Gimme a hand with this shelf...

Hey Blog, I missed a post last week. I think I was too busy not sleeping, hunched over my drawing table while listening to the rain hit the top of my air conditioner. Anyway, I got a couple of really great projects on the horizon and I'm quite excited. More on those once details are finalized. Anyway, right now I'm finishing up a piece for Hyphen Magazine but I'm taking a quick break to post this before I forget.

Anyway, I was recently called upon by my friends at Alpha Magazine for a full page with an accompanying quarter page on a story about "dark pools of liquidity". Apparently hedge fund managers can trade on off-exchange trading venues where buyers can fill orders with minimized market effect. This practice has gotten much more popular, and traders need to be more aware of the possible dangers and guard their privacy. I tossed a few ideas at them, and fortunately for me they chose a weird one that was cool to illustrate.


The main idea was based on the dangers of making uninformed decisions, and the "cabinet of hands" was a pretty good way for me to get that across. Also, it should be noted that my drawing style has changed A LOT over the past two years. I think my Crispy Kid book, was definitely a turning point. I don't know if I'll ever incorporate a regular pencil line into my work again (never say never tho). And here's the accompanying quarter pager.


Both pieces are darker than what I'm been doing lately (in terms of palette), and it was a refreshing change of pace, as the piece I'm working on right now is much brighter.

So that's about it, back to work and I'll catch you later.

Trust But Verify

Hey Blog. For some reason technology hated me this week. I had to completely purge my horribly virus-ridden computer AND get a new Blackberry Storm to replace my three week old Storm that suddenly decided to be the slowest phone on Earth. Anyway, all that's behind me now so I'm ready to start new.

In terms of recent projects, the SVA MFA Poster has finally gone to press and I'm pretty damn proud of it if I do say so myself. Marshall Arisman, David Sandlin, and Nathan Fox all participated along with the entire graduating class of '09, and its really special. Those should be in my hands with a couple of weeks and I'll be sure to post pics. Also, the third "Altpick Deck" has been delayed slightly due a printer error, but I've seen an advance copy and it looks AMAZING. I'm really proud of it, and its different from the previous two decks, so it really stands by itself.

On the illustration front, I did a piece for Alpha Magazine a couple of weeks ago and its my first 'road illustration'. What does that mean you ask? Well, right before I left on my cross country excursion I took the job, and was emailing, sketching, and doing my usual business stuff while traveling by bus. I really wanted to do the illustration, and fortunately the art director Diana Panfil was incredibly patient and understanding of the situation and slightly extended the final deadline to accommodate my insane schedule.

The working title is called "Trust But Verify" and its about hedge-fund managers seeking third party consultants to appease distrusting clients. I tried to fit both ideas of "third party consultants" and "verification", but in the end only needed the verification angle. I tried something I've never done editorially which is use sequential panels, and I was pretty stoked. Here's a sketch that I sent from a FeEx/Kinko's in Houston, TX.


The body language is definitely subtle, with the biggest shift happening in the last panel. I wouldn't call this 'risky', but I think some other publications would have requested more action and I was so happy that Diana had faith in the idea.


For the final I kept the palette minimal (pink can be minimal), and kept the vibe casual. The last panel's my favorite and I really dig it as a whole. I think I made Josh Bayer proud, aha. Also, I made my Monday deadline and took the longest nap of my life afterward.

So that's about it Blog. One month left!

Stone Hedge Fund

Sup Blog. First off, the title/bad pun is slightly incorrect as the following piece is about long/short investing, not hedge funds. However, hedge funds made for an interesting title, and it resides in the financial world, sooooooo FUN!

Anthony Scerri from the Institutional Investor asked me to illustrate the failures of long/short investing. The main concept is that long/short investing tactics have been around for so long, but due to the financial crisis ultimately failed Wallstreet's expectations. So here's the initial sketch:


First of all, Wacom tablets are amazingly awesome. Of course I still draw all my final images on vellum paper with ink and brush, but the Wacom has allowed me to do quicker sketches with TONS more conceptual clarity. Second of all, props to Anthony because I threw some wacky ideas at him and he picked my favorite idea, so the process was pretty painless. And here's the final:


I followed the layout of the sketch, but really tried to get in there with little details to create a sense of scale. This was a really fun piece to make, and definitely one of my recent favorites.

And extremely off topic, my niece Emily Marie Tumang-Atienza is being christened tomorrow, and I'm her godfather! Me and her dad Jeff are looking forward to wielding shotguns in front her potential suitors.

Peace Blog.