Media Blitz

It is going to be a busy season for my google reader, as the reviews of John Brown: His Fight for Freedom are starting to come in. The book is officially released today (though if you bought it through amazon you won't see it till october 1st) and I wanted to share a few links to some good reviews.

The Journal-World, of Lawrence, Kansas has a nice commentary and review of the book here. A highlight:

The facts pass the test, as far as Jonathan Earle is concerned.Earle is an associate professor of history at KU who studied the Civil War and who himself has authored a book on Brown. He admits he was skeptical when he first heard of Hendrix’s book. But after reading it, he says it works ... And he was surprised at how directly the book dealt with the controversial periods of Brown’s life. "There’s difficult stuff,” Earle says. “He doesn’t avoid the difficult parts of the biography, such as John Brown and his sons murdering the settlers in Pottawatomie. He doesn’t airbrush him.”

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has a look at the book as well. From the review:

I love that spread. On many levels. (And not just ’cause I think John Brown here weirdly resembles Bruce Campbell just a wee little bit, which is neither here nor there, so let’s move on.) I don’t think we’re ever going to see John Hendrix do dainty, and that’s a-okay with me.

100 Scope Notes has a small blurb about the book in their Fall Preview:

Cover look a bit familiar? John Hendrix illustrated last year’s outstanding Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek (100 Scope Notes review) and the man’s style has a way of jumping out at you. Looking forward to him taking on another historical figure. You can see the evolution of this cover at designer Chad W. Beckerman’s blog Mishaps and Adventures – interesting stuff.

Plus, in a perfect storm of media strategy, Communication Arts has a profile on my work and the book that just came out today as well. I've heard from a few people that it is out there though I haven't seen it yet. No link to that on the website- you've got to see it in print.

Hopefully more to come...

Drawing in Church 8/30 + 8/23

Here are a few images from the last two weeks in the pew.

A Thorny Cover- Part 1

I've spent most of the summer cranking out a sketch dummy of my next book for children, about the remarkable story of Civil War hero Sarah Edmonds. In between I've done a few editorial jobs, only a few worth noting- including this cover package for the new redesign of Christianity Today. The story is about "Spiritual Formation" which is, for those you who don't speak Christianese, the process of deepening and growing your faith. But the conversation gets sticky with this question: Does the act of spiritual growth start with man or with God himself? You can guess where the various denominations fall in this conversation... but this magazine is aimed at a very ecumenical audience.

What makes this a difficult illustration is addressing both sides of this conversation without drawing a complete visual cliche. I proposed three ideas initially, with two of the three pushing a visual style that is much more at home in my sketchbook... but I thought this might be the right opportunity for a challenging pictorial metaphor.



After I sent three ideas- we selected B because it seemed to address the question of God-Authored or Man-Authored growth most clearly. But, in order to be a bit more even-handed we shifted the guy in the vine from reclined, carried upward to the top, to standing/sort-of climbing.


Here are a few color ideas I tried out, and this never happens, but the first one I did was the winner.




I also drew a spot that went with the cover package and two smaller spots that were in a sidebar article, not attached to the cover. The visual language of the little spots shifted a bit to set them apart from the larger story.

Cover work is always exciting, especially with magazines that end up on the bookstore rack. The thrill of seeing it with all the other magazines never gets old for me.

Drawing In Church 8/9

Two recent drawings from the pew...

John Brown Show

The show about the creation of my book, John Brown: His Fight for Freedom, is now up at Subterranean Books, 6275 Delmar, in the U. City Loop. I've got a bunch of sketches, original drawings, a full color proof of the book as well as a display of my process for the cover design.

The show will be up through the end of September, but I'll be having an opening and book signing on September 10th, 2009 at 6pm.As usual, the front window is my favorite part- with a giant JB cover suspended behind an open Bible and bowie knife- slicing a lock and chain in two! I opted not to use the stage blood.

Harry Potter Exhibition!

I was in Chicago over the weekend, for the American Library Association Conference, talking with librarians about my John Brown book. Had a great time and met some amazing artists and writers. Just as great was the trip I took to see the Harry Potter exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry. I spent almost two hours in there, loving the chance to be around such amazing props, costumes and creatures.

Though no less than three guards gave me the stink eye and one asked rather loudly to no one in particular "Can he be drawing in here?" I managed to do a few drawings. When are you going to get a chance to draw Buckbeak and Kreacher from life?

