Illostop

New wordpress site

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 20:50:00 +0000

Hi guys,

Please check out the new illostop site at illo-stop.com. Don't worry; eventually this domain will redirect straight to the wordpress site. Hope you enjoy the new design, and a special thanks to Jason, John, and Charlene for setting it up!

Growing Pains and Site ReVamp

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 18:51:00 +0000

Hi folks,

Just a quick note that Illostop will be undergoing some design and hosting changes. Please bear with us while we migrate to Wordpress with a new and improved layout. Thanks for your patience!

Enjoy the Day,
Illostop members

The War on Reporters for The Washington Post

noreply@blogger.com (John W. Tomac) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 10:00:00 +0000

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.

Education Assignments- Chris Whetzel

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:25:00 +0000

Here are a couple recent education assignments:

The first article deals with how education is currently focusing on the wrong areas. Apparently, a large emphasis is placed on HOW teachers approach their class material and not WHAT that material is; basically, teachers are being told: "Teach with this setup, test formats, etc; but you teachers decide what content students need for real-world application." Does anyone else see an issue with that approach?

It seems so as teachers and reformers are up in arms about it and how it makes for a non-unified education. There seems to be movement toward teachers collaborating across districts to create lesson plans that relate in an effort to improve a student's education.

Sketches:

Solution: working together for a cohesive Common Core

Problem: non-defined content with only a focus on standardized testing goals

Situation: structure without content

Final:

The second article deals with how schools are taking on learning management systems in an effort to streamline the various duties of teachers and the options they have for such systems. The article focuses mainly on open-source vs paid systems; open source is free but full of issues/bugs/lack of customer support, and the article favors spending a little for a better experience.

Sketches:

Choice: Paid system served ready-to-go vs aid that is free but incomplete

Situation: Having to invest effort to avoid paying

Mutual partnership: companies helping teachers with workload

Final:

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the Day,
Chris

Les Parisians - Sophisticated Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Raish) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 14:00:00 +0000

A personal project illustrating select people that I see around Paris. I saw this stunning woman standing in the background watching musicians play on St. Louis Bridge one day in early spring. J’ai vu cette éblouissante femme debout à l’arrière-plan regardant les musiciens jouer sur le Pont Saint Louis un jour au début du printemps.

I meet some of the people in my Parisians series on the street and get their email and later ask them some questions. I finally did the hand lettering for Catharina's story. Catharina in front of cafe "Le Progress". Jacket by "Mimi's Beer". She was born in Germany and a few weeks later her family left for Paris. Her passion was horseback riding and she was winning all the jumping competitions but at 18 she had to choose between horses or studies and she chose studies. She was also a model and published a book in German about her experiences. Catharina devant le cafe "Le Progrès". Vest par "Mimi's Beer". Elle est née en Allemagne et quelques semaines plus tard sa famille part pour Paris. Sa passion était l'equitation et elle gagnait toutes les compétitions du saut, mais à 18 ans elle du choisir entre les chevaux et les études et elle choisi études. Elle était aussi modéle et a publié un livre en Allemand sur ses expériences.

The New Yorker

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Herman) — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Here are two recent pieces that I've done for The New Yorker.

The first is about the genre of crime fiction novels based in Florida.

The second piece is for and article that argues for the legitimacy of Sex And The City as a dynamic drama, not just a rom-com. It shouldn't be overlooked next to crime-dramas like its peer, The Sopranos.

The portraits were a quite the challenge, but hopefully they're pretty close.

Digitally Spying Parents for Worth Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Howdy! Here is a quick image I recently created for Worth magazine. It was great to work with an AD who was familiar with my work from the Alt-Weekly papers that basically jumpstarted my career as well as finally working with a magazine I've been trying to get my work into for years. The article was about how some parents hire private investigators to set up surveillance on their kids. This is usually done to protect them (bullying, drug use, etc), but it still brings up ethical issues...

Sketches:

I went for a pessimistic view of the subject matter as that seemed to be the nature of the article (and my own thoughts on the subject). No matter what age, who wants ANYONE accessing their private texts and phone calls. (Hello? Government? Are you listening?)

