Trevi

In preparation for my upcoming gallery show in Rome, this week I had to draw a couple of pieces of promotional art. My contact asked for a view of the Trevi Fountain, lit up with Rotary International's End polio Now logo. This is kind of a sneak peek of the actual projection that will be presented at the event on Rotary Day.

I thought it would be cool to share the process. First, these were my rough sketches I provided...


The bottom one is pretty much what they asked for, a typical view of the fountain. I wanted to try something a bit more graphic, so I also sent the top version, unsure if it would fly with the client. Yes, you can't read the End Polio Now logo, and the view of the fountain is fragmented, but I really liked it. It's more challenging for the viewer, I think.

Anyway, We decided to do BOTH! Below is my full-sized layout. I usually work like this; on cheap tracing paper, using pencil & marker, I work out the broad strokes and nail down how the image(s) will be composed on the page...


After that, I usually lightbox my layout onto bristol board, and create a nice, clean pencil drawing to ink. Here's where I tighten things up and try to get the perspective & details down. Unfortunately, I don't have a scan of the pencils to show you. So here are my finished inks...



At this point, I scan the inked artwork--and usually do some clean-up in Photoshop before coloring. Finally, here is the finished color work. I'm fairly pleased with the results. What do you think?.



There you have it. I am very curious to see what they do with them. I will let you know!

Rome!

As promised here and on Facebook, today I will reveal some exciting news! (Drumroll, please...)

Next month my artwork will be on display at the National Institute for Graphic Arts at the Palazzo Poli in Rome!

In recent months, the stories I drew for the Rotarian magazine have been taking on a life of their own. First there was that enthusiastic bloke in the UK, then yesterday's Folio Award announcement, and now this. Evidently, people respond favorably to the use of graphic storytelling! Who knew?

Of course that's a joke. As a comic book artist, I've always known that comics (or "graphic novels," if you prefer) can be a powerful medium for communicating ideas. My editor at the Rotarian, Deborah Lawrence, knew thew this too, and campaigned for a long time before she was able to go ahead and produce our series of stories. The first, if you're playing catch-up, was Amazing Stories of Polio, a history of the disease and the battle to eradicate it. This ties in with Rotary's End Polio Now effort. Next, we told the story of Rotary's founder, Paul Harris, in the illustrated biography, The Remarkable Mr. Harris.


February 23rd is Rotary Day, when members of Rotary Clubs around the world celebrate the international organization's birthday. As shown in The Remarkable Mr. Harris, the historic first club meeting took place in Chicago on that date in 1905. Today, it is a day of celebration, used to expand awareness of Rotary and its charitable works. It's a big deal...




You can see from this photo from Rotary Day 2009 that the Roman Rotarians take the job pretty seriously!


This year, they have their sights set on the Trevi Fountain, which will be lit up in a similar way. The Building behind the famous fountain is the Palazzo Poli, where the original art from both of my stories will be on display. The organizer, Alberto Cecchini, has arranged for me to be present at the event, which will also be attended by Rome's mayor and many public dignitaries. Needless to say, I am thrilled.


This week, I'm working up some promotional art for the event. Here are a couple of rough sketches...


I'll post the finished work, when it's completed. Now I'd better get back to work. And I'd better brush up on my Italian. And you know what else? I think I ought to join the Rotary Club!

Folio Award Winner!

This just in: Folio Magazine's 2010 Eddie and Ozzie Awards were presented today in New York, where The Remarkable Mr. Harris won a Silver Award in the Association/Non‐Profit, Circulation 6 or more times a year, Single Article category!

The Remarkable Mr. Harris is a graphic biography of Rotary International's founder, Paul Harris, which appeared in the December 2009 issue of the Rotarian, drawn by Yours Truly. This is some of my best work. I'm very proud of it, and I'm thrilled to hear that a "comic book" story has had such an impact (more on this later...).

Congratulations to my editor, Deborah Lawrence and the writer of The Remarkable Mr. Harris, Diana Schoberg!

I have some other, excellent, Rotary story-related news, that I will share with you tomorrow!

Speaking of Polio...

Okay, you got me. I wasn’t speaking about polio. Not too many people I know speak or even think about polio these days. The reason is obvious; the crippling (and deadly) disease has been largely eradicated from our planet.

Older generations remember all too well the common sight of the polio stricken; walking with crutches, wearing those clunky exoskeletal braces on their legs, and the horror of those forced to live within the tomb of an iron lung. Less than 60 years ago, 59,000 Americans alone were crippled or killed by a polio epidemic. Thanks to the vaccines developed by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin during the 1950s, we’ve been blessed with a nearly polio free existence since.

However, there are a few places left in the world that still struggle with the virus, and the people of Rotary International are among the few who continue to talk about polio, spreading awareness and actively raising money to finally destroy the disease completely. Their effort is straightforwardly called End Polio Now.


As some of you know, in late 2008, Rotary International contracted me to draw the first in a series of educational comic book stories. “Amazing Stories of Polio” depicts the history of the poliovirus and the fight to eliminate it. The story appeared first within the pages of the February ’09 issue of the Rotarian magazine, and soon after was printed as a stand-alone comic that has been widely distributed, and admired by Rotary Club members worldwide.

One such person is Steve Root of Canterbury, UK. Steve is a member of the Rotary Club of Canterbury Sunrise , a group of about 30 men and women of different backgrounds sharing a strong community spirit. A year ago, Steve contacted me with an interesting idea. He wanted to take my comic book pages, enlarge them, and display them in a storefront’s window in Canterbury. His idea was to draw attention to Rotary’s End Polio Now program and share the story with as many passers-by as possible.

I forwarded his request to my Rotarian contacts (who commissioned me) and after many months of discussions, and more time finding an appropriate venue, Steve has finally made his idea into a reality...


Here on the corner of Butchery Lane and Burgate, a busy UK high street and tourist destination (right by Canterbury Cathedral), the Rotarians have conspired to transform this storefront into one giant comic book...

Steve Root and his amazing giant comic book!

Putting up the second panel

Steve Root and fellow club member, Jim Gascoyne

Ta daaaa...!

Why did Steve Root spend a year on this project? In his own words...

“Polio has been eradicated from the UK for a long time. Many people now don't know the effect polio has on a person, having never seen it for themselves. I'm one of those people. I'm in my early thirties and, until reading your comic, I really didn't have the first clue about what the disease does. I have vague recollections of a sugar cube vaccination in primary school, but no first hand knowledge. Using the comic as a piece of artwork educates passers-by who stop to read it.”

In addition, the campaign will increase local awareness about Rotary in general, and their local club in particular. They also plan to try to raise some money by selling the comics in an adjacent shop and collecting donations.

How long will this display be up? “Until the next tenant arrives. That could be
tomorrow, or a couple of months, we don't know for certain.”

From my point of view, one thing is certain: this is extremely cool! It’s like having my own gallery opening in the UK! “Amazing Stories of Polio,” was a very gratifying story to work on as an illustrator. It’s not often that I get to work on projects connected to a really good cause, and I am very pleased to see my work appearing again and again in different creative ways. (Thanks, Steve!)

P.S. If you happen to be in Canterbury, Kent and see this thing in person, drop me a note here--and send me a photo of yourself, if at all possible! Wish I could be there myself!

For Any Rotarians Out There...

The "Illustrated Biography" (AKA: comic book) of Rotary International founder, Paul Harris, made it's debut within the pages of the Rotarian magazine in December. Now available as a stand-alone comic at their website.

It's an interesting story, even for those of us who are not active Rotary Club members. I am very proud of how my artwork turned out, and it has piqued my interest in exploring more ways to use comic book art to reach different audiences. The world of "graphic nonfiction" has really seemed to take off since I worked on the Ronald Reagan graphic novel back in 2006. The glut of last year's Obama related titles and comics like the Female Force series from Bluewater Productions seem to back that up.

I have some definite ideas about what works and what doesn't with these books. What do you think, my friends?

The Rotarian

It's been quiet here on the ol' blog, mainly because I've had a surge of much-needed work this Autumn. In September, I started working on my second comic book story for Rotary International's The Rotarian magazine. Readers of this blog may recall that last year I drew a 16-page feature about the history of polio and the fight to eradicate the crippling disease.

The new story, which will be featured in the December issue of The Rotarian, is a biography of the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris. Like the polio story, this is a 16-page story appearing in the magazine, that will also be appearing as a stand-alone pamphlet sometime next year. And even cooler: I drew the image for the magazine's front cover this time...



I am very psyched about this story, for several reasons. Most of the story takes place around the years 1890-1910, and I loved drawing the period. I enjoy doing the research and trying to give an air of authenticity to the drawings. The first part of the story is pretty moody and atmospheric, and I used a lot of heavy shadows and a monochromatic color scheme to convey that.

I'm not sure how much I can show here on my blog, but here are a couple of teaser images. I'll probably post more in December when the issue is published...



The folks at Rotary International have been great to work with, and they are very excited about using the comic book storytelling form as a means to reach more people with their messages and causes. I'm looking forward to participating in their NEXT foray into "Graphic Journalism," as they like to call it.

But right now, I have a POP-UP book to color! More on that later...

Polio in the News

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article about the latest efforts to eradicate polio. A reported $635 million has been pledged by the governments of the UK and Germany, along with several charities, including $100 million by Rotary International. It seems that the Amazing Stories of Polio feature that I drew for the February issue of The Rotarian is well timed. For a sneak peek, check out this link and learn more about this worthy cause.

Amazing Stories of Polio!

The February '09 issue of Rotary International's Rotarian magazine will feature a 16-page comic book story (graphic non-fiction?) about the history of Polio eradication, drawn by Yours Truly.

The subject matter isn't sexy or action-packed, but this was a very interesting job that further demonstrates just how flexible the medium of "sequential storytelling" can be. The enlightened editors at the Rotarian knew that the history of Polio and the scientists and humanitarians who continue to fight it, could be an easily-overlooked feature in their magazine...or something new and different. Telling the story as a narrative with images makes an old subject interesting and accessible. I think the end result works very well.

The story, of course, begins and ends with Jonas Salk, who created the first vaccine to prevent the spread of Polio, while refusing to patent it. A true humanitarian, whose achievement & selflessness made him a household name.

The narrative then goes back to describe the history of the disease, how the virus works & spreads, and its effect on the world.

Rotary International is on the brink of eradicating Polio from the last few places it exists on earth today. In an ever-shrinking world, as long as polio threatens even one child anywhere, children everywhere remain at risk.

I'm very pleased to have been able to work on this project, and contribute to a worthy cause. For more information about End Polio Now, please visit their website and learn how you can help, too.