Ms. Koko

So I've had a lot of really exciting stuff happen in the last few weeks, and 2011 is already proving to be very busy and full of many promises, but I'm going to hold off on a full update (and believe me, there's a lot to update...). I'm going to hold off because I was just looking through some old photos/illustrations on my Flickr, and there's something that I must share right now: a little 3-page comic that I did about my dog Koko. This piece is from junior year at UArts I believe, in Christine Larsen's sequential class, and I want to share it because even though it's silly/poorly drawn, it's about my favorite animal in the whole-wide-world, Ms. Koko Wood. Enjoy.

I'll be back soon for a legit post, but I just wanted to spread some Koko love.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you all stuff yourselves silly, shower your loved ones with presents, and have a generally joy-filled holiday. You deserve it. Roll on, 2011!

P.S. I started a twitter page... Did you know? Follow me @woodsarawood if you feel like it. :)

All hands

Man, hands are a tough render to begin with, but they're particularly challenging when you're rusty. And tired. This was a quick one for Redbird — they love giving me only a couple of days to complete a poster! I suppose that's why I kept it so clean and simple...

Typefaces used: Brandon Grotesque & SignPainter

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanks Barnes & Noble!

Some of my covers are finally visible on B&N.com (and Amazon, etc.)! It's like Christmas come early... I actually can't wait until this doesn't fill me with glee. The fact that it does is just a mark of my status as a complete book design novice.

For Oxford University Press, where I worked from June-September (pardon the quality, they're actually grabbed from bn.com or Amazon):

The above covers were art directed by Rachel Perkins, Geronna Lyte, or Eduardo Nemeth, and all images were provided by the authors or Shutterstock.

Here's another that I did for Jim Massey over at Three Rivers Press, an imprint of Crown Publishing/Random House:

As you can see, none of these have any illustrations by me, but very very soon the first batch of my project at Harper will be coming out, and I'll be able to share those covers with you, as well as a couple more things that I've worked on in the last 6 months. Fun, right?


P.S. Check out this interview I did with Daniel Fishel over at the Non-slick blog! It also appeared on yesterday's "Something for the Weekend" post on The Casual Optimist. Mmm, book talk...

Pumpkin roll

Awwww yeah, it's fall. This was the first October weekend wherein which Jimmy and I were free from work/family/whatever obligations, so we took some time to enjoy ourselves and the season while I shot a roll. My camera managed to stay put on the first frame for the first 5 shots or so, despite my efforts to advance the film, so my first photo came out as a bit of a surprise. Thanks little OM-10!

(This is the spot where Jimmy proposed to me back in June. Right there... on that bit of grass in Prospect Park.)

It was all very nice. I have to say though, I am really looking forward to next weekend. What up DC?!

UPPERCASE

Hey, remember that little sneak peak I gave you a couple of posts ago? Well here are the deets:

Janine Vangool, the publisher/editor/designer extraordinaire behind the beautifully curated UPPERCASE magazine, contacted me about participating in a super fun feature for issue 7, called "I'm Feeling Bookish." The idea was to design a book cover for not just any old story, but for my story. A self-portrait of sorts, in my favorite format. Of course I was thrilled, and I had a lot of fun figuring out what to do for it—would I focus on my love for cute things like hamster hands and baby turtles? My love for learning? My love for my 3 older sisters? I decided that I'd have the most fun exploring something that's actually been much on my mind as of late: my passive gluttony. I just plain love food. (Ask my jeans... they'll tell you.)

Yep, any excuse to draw my favorite foods, and I'll take it. Anyway, it was a fabulous opportunity, and I can't thank Janine enough for including me. I was in great company as well, sandwiched between my 2 supreme favorites, the suave Jim Tierney and the Queen of Book Covers, Coralie Bickford-Smith! Check out how it looked in print (I'm including Jimmy's too, because he's my man):

Pretty great! Major thanks again to Janine, not only for the honor of inviting me to be a part of this, but also for being such a dedicated purveyor and promoter of beauty. Seriously, if you haven't subscribed to UPPERCASE yet, um, what exactly are you waiting for?

When in doubt, put triangles on it.

This is my second gig poster in as many weeks. And yes, I put hipster triangle trees on it. No shame! This imagery just felt appropriate for this artist, this season, etc., etc.
Also, I feel like I'm cheating on my graphite, but grease pencils are definitely my go-to medium right now. Funny.