Final:

I wanted to play with fun juvenile colors while maintaing that dark ominous feel in the art. I submitted two versions (with and without the little trinket), and I was happy to hear this one was in the article.

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the Day,
Chris

Lebron James for Nike - Jason Raish

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Raish) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 14:29:00 +0000

Finally finished this piece. Nike T-shirt project that ended up getting killed. I did Kobe Bryant also. This was back in 2010 when he Lebron was with Cleveland Cavaliers. They wanted him to have his first shoe on, the "Nike Air Zoom Generation". This was what he looked like walking into the arena back then. Here is Kobe

Trident Twist Packs- Chris Whetzel

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 20:41:00 +0000

It is a pleasure to share some packaging I created recently for Trident Europe. They wanted some fun illustrations which would act as a sort of animation when the pack of gum was opened. Since the target demographic was kids/teens and the name of the product line is "Twist," they wanted a bit of a gag with colorful images. Working with the design agency, they provided the "jokes" and loose mocks of how they wanted the reveal to work. The concepts were code-named:

-Egghead

-Fishbowl

-Boxer

-Tent

Sample image from the brief:

Sketches:

(spoon to be added, soft-boiled)

(shark to be added)

(boxer to be added, uvula as speed bag)

("monster" eyes to be added)

Sketch revisions:

(removed steam)

(more definition in molars)

Final art samples. Most were created in multiple color versions as there were three different flavors each with its own Pantone palette:

(watermelon)

(strawberry)

(mint, before palette was altered as seen below)

And here's a mock of how it works and looks with logo placement:

Here are some packs the AD was kind enough to send:

The artwork is also used on larger cases of flavor packs (display boxes sold to retailers), and I even created some fruit illustrations to also be featured on the cases:

The packs seem well-received, and I'm hoping they decide to do more as the assignment was very fun. Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the Day,

Chris

Time to Read – John W. Tomac

noreply@blogger.com (John W. Tomac) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:07:00 +0000

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.

Personal Work - Jeffrey Alan Love

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:06:00 +0000

In between jobs for the past two weeks I've been working on these pieces trying to replicate traditionally some of the things I've been doing in my digital work. Both of the above are acrylic on paper with slight photoshop manipulation.

Spring Illustrations - Jason Raish

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Raish) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:42:00 +0000

spot for golf magazine. Its the monthly rules guy column, this one is about if it's ok to fix your club during play. the answer was yes. 2 slight variations here.

cover of the op-ed page for the Boston globe some sunday. It was my first time working for the Globe. I had a chance 3 years ago but when they called I was just about to embark on an epic journey through the mountains of southern China so I could'nt do the the assignment. This one is about the lack of theatre space for the growing and already huge theatre scene in Boston. Lost color on the page, but that's a normal occurrence in the news biz.

spot for the wall street journal on some sunday. It's about a non profit who deals with Health care gripes.

Recent Work - Jeffrey Alan Love

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 May 2013 14:38:00 +0000

Some recent work for myself and new editorial work for The Wall Street Journal, The Progressive, and Government Executive (thanks to awesome AD's Nick Jehlen, Kelly Martin, Dan Smith, and John Nichols! ) I went out to Spectrum Live a few weeks ago and had a great time - it really threw me for a loop and I've been processing it ever since I got back. Got to meet a lot of great people and reconnect with old friends. I would definitely recommend attending if you get the chance.

LA Times: The 2014 season will be BIG!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:18:00 +0000

Here is another rundown of a recent LA Times cover. This was a full-page cover to a section about California baseball, and much of the writing had to do with how much money was spent to build huge teams of the biggest names in the sport. Of course, that would lead one to assume that baseball will be a hot topic and a great source of entertainment for southern Cali folks in 2014. The section seemed to be pushing more towards the "awesome entertainment" aspect and not so much the finances involved, so I sketched to echo that sentiment.

