Gong Hey Fat Choy

Fashion week dismantled it's tents for the last time at Bryant Park, Lincoln Center will provide a more secure roof for the undernourished in future. In with the new, out with the old, so I went to Chinatown to welcome in the Year of the Tiger. The streets were packed with gyrating dragons scaring off bad luck as we dodged illegal fireworks exploding around us. My friends and I fought our way into my favorite Cantonese restaurant for snake soup and longevity noodles, like most exotic meat, snake tastes just like chicken. I am actually trying to meet a deadline on a project so I'll just post two of my Asian inspired illustrations for your viewing pleasure, or not. Hong Bao Na Lai.

Embarassed by the Eighties?

Not me. This particular illustration of swimsuits was done years ago for Sportstyle Magazine which I suspect is defunct.
I was digging through my files and almost threw this away but thought, hey, why not post it and dedicate it to Suzy Soro who loves the beaches of Meschers.

Happy Valentine's Day

Thanks for all your comments and for following my blog,  this valentine is for you. I am aware that life can be painful on this day if you are alone or caught in a bad romance, so without further ado, here is Lady Gaga to the rescue.

Bi-Coastal Snow Jobs

NYC is a mess, it does not adapt well to the snow. As an illustrator one must often adapt one's style a bit to suit the clients needs. In my illustration (above) I was asked to draw this zippered coat in a "sixties" style. I am presently working on a project with a west coast based agency whose client wants a "fifties" style. The only style happening in NYC at the moment has been dumped on by snow.

I Bloom at Bloomingdales

The above images are a few of my illustrations for Bloomingdale's print ads. It is my hope that many a young illustrator out there will read this blog and be encouraged, despite the shame and humilation one must suffer to be published. One very lean holiday season I was summoned to Macy's Dept. store and offered a job as an Elf, unlike David Sedaris, I could not do it. Having already been dressed as a cupid waiter at Studio 54 for Valentines day in wings and a diaper, I declined. Bloomingdales gave me a shot drawing on their walls, I was locked in the store all night trying my best to draw glamourous shoes. Come morning, I was summoned to the advertising dept. and hired to draw images for their ads. This was a job I was far more comfortable with. One job leads to another, from cupids to elves to print. Life is bizarre. As an illustrator you must be prepared to wear many hats, or costumes in my case, it beats waiting tables.

It's OK to Draw on the Furniture and Walls

As a child, I was a nerd, my room was always neat and clean, I would never think of drawing on the walls.
Bloomingdales once paid me to draw on their shoe dept. walls but I foolishly never bothered to photograph the work.
I recently discovered this brilliant collection of fabric and wallpaper by Beaudesert of London inspired by Cecil Beaton's fashion sketches from his 1954 book, The Glass of Fashion.
The chair at the top is covered in a linen print called "Garbo's Eye" which Salvador Dali would have approved of. Below that is a wallpaper and fabric print called 'Beaton's Beauties". I don't think I would ever do a whole room in these prints but it does inspire me to draw on the walls, chairs, sofa...
Check out the other prints of  sailors, hats, even Tic Tac Toe at The Cecil Beaton Fabric Collection.