Sometimes a Rainbow is Just a Rainbow...

 

Hey friends,

Last Fall, I did this illustration for A.D. Tim Baldwin at G-Philly magazine about a smartphone app called Grindr, that facilitates... well, I'll let you piece together what it does on your own.

Anyhow, it was fun to work with rainbows and a more whimsical style of line-work. Unlike most of the illustrations I post online, this was done entirely in Photoshop.

I've also included some of the sketches involved in the process for you to see.

Have a great week.

Frank

Thank You, Jack White

Here was a quick one for the Rolling Stone's review of Jack White's new album, "Blunderbuss." I couldn't get an advanced copy of the music, but I got to re-listen to my collection of White Stripes music. It was just like being back in college. Jack White is on a short list of my all-time favorite musicians.


I'm going to buy the album when it comes out tomorrow. Here are sketches, some in-progress versions, and the final print version. My favorite is the icy blue version seen in the animated gif.

Thanks for reading,

Frank

An Unusual Project

Last month, I was commissioned by Zeit Magazin to do a feature project for them. The subject? Drawings of cool contemporary furniture set in unusual natural environments.

The challenge of doing a piece with no humans was something I would have been reluctant to suggest to an art director, and I've never really felt like environments were my strong suit, but the fact Zeit was tossing the prospect of 9 illustrations fitting this description seemed too crazy to not say "yes" to. Working outside my comfort zone on a cover and 8 full-page images with a tight deadline seemed to have "disaster" written all over it. Sign me up!

I knew I would have to simplify the images and focus on loose drawings if I was to get the job done on time, which was the fun part. Typically I like to do a very tight drawing if I'm going to be working with a subject I am uncomfortable with, but for these, there was no time, and it seemed like the better solution would be to do a much looser sketch, and basically do the drawing on the fly with ink and brush.


The ironic part about this is that it's how I prefer to draw, but years of trying to be a better designer of images has gotten me into the habit of being meticulous about my compositions. I am 100% certain that the drawings wouldn't have been nearly as successful, though, if I had gone a different route.








Here are all 9 images, including the cover with type, sketches, and some progress work. I hope you enjoy it!


Happy Monday,

Frank

Nuked

Last month, I was contacted by Maxim to do a few illustrations for an upcoming feature about a soldier's recollections of war in the Middle East.

I was drawn to the psychological intensity of the piece, and tried to put some of that into this illustration. I had a lot of fun drawing and coloring this, so I was a little bummed when I found out that the editors decided not to run it, even after several rounds of changes (note: this is my original version), because it didn't portray the American soldiers in a flattering enough light. I understand, though I was pretty bummed out about it.
Sometimes good work gets killed for no great reason. A couple other examples of pieces that never saw print in their commissioned publications are "Nobody Move," and "Sex in the Digital Age," which were both assigned by Playboy ("Nobody Move" eventually was used on the cover of Communication Arts, softening the blow to my fragile ego.)

It doesn't bother me very much when something like this happens, although I would really have liked to see what this piece looks like on the printed page.


Have a great week!

Frank

Suspicious!

Hey guys,

I made this illustration for Ebony magazine a couple of months ago. I haven't seen it yet, but have heard it's out this month. It was a really great experience working with Lynnette Galloway, the magazine's Associate Art Director.

You can probably guess what the story is about. I'm attaching some of my sketches as well.

Have a great week,

Frank

The Last Last Unicorn Cover

Hello!

Here's the sixth and final Last Unicorn cover I did for IDW's 2010 series based on Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn. I've included images of my initial comp, the sketch, and the final drawing, made with india ink & gouache. Bonus points if you know where the Prince's pose came from.

--Frank

Last Unicorn 5th Cover

This is the 5th of 6 Last Unicorn covers I did for IDW back in 2010.

If you look closely, the composition looks like the head of the Red Bull, complete with smoke coming out of his nostrils.

When I finished this cover, there was some mild controversy with the publisher over the nudity. Originally, I was under the impression that this cover never ran, but I recently came across someone selling an issue on Ebay (I don't have a copy of the issue).

I also included my version of the king based on how I interpreted him from reading the book. It's unofficial, but I like him better that way.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy! There's only one cover left in the series.


Frank

3rd from Last Unicorn

From July 2010 until about June 2011, I tried an experiment: No internet in the studio. The results of this were mixed -- for one, I had no distractions from my work, but for another, things like checking email and blogging new work became a hassle.

Consequently, I didn't do much blogging during that time. And so it happens that every once in a while, I realize that a piece I did during the internet dark ages is actually pretty good, and should probably be posted on the blog.

Such is the case with the Last Unicorn covers #4-6.

Today, I'm posting the 4th cover in the series, along with the drawing. I'll post the other two in the next few weeks, as well.

Take care,

Frank

Gen Y

Hey guys,

Here's a piece I totally forgot doing earlier this year, until I stumbled across it on my hard drive. It was an experimental piece on the subject "Generation Y," for SooJin Buzelli at Plansonsor. Also pictured is the final graphite version of the drawing (featuring a cameo by illustrator Scott Brundage and his dog), and a progress sketch.


Happy New Year!


frank

"The 2011 Spectrum of Villainy"

Last weekend, 16 small, black and white ink drawings I did ran in the New York Times Magazine. The article was about the spectrum of villainy of different film evildoers from this year.

Here are a handful of my favorites, some sketches, and some tonal versions that we didn't end up pursuing.




It was a really fun job to work in just black and white, with the special challenge of knowing the pieces would print at less than two inches high.

Here is a link to the online version of the article, where you can see all 16 drawings.


Thanks for reading!

Frank