Sketchbook Show at NYT

I've been invited to be in a show with some amazing people called SKETCHBOOK OBSESSIONS-

Sketchbooks from:
Peter Arkle, Karen Barbour, George Bates, Nicholas Blechman, Blex Bolex, Loren Capelli, Josh Cochran, Matt Dorfman, Sara Fanelli, Nicholas Gazin, Steven Guarnaccia, Eric Hanson, John Hendrix, Matthew Hollister, Emma Houlston, Erik T. Johnson, Nora Krug, Pascal Lemaitre, Jason Logan, Ted McGrath, Rick Meyerowitz, Chris Silas Neal, Kate O'Connor, Mike Perry, Leif Parsons, Alain Pilon, Emilano Ponzi, Jason Polan, Brian Rea, Edel Rodriguez, Jonathon Rosen, Leanne Shapton, Seth, Shoboshobo, Rachel Solomon, Tamara Shopsin, Ward Schumaker, Holly Stevenson, Jillian Tamaki, Mark Todd, Aude Van Ryn, Andrea Ventura, Henning Wagenbreth, Esther Pearl Watson, Jeremy Zilar

Thursday July 16, 2009, 7:00-9:00 PM
The New York Times, 620 8th Avenue, 7th FL

RSVP required to: galleryseven@nytimes.com

Someone in the NYC area go and take pictures for me!

It's All Too Much!

You may not know Peter Walsh by name, but I bet your recognize him as the guy on Oprah who counsels chronic pack-rats to get rid of all the junk in their lives. The kind of foul muck he finds under beds and in forgotten closets is astonishing.

I've spend the better part of the last month crashing a book project he wrote for kids about managing their physical space and belongings called "It's All Too Much!" (That there is a need for a book like this is, by itself, a reflection on the problem.) The assignment from Simon and Schuster was to create 93 black and white spot illustrations to go with this text, in four weeks! Wait, how many?

Working in black and white is a kind of rarity in the publishing world these days, outside of the Op-Ed pages and the Progressive. Those of you who Tivo Oprah, (read: andrea) let me know if you see it on the show anytime soon.

Book (Jacket) Review

Thanks to Kevin Gosa for alerting me to this review at The New Yorker's website of my Cooking Dirty jacket. I've never seen a book jacket reviewed without an actual review of the content inside. Thanks for noticing, New Yorker!

Canoes and Maps

A small map for Scouting Magazine about canoeing in the Adirondack Mountains. I also just finished a larger project I'm going to post later today as well.

Drawing In Church- 6/28

The Sun is Hot

Money magazine tells us that we should water our grass in the summer- or it will turn brown. Slow news week.

More bling...

Ok, I promise this is the last post about book awards- but I got this in the mail the day after I got the Comstock Award stickers. Junior Library Guild selected the Abe Lincoln book as a part of its 2008-2009 selection list. But, what is better than a sticker? A lapel pin! So, if next time you see me- please count my pieces of flair.

Comstock Book Award

I got this fun letter in the mail wednesday- Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek won the Comstock Award, administered by Minnesota State University. Even more fun is the roll of gold stickers they sent. Now I can carry these around and affix them to my books when I see them in the remainder bins at Borders. Many thanks to the committee for selecting our book!

Late Night Fight

Here is a fast turnaround piece I just finished for the upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly, about the Late Night 6-way ratings horse race.



Those of you following my Twitter feed may be aware of some of the mid-drawing hysteria not mentioned here.

Drawing In Church- 6/7

I always draw more in my sketchbook (read: procrastinate) when I'm on a big deadline. It is one of those odd behaviors I see in many illustrators, and I try to tell my students about- good work creates other good work. Freedom from deadlines does not always make for better drawings... 

Gold Medal!

The new 3x3 Illustration Annual has awarded a Gold Medal to a recent favorite, "Insurance Myths", as well as Distinguished Merit to both "The Best of Times" and "WOE!"...also accepted was the "Sex and the City Marathon" drawing from Entertainment Weekly. Thanks to the jury and 3x3!

Fountain of All-Nighters

Luerzer's Archive, a directory to advertise illustrators, designers and photographers asked me to do the newest cover. It will also run as a stand alone ad without the 25 years box someday soon. I got final approval on my sketch on tuesday morning. I need some sleep.

Spot, beloved mutt of the illustration world

Illustrators may get the awards from the full-size covers, jackets and posters- but we all pay the bills with the spots. It is hard for me to turn down the New York Times, regardless, but I always take a Letters-to-the-Editor illustration (my old stomping grounds) when I can. I'm very thankful for such jobs, which are enjoyable and short lived.





I take many of these jobs every year, and they are usually never seen by anyone who doesn't read the magazine, but here are a few recent anonymous drawings. The wind turbine from OnEarth Magazine, and the iPhone from PC World.



Other news relating to smaller illustrations... Popular Mechanics let me know that my drawing of the astronauts trying to buy the moon was accepted into the SPD Spot show. Good boy!

Drawing In Church- 5/10

Common grace, the theological idea that God's blessings fall on all mankind- regardless of their internal/external condition, ...and dinosaurs.