(Click all images to view larger)

Because this was a pretty big project (about 11x17), I added some "mood images" to my sketches in order to give the folks at the paper a closer idea of how I would approach the images:

#1: "Big name" players coming into the LA/Anaheim area via the ocean (I was looking forward to drawing the little detailed beach scene at their feet and possibly the title in the sand).

#2: The (baseball) stars aligning for a hit baseball season. Not only would it have been a player as the constellation, but I would have made the stars li'l tiny baseballs. The building along the bottom is a major LA icon, the Observatory at Griffith Park. This one was ALMOST selected for final.

#3: Baseball as the sun over LA. This one is very similar to a pitching image I did a while back for Major League Baseball; I wasn't crazy about re-drawing a similar image, but I felt it was a good fit for the article. I'm starting to realize how many hand-images I have in my portfolio; I may take a break from any hand-based concepts for a while...

After a lot of debate, the paper decided to go with #3 with a landscape revision that would include the Hollywood sign and Anaheim's Matterhorn icon in order to allude to both city's teams.

Here is the final art; the AD requested some palm trees and banners to nail home the location/teams. In a previous version, that area had been filled with John Woo-esque flying seagulls (which I loved), but they had to go to make room for the other elements. My buddy in LA said the image looked great as a full-page in the paper, and I was thrilled to think about the possibility of the Kardashians seeing my work (Pshhh, they don't read the paper. But I can dream).

Thanks to Derek for a great assignment, and thanks to you for reading!

Enjoy the Day,

Chris

Obama Lincoln - Jason Raish

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Raish) — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

finally finished this illustration i started back when Obama was drawing comparisons to Abraham Lincoln.

The Legacy of the Civil War

noreply@blogger.com (John W. Tomac) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:45:00 +0000

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.

Bull market: too big to fail?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:08:00 +0000

I enjoy doing these Business section covers for the LA Times as its a challenge to work in the vertical format, and I also enjoy seeing my work larger than the usual 8x10 (or smaller) magazine format. Yes, its pure vanity, but then I have always hypothesized that any artist's true motive is to be noticed. And we're getting off topic. Anyway, Derek's article dealt with how our current economic prosperity is based largely upon performance of the stock market.

Excerpt from Derek's email:

"Stocks' bull market: Too big to fail?
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke officially isn't supposed to worry about the stock market. But his hopes of keeping the economic recovery going may now depend in large part on whether he can keep the bull market going... So as stocks have faltered in recent days, Wall Street has begun to face up to two difficult questions: How great a danger do investors face of another bear market soon? And is there more that central banks can -- and would -- do to boost the chances of sustained longevity for the four-year-old bull market?"

Sketches:

Portraying economic prosperity based upon the bull market as horns based on bull's head.

What could happen if the market drops: dead bull. In hindsight, the arrow should be a crack in the skull.

Taking steps to protect the bull market.

Economic prosperity built on the back of a rearing bull market. Probably the worst bull drawing I've ever done.

Final art in context. Derek requested the horns from sketch #1 be incorporated into the image:

This assignment really got me thinking about what could happen in the coming years: Will we be "bailing out" large businesses, too?

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the Day,
Chris

Closing down mental aid

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Whetzel) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:06:00 +0000

Here is a breakdown of a recent City Pages cover I did with Mike Kooiman as his last job before moving on to greener pastures. Best of luck, Mike!

Excerpt from Mike's email:
"It's about the Apollo mental health facility that's closing and leaving patients stranded. Simple as that. What sucks is we JUST did another mental health story, attaching the cover. So this one can't focus on a head or brain."

Sketches:

I thought this would be interesting since the closing is a "hard pill to swallow" for both patients and for medical staff. I liked the image as the viewer doesn't know if the doctor is giving or receiving the capsule.

Now I know this image has brains in it, but I thought it was ok to submit since they were a subtle aspect of the image. I was looking forward to taking this one to finish if selected, but I think it was too negative. (But I would have used bright colors...)

