Newest Macleans illo on newsstands

 My latest for Macleans magazine. This fellow big and strong, an amazing martial artist. He loved DJing and worked in construction putting up drywall while he followed his dreams. Days before he died, he described a day spent at a playground with his daughter Ava and his father as the happiest day of his life. The other name on the swing, Alicia, is his wife. I like how the frame of the swing set forms "A"s on either side.

The spot illo for the iPad version:

-- Julia
Portfolio site

Cover of the Georgia Straight Out Now!

New client! Super happy to get to do the cover of The Georgia Straight, a Vancouver newspaper established in 1967. My first love is editorial illustration so whenever I get the chance to work for a great paper like this it's a real feather in my cap. Some proud moments I've had recently have been doing a series of illos for the Village Voice and doing a cover for the National Post's Weekend Post section.

The story is about the hidden dangers of farmed shrimp. Unbeknownst to most folks, farmed shrimp is absolutely chock-full of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. There are regulations but those are often lax in the countries that farm shrimp and there isn't a lot of inspection going on when it makes it over to us.

The art director wanted something bold and bright and I was more than happy to oblige! A major bonus for me was getting to illustrate food -- one of my favourite subjects :).

Julia
-- Portfolio site

Grunge for the Weekly Alibi

A fun grungy music piece for the Weekly Alibi for an article titled "Seattle Wall of Sound". Apparently Converse sneakers are super 90s, but for me the 90s shoe/boot has got to be Dr. Marten's. I actually have these somewhere back home!

I draw the same speakers in everything ~.~'  :

 Sketch:

-- Julia
Portfolio site

Two new rooms for my adventure game

 Slow and steady wins the race! Here's a fun boudoir. I'm trying to labour over these less because I really start obsessing over every little pixel. Is there enough pink in this one? I've always loved dressing screens. So very chic.

And here's a sun-filled conservatory. I managed to squeeze in one of my favourite posters: "Le Chat Noir". Most of the cottage will look rustic and older and kinda dark, but the conservatory is a newer addition where a few herbs and plants are grown and where there's some nice light and warmth.

This is the first really decent room I did. The kitchen is definitely from an older part of the cottage, particularly the ice box and the antique stove.

This was my first attempt at a room. I like the lighting and shadows, but I'm not crazy about the colours or the drawing. Continual improvement!

I think the next room I do will be a large living room that scrolls across two screens (if that's possible). Either that or a bedroom because I haven't tried that yet. Maybe a study!

-- Julia
Portfolio site

Hydrocolloid Pantheon: Pectin Priestess

Third in the series! Here are the other two (gelatin and agar) and their sketches. I'm thinking of a combination of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruitfulness, a sort of witchy priestess with a cauldron that's making jam, and perhaps a touch of Margaery Tyrell of Highgarden (go go Game of Thrones!).

Along the left side are the pectin-containing fruit foodstuffs jam, jelly, and marmalade. Along the right are two fruit-derived sources of pectin: dried orange peels and apple pomace (which does look like hamster food). Further down along the right side are some jam-making implements and along the bottom are some delicious foods that feature jams and jellies (thumbprint cookies, jammy dodgers, fruit tarts, jelly roll).

There are other types of fruit preserves such as chutney, confit, fruit butter, and fruit curd, but I don't think any of those require pectin and so aren't included in the illustration.

-- Julia
Portfolio site

A Liver's Tale for the Weekly Alibi

Here's a fun one I did to accompany a short fictional tale in the Weekly Alibi about black market livers. The story is written in a trippy, fragmented way, so I wanted to make this one a little surreal. Here's another dreamy illustration I did for the Alibi. 

The liver is a bit of a tricky one to draw. It's not as iconic as the heart, kidneys, or even stomach! Just kinda a mass of meat, really.

I'm having a hard time resisting doing rising suns in my work lately. I did one in my Agar Lady piece and I'm trying not to do one in my current work in progress, which is all about pectin. The sun and its rays is just such a nice framing device! Grr. 

Sketch!

-- Julia

Portfolio site