend is a macabre one and she has gone down as the most prolific female serial killer in history.

If you really want to delve further into this bit of crazy-horrificness, I suggest this lengthy article on Crime Library, and of course wikipedia for the short of it. You'll find the story is always a little different depending where you look.

*nom nom nom*

The illustration is from the bloody vampire perspective. But I'm thinking it would be fun to do a more realistic portrait in the future.

Blondie

Hangin' on the Telephone - Debbie Harry

I've been updating my website, trying to make the thing more functional. Hence no more flash. sorry flash! It's not that I have anything against you... it's just. everyone else does?

Above is a little illustration for the contact section. I ask you, who would make a better mascot for the telephone then 80's new wave icon Debbie Harry? No one. not one person or thing. With at least 2 hits based around telephone calls, she's got everyone beat. I'm looking at you Tommy Tutone.

Werewolves

Werewolves - by Paul Jessup

Werewolves! They're not here to cuddle. That being said, they're people too. Written by Paul Jessup and published by Chronicle Books. I was brought on board to flesh out a young girl's artistic journal after she and her brother survive an attack by what they guess are wild dogs. The story fallows their transformation from the point of view of young teenage vegan Alice Carr, as she learns to cope with ravenous new cravings; a body that's rebelling against everything she once understood as herself; and the new dynamics of life in a pack under constant threat. Threat from what? I wont say, but they look uncannily like some people I know.

Here's a taste:

So... I have a dirty secret. I'm not a true werewolf fan. I admit that, at first, I was surprised and perplexed as to why I might be tapped for such a project. My experience with werewolves up to this point amounted to Teen Wolf and the brutish crazed killing machines found in most horror flicks. But as I got to know the details and read Jessup's story, I could see that this wasn't your typical werewolf tale. Instead, this book takes a look at werewolves from a somehow realistic perspective. The format was also a draw for me. That the art should reflect the thoughts of a savvy girl as she jots and sketches her unique experiences down made it more like a found treasure then a graphic novel. I loved that keeping the style loose and sketchy was key.

alternative sketch

I was so excited to see this book on shelves over the weekend! looks like my healthy love of critters and blood has finally paid off. Thank you so much Paul for the great story, and Chronicle Books for publishing and vision. Also huge thanks to Katie, Kasey and Todd over at becker&mayer! book producers for being not only great designers, but also an extremely organized life line and guidance system during this project. yay!

If you want to read more about Werewolves please check out this nice write up in the LA Times. and if you simply must know more about this Paul Jessup fellow, here's a link to an interview on SUVUDU or listen to this really interesting podcast on talechasing.com were he discusses a bit more in depth about how the book came to be and his writing process.

Romancing Sleep

Romancing Sleep - by Constantine Darling & Terri Salvatore-Swahn

I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but the great thing about this one is that it's not a one time deal in a magazine; it's a lovely book! so if you feel like reading you can go get it anytime right here: Romancing Sleep.

*EDIT 7/25/11: I was saddened to hear that Constantine Darling passed away after battling Throat Cancer. My respects to the family and friends of this lovely person, who had such a positive and loving influence on so many lives!

"Romancing Sleep" is a self-help book, written by Constantine Darling and Terri Salvatore-Swahn, that offers tips on how to get a better night's sleep in natural ways. It covers numerous techniques like trance induction, breathing exercises, massage, nutrition, and relaxation methods.

I was initially contacted by Terri for this. She said they liked the use of nature in my work, and told me how the book focused on nature and how to "receive it's calming cues" when preparing for sleep. Terri asked me to match the nature theme and create imagery with dream-like/ flowing effects.

Water is a particularly strong symbol in the book, often used as a metaphor to describe different levels of consciousness.

I also created a handful of spot illustrations, but I'm not posting them all here. So if you're inclined to see them, or if your java-toked hi-reved lifestyle is killing your ability to sleep easy, please take a look at this wonderfully helpful and beautifully written book!

Archways Magazine

Archways Magazine - Winter 09-10, Volume 9, Issue 4

Here are 5 illustrations I made a few months back for an article in Archways Magazine called "Taking Shape." It's about the future plans and possibilities for Nebraska Wesleyan Universities' Campus. I worked with art director Melanie Falk, who was interested in having dream like imagery to represent the future structures on campus. You can view the other images and read the article online here. (I really think the images look better at this link then in the pictures below, but I wanted to share the layout out of the article here cause I like it!)

This one features the building "Old Main" that has been at the heart of campus for 120 years.

Campus map showing avenues for growth.

The above represents the goal of NWU to have an open and simbiotic relationship between its campus and the surrounding community.

One of the biggest plans is constructing an entirely new science facility or significantly renovating or expanding on their main science building "Olin Hall."

Here's how the cover initially started:

and where it ended:

I had a lot of fun with this one. It was quite a challenge to get the 5 to work as a set. I tried using a sort of "split screen" approach for the majority, but also picking a color scheme and using it along with similar textures through-out helped a ton. If anyone has suggestions as to how to make these types of sets work together, I'd love to hear it!

LA Weekly

Here's a fun little something you can find while flipping through the LA weekly this week: a calendar! Look for a brilliant blue insert with a picture of a Chihuahua in a bee costume being attacked by a shark while riding the waves on konica minolta 1050. Unfold that sucker and you'll find... another chihuahua in costume. yay! This time being walked by some sexy legs.

looks great on fridges:

dont miss out, get yours today! offer ends February 18th 2010.