The phrase "shuttering it's doors" was used a few times in the article as well as in the sub-head, and so I thought those doors in the shape of a first-aid symbol would make for a fun cover that changes when viewed far away and up close (as most weekly papers are in newspaper boxes on the street corners). In hindsight, it would be really messed up if there were an accident, and then someone saw this down the street and thought "What luck! A first aid kit!" They run to it, and then they find its just...the paper?

Oh well. The final:

Mike went with the aid symbol, and I think it made for a simple interesting cover. Thanks to Tom for the tearsheet and for filling in for Mike after his departure.

I played with this a bit, and I hope it doesn't offend the art directors involved. I thought the effect would be more successful with lightened text? But I understand that it needs to be an easy read for folks passing by:

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the Day,
Chris

Spectrum 20

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:17:00 +0000

It was a shock to receive word that this piece, "Night Upon the Mountain", was accepted into Spectrum 20. At the beginning of this year when I decided to commit myself fully to building a fantasy/sci-fi portfolio and pursue work in that field I had no timeline for success, knowing full well that it could take me years to gain a foothold in the industry. I was (and am) okay with this, as through editorial work and teaching I have just enough financial security to focus on growing my skills with these pieces and trying to become better with each one and to develop my personal voice through the learning process. This was the sixth piece I made in that initial portfolio, and have since then made 28 more, almost completely replacing that initial group. I have never had more fun working and to have a piece in Spectrum, long a dream of mine, seems totally unreal. Thank you so much to the judges for helping me realize this dream.

Part of the process that I've developed, and that I hope brings that personal voice into this work, is that in working digitally I decided early on to rarely if ever use "stock" textures for my work. 99.9% of what I use I make myself (with acrylic paint or printing ink), or steal from previous "gallery" pieces I've done (such as the work for "Yugen", my two-man show with Edward Kinsella). For this piece, the special sauce was a portrait of a good friend, Will Godwin, that I had done as a gift for him, using house paint, printing ink, oil paint, wax, crayons, and roofing tar. Thanks for lending me your subliminal magnetism, Will - in person or in a photoshop layer, you have a power few can resist.

Ligne 5 Metro Fille - Jason Raish

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Raish) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:13:00 +0000

Another one for my Parisians project. Une fille dans le Metro ligne 5 ( a girl on the line 5 metro)

Spectrum 20

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:13:00 +0000

This year's Spectrum judges deemed this image worthy of inclusion.

Pretty awesome to be included again, looking forward to seeing the book!

...and the book is available here {ahem} https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-waking-prince/id582084676?mt=8

Mon prémiere travail en France (my first job in france) - Jason Raish

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Raish) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:10:00 +0000

Mon prémiere travail en France. my first job in france. Le Nouvel Observateur is one of the biggest new magazines in France. I did a full page and a spot illustration for them. emails and communication were in french so it really was a "french" job. story is about dating services for the rich. There is one that is 5,000 euros to join. some of the clients make crazy requests like they must be 1 meter 82 centimers, Argentine, a surgeon, own a helicopter, graduated from Harvard, etc....

More sneak peeks at A Brain Is For Eating

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:17:00 +0000

Hitting crunch time on this, here are a couple newly finished illustrations for A Brain Is For Eating. Enjoy!
-S

Chickadee 'Green Power'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:49:00 +0000

Thanks to the nice folks over at Owl magazine for giving me the cover of Chickadee’s April issue!

The cover’s theme was ‘green heroes’, and the mag pretty much knew what they wanted, and gave me a pretty awesome rough to work from. It was a bit challenging to fit in more ‘green’ elements considering the subheads, callouts and barcode box (bottom left, not shown here). Hopefully it gets the general idea across.

Les Parisiens - Centre Pompidou Conservateur - Jason Raish

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Raish) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:14:00 +0000

Les Parisiens (the Parisians) A new personal project: illustrating select people that I see around Paris. Here is a curator in the Pompidou Center. Un nouveau projet personnel: Dessiner une sélection des gens que je vois autour de Paris. Voici un conservateur dans le Centre Pompidou.