An Epiphany, Illustrated

Some spot illustrations for an article about the author's personal journey of faith, featured in the latest issue of the Hypocrite Reader.

India ink & Copic Sketch 110 on Bristol; vectors drawn in Illustrator.

"Despair was in the mirror, in the streets, in the faces of my friends; behind my eyes were nooses and pills and razors."

"All at once I recognized that her eyes were of a different class of being than her coat was. I recognized that this was consciousness, that she was right then in the act of perceiving, and that perception was individuated and unrepeatable...A human being is made animate by forces within."

"I was happy and I felt very alive and a sentence came fully formed into my head: The world is made animate by benevolent forces...This was exactly the kind of invisible, instantaneous transformation I'd been waiting for...Air was no longer merely air, but a substance trembling with light that communicated my own living essence..."

And God Said It Was...

Drawn in Photoshop CS5

...an illustration for this month's issue of The Hypocrite Reader, this time for an article about transcendence and re-creation in Genesis.  I thought that a mostly typographic, calligraphic solution was most fitting given the importance of language in creation and connotations of divine grace. The lettering was initially hand-drawn, then scanned and digitally inked.

Works in Progress: Counterpoint Magazine

Counterpoint is a quarterly (neo)conservative-leaning periodical at the University of Chicago. I don't necessarily agree with everything in the publication of record, but I saw designing a restrained publication as a worthwhile challenge. The hypothetical redesign employs two-, four-, and five-column pages throughout, depending on the context. I used a slightly modified 1:2 modular scale for the copy, and everything's set in either American Text or Adobe Garamond Pro (with the exception of the cover story, which uses Trade Gothic instead of American Text). PSD Graphic Arts over at the University is prepping a proof, which should be ready any day.

Sample table of contents. A "contributors" page at the end of the publication is similarly demarcated using a light gray background fill.

Sample "reportage" opening spread.

Typical inside spread. I oped for large pull-quotes to break up large chunks of text, as illustrations and other images would likely have been rare.

Sample cover story opening double-truck spread. Illustration by Tom Tian.

Cover story: First spread.

Cover story: Typical spread.

Typical "review" spread.

Lite of the Mind

India ink on bristol board; digital colors

An illustrated feature for my alma mater's alumni publication, The University of Chicago Magazine, which was recently redesigned by, wait for it, Pentagram partners Michael Beirut and Luke Hayman.

Fun fact: The illustration is actually a composite of five separate drawings. I worked out the overall layout on a single sheet of paper before separating and scaling the individual elements, as my scanner can only accommodate 8.5" x 11" stock.

Aboard the USS Pickle Jar

India ink on bristol board; digital colors; click for hi-res. version

A sneak peek at this month's issue of the Hypocrite Reader, the theme of which is "Home and Heartache." The corresponding article discusses the uncertainties that attend modern cottage industry--its author, a twenty-something recent graduate, sells jars of home-made pickles (among other craft goods) out of her apartment.

Elvis Impersonators and...Weimar Communists?

It's the fifteenth, which means a new issue of the Hypocrite Reader is due. This month's issue (topic: "Occupations") might be delayed owing to the early morning evacuation of Zuccotti Park, but keep your eyes peeled.

India ink on bristol board; digital post-processing

The above illustration accompanies an article discussing the role of shame in cultivating solidarity among activists, the first half of which examined the tensions between affectuous, part-time Occupy neophytes and more experienced, committed activists. Said article includes an anecdotal account of an Elvis impersonator posing for the cameras at Occupy New Vegas, the author doubtful of his reliability as a participant. I ended up using a simple big-small contrast to illustrate the displacement of other demonstrators.

India ink on bristol board; digital post-processing

"Weimar communists hawking newspapers on a street corner" was my (very concise) brief for this illustration. I'd thought about adding building or lamp post in the background, but decided against it because the inclusion of potentially confusing details outweighed the benefit of additional context.

Reconstruction

It's the fifteenth, which means it's time for another issue of The Hypocrite Reader. This month's theme is "Reconstruction."

Ink & wash on bristol board; digital colors

I had a thumbnail of this idea on paper about five minutes into concepting, but set it aside for some stupid reason, only to return to it when the more complex idea fell apart. I'm pleased with the way this one turned out in the end. The original article was about a letter addressed to one's future amnesiac self.

Ink & wash on bristol board; digital colors

The same can't be said for this one, which corresponds to an article that discussed Perestroika's superficiality. I had the idea worked out fromt the get-go, but botched the execution, partly for want of time. In hindsight, I should probably have drawn this in Illustrator instead.

Morbid Commute (& Lady Gaga)

India ink on bristol board; digital colors

A sneak peek at the July issue of Hypocrite Reader, to be published tomorrow. The figure in the back is the personification of death from "The Seventh Seal," not a ninja. For those who are interested, the full process is documented in an animated .gif:

On an unrelated note, here's a drawing of Lady Gaga in a chicken getup leaving the Grammys. It's related to another Reader article, which I did not get to illustrate but nonetheless took a stab at since I found the premise hilarious.

Against the Crowd

Drawn in Illustrator CS5

I love inking and coloring by hand, but sometimes digital is genuinely a better solution (especially if you find yourself in a bind time-wise, like I did). Anyhow, this lovely piece of work is for this month's installment of the Hypocrite Reader, which has yet to be released as of press time.

The Progress of Memory

India ink on bristol board.

Illustrations for this month's issue of the Hypocrite Reader, which tackles issues pertaining to memory (and forgetting).

The Spark

India ink & ink wash on bristol board 

A few illustrations for the April issue of the Hypocrite Reader. Be sure to check out the articles!

India ink & color pencil on bristol board

A more "designed" piece, also for the Reader.

Dissidents & Demons

India ink & wash on bristol board

Some illustrations I pitched for the upcoming issue of the Hypocrite Reader, a quality online publication.

India ink & wash on bristol board