I like both these drawings in different ways. I liked the bottom one better, but that was a few days ago. Of cours now that I’ve had a few days I’m thinking of all the ways I would change it. That said I still like the draping of Mantiss’ Ghillie suit.

The later of the two versions is the one with the halftone. As much as I like the folds in the cloth, I think think they are just too digital. While they have a wonderful charcoal feel, there’s a certain buttery-ness to them that seems indicative of most digital work. In and of itself it’s not bad, but it lacks, I think, a signature to it.

Recent cartoon for Transport Topics, obviously a play on Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities. In that vein I wanted the illustration to have a period feel. To that end I added extra lines, reminiscent of engravings, to the the edges of the drawings in the book. I also went with a faded palette for the drawing. The subdued colors perform a second function on the book illustrations. They push the spots down visually, grounding them on the pages.

All in all I think its successful piece. I’ve been experimenting with brushes and colors, but that’s for another post.

And the finish. Story for this is that Maersk is talking about making drivers pay for damaged containers. I wonder if drivers will have to do a walk-around with a clipboard, like at a car rental place.

Inks for the sketch I posted on Monday. I’m pretty happy with how they turned out. Some cartoons are more fun than others. This was fun.

Knocked out a couple sketches this morning. I like the quality of them and think these two toons will look pretty good. No easter eggs in them yet. Later if I have time.

In case you don’t know LaHood is the Secretary of Transportation. Outside of Rocky, I’ve probably drawn him more times than anyone else (in my trucking cartoons.)

I did a couple different versions of this bicycle idea. The only trait common to them all was the guy on the tricycle. That was making it in no matter what.

My Pals I:Scinitlla have just released a new EP Prey on You. While I missed them on the recent Electronic Saviors Benefit Concert I did catch them last year and they are amazing live. As fellow designers, artists, and ardent followers of my Daily Fergus project these folks rock on many levels. Check them out!

I get the idea of customization, of wanting to “skin” something and make it your own. As it stands, however, Firefox’s new Personas are a nightmare. Obviously every user is going to have a different experience. As a tab heavy user who relies on his Toolbar links a lot, these new Personas are an absolute horror.

From a technical standpoint I admire the way the new skins work. But from a practical point of view I’ll wait until someone who has done GUI/interface design makes a few.

C’mon, is there anyone out there who doesn’t know Tufte?

Edward Tufte, Appointee for Member, Recovery Independent Advisory Panel

Edward Tufte is Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Statistics, and Computer Science at Yale University. He wrote, designed, and self-published The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence, which have received 40 awards for content and design. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Society for Technical Communication, and the American Statistical Association. He received his PhD in political Science from Yale University and BS and MS in statistics from Stanford University.

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From ET:

I will be serving on the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel. This Panel advises The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, whose job is to track and explain $787 billion in recovery stimulus funds:

“The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board was created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with two goals:

To provide transparency in relation to the use of Recovery-related funds.
To prevent and detect fraud, waste, and mismanagement.
Earl E. Devaney was appointed by President Obama to serve as chairman of the Recovery Board. Twelve Inspectors General from various federal agencies serve with Chairman Devaney. The Board issues quarterly and annual reports to the President and Congress and, if necessary, “flash reports” on matters that require immediate attention. In addition, the Board maintains the Recovery.gov website so the American people can see how Recovery money is being distributed by federal agencies and how the funds are being used by the recipients.

Mission statement: To promote accountability by coordinating and conducting oversight of Recovery funds to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse and to foster transparency on Recovery spending by providing the public with accurate, user-friendly information.”

Yes I just referenced New Jack City.

So 2009 has been a bit of a slog. But 2010 is looking alright. have fun tonight, be safe.