Spring work

Decades after the Avro Arrow was shelved, records and aircraft destroyed, amateur sleuths and devotees still work to piece together the legacy. Recently, one of scale models test fired into Lake Ontario was retrieved. Other leads have turned up to be dead ends, but the legend continues to grow. . .

Love to work on subjects like this! Thanks to AD Meg Botha at Watershed Magazine.

Vaccines offer a new beginning. The innovation and development of the COVID vaccine offers hope after a long year and a half of restrictions and tragedy.

 
Recent assignment for Barron’s.

I've been working on a personal project. Here's an isometric study of a vintage toy robot:

Modern Robot, Yonezawa (1950’s)

Process

What is consciousness? How much about the human mind remains misunderstood or completely in the dark? If we can accept the need for understanding mental health, then why is treatment often elusive or unavailable? This past year and a half has been unprecedented, and I have seen friends and family struggle under the weight of grief, anxiety, and depression. We’re all on a journey. There are signs of hope, and for me, art is an escape and a constant in my life.

I’ve had some time to think about my work and revisit some ideas that got buried, left behind, or neglected. I need to clear my own head so new creative impulses can emerge.

Initial Sketch:

When I submitted this sketch, I thought the concept was a home run, but the client didn’t like the direction and walked away. It happens, (hey, their call, even if it’s wrong).

Finished and refined line drawing with colours blocked in:

I’ve been working on this project for a while, at my own pace. What a luxury to have the time to make things right. I’ll walk you through the process. To start, all of the elements were edited, inked and refined to establish a finished set of lines, and then the colours were blocked in. You can see some other elements were dropped, like the scaffolding and laser beam.

Refinement of colours/line weight:

Colours will be edited later in the process, so I limited the palette to 4 colours. Everything gets overlayed with a 50% highlight and then it gets spot reduced to let the underlying colour come through. With this piece, I also decided to work with an additional shadow as well.

The initial sketch had a ladder, which I found clunky and unworkable, so I drafted a scissor jack in its place. I’m undecided about whether to include the technicians/mechanics in the final. What do you think?

  Final image:

Beer and Coffee

It's a pleasure to work with certain clients and produce tasty work. By that, I mean something that looks as good as it tastes. Our senses are tied to pleasure centres in our brains, so putting a visual statement on a package can satisfy both the palate and the palette.

Here are some recent projects, one with a local brewery, the second with a local coffee roaster. Both are exceptionally delicious, high quality and I'm excited to be a part of their identity. I posted earlier designs from Signal, when I developed their branding and identity. The images here show the cans produced for the LCBO (distributed throughout the Province of Ontario).

Now for the eye-opening goodness of dark roast coffee, an absolute essential in my home. Ryan Noth kicked off the project, working with Cherry Bomb Roasters and fellow illustrator Clayton Hanmer, who coordinated the design. Kyle Topping and Chrissie Poitras, good friends from Spark Box Studio also contributed artwork for the other blends. Nothing like a kickass collaboration!

Here's a detailed view of the artwork:

30 Years

Looking back on the past year: a mix of challenges, successes and interesting assignments.

This year marked my 30th year as a full-time freelancer, a milestone. In one way, it's a marker of both age and experience. In another, it's a testament to resourcefulness, creative thinking and being able to adapt to change. Throw in some perserverence and determination and you have a balance that's carried me this far. I'm incredibly proud of the work that I do and the clients I have, and I'm constantly humbled by the incredibly talented artists whose work I admire and that I consider friends. I don't intend to slow down any time soon.

Being an illustrator requires a constant burning curiosity and a certain level of optimism. You have to look at your work objectively and listen and learn when you get challenged by a new assignment. I also spend time pursuing creative ideas, doing personal work, and working with wood or paint or remodelling my house. I get outside as much as I can to recharge my batteries and avoid burnout and anxiety (something most working artists deal with regularly). Always looking for the right balance, it's a work in progress.

I left my teaching position at Sheridan in December, a difficult choice because the students I work with are so talented, enthusiastic and energetic. I'd love to return to the classroom but for now I will make good use of the extra time.

A composite of images from 30 years in the biz:

Some assignment work images:

PM Network, illustration and layout in the spread (Art Director Hugo Espinosa)

Box Store Sci-Fi Book cover for Tor.com (Design by Christine Foltzer):

The McLuhan Way, for Watershed Magazine, about the local legacy of Marshall McLuhan:

Interesting feature on EVTOLS (Electronic Vertical Take-off & Landing) vehicles for AOPA:

The right NOT to bear arms, about the dangers of teachers carrying firearms, for Teaching Tolerance:

It was a busy year, so these are just some of the highlights. I resolve to post more work in the new year. On that note, I made this for a group show and calendar at Blizzmax Gallery. Best wishes for 2020, keep your head up!

Signal Brewing Company

Corbyville sits on the Moira river north of Belleville. Corbyville was once a thriving centre of industry, it produced whiskey and spirits for over 100 years. Sadly, the plant closed in the 1990's and most of the complex was destroyed by fire.

In several buildings that remain on the site, there has been a rebirth of sorts. Richard Courneyea purchase the old excise building and pumphouse, close to the river and has spent the better part of a year building a brewery on the site. I worked with Richard and his team on the concept, identity and branding. Signal Brewery opened it's doors this week.

It's a challenge to find the right image for a brewery, with so much history and craftsmanship to take into account, so I worked with Richard to refine the image, to find the right balance. We went through multiple iterations and designs until we came up with a simple, strong central image.

The site is beautiful, and the beer is also excellent. So thrilled to see all of the hard work pay off, and to have been a part of this from the start.

The brewery is developing a full range of craft beers, so we worked together to pair my illustrations and type with different brewing styles. Here is a sampling of three new labels. More brands and labels will be released down the road.

Easy drinking pilsner, anchor brand:

Full bodied (and very juicy) pale ale:

Hoppy and intoxicating:

I was inspired by Richard's dedication and work ethic to provide some of the finishing touches on site. I have a few pictures of the medallion I painted on the floor and the tasting room in the brewery, using a hand-cut stencil.

 

The event room has a stage space backed by reclaimed, rusted barn siding. I projected the image on to the wall and worked the rusty parts into the sign, to give it a weathered look. It's great to work big!

The motto of Signal is 'History Made Again'. Looking forward to many years with tasty beers for Belleville!

Follow/like Signal Beer on Facebook:

Signal Beer

Better yet, drop by the brewery, pick up a t-shirt and sample some pints. Signal's website will be up soon.

 Here's an amazing aerial shot of the site: