Daniel Vasconcellos

Knock! knock!

The daily news of the housing mortgage crisis generated this assignment opportunity. You never know who'll drop by for a nice, neighborly visit these days... Do you.

If it's Fred Norgaard, my collaborator on this illo from the NY Times, then by all means, let him in. He's good company.

Got Money?

Here's a recent illo for Fred Norgaard at the New York Times. It accompanied the essay, "A Fairer System: Tax the Annoying", by John Schwartz in the Business section on February 10, 2008.

To avoid the image being misread as the all-too-familiar family searching for TV remote, I gave one to the family dog. Obviously, he was happy to cooperate.

John's essays are always a fun read, and these assignments present the challenge of developing and executing the art under a short deadline.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/business/yourtaxes/10essay.html

2008!

Here's the final stage in the process. (First-time visitors please scroll down to view my work process description beginning in the November 2007 post)

After discussing the sketch with the client I complete any required revision of the sketch and working directly from the approved sketch I render the line work onto 140lb Arches Hot Pressed watercolor paper using Higgins waterproof drawing ink and a Hunt 101 Imperial pen nib. Once the line work is dry I paint over it with Winsor Newton watercolors. Absent any specific requests from the client I generally allow the mood of the narrative to dictate the color pallet.

The final color art is then scanned here in my studio, cleaned up (as needed) in Photoshop and emailed to the client as a jpeg. In this case, to Mr. Ray Gedeon of Softmart (http://www.softmart.com) for approval and incorporation into the intended brochure.

So there you have it; a brief peek into my work process. As always feel free to email me with questions or comments. I'll do my best to respond.

Happy 2008!

Seasons Greetings!

Here's the next step in my process:

Once I settle on sketches I think work the pencil roughs are scanned from my sketchbook and cleaned up, and 'tweaked' to fit the client's specifications and my idea of what the illustration should communicate. I'll then attach the jpeg image and email it to my client for their review and feedback.

After a conversation via phone or email where the reception the image received is discussed, and when necessary, changes are made to accommodate my client request or I'm given the go ahead to proceed to final art. (Which I can happily report was the case here. Thanks, Ray)

No two assignments are the same. And the collaborative process is a big part of what keeps this work so interesting.

Check back in next month for a look at the final artwork.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have about my work. I'll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

November Thanks

Since I enjoy seeing the process by which any creative effort arrives at its destination I offer a quick peek into my "process" by way of this recent pencil sketch rendered for Ray Gedeon of Softmart. These pencil sketches mark the initial step for all my illustrations where text and concept are distilled into a visual expression. (Sounds fancy, eh? Sorry but explaining how these sketches come to be takes the fun out of it. Truth is, I use elves.)

This initial interpretation plays on the chaotic and perplexing task of monitoring a company's I.T. inventory (absent Softmart's involvement, of course). It will be the first sketch of what will eventually be three full-color drawings commissioned for introducing Softmart's I.T. scalability products and solutions.

Visit Softmart (http://www.softmart.com) where Ray, and the good folks at Softmart can explain their products and capabilities far better than I could here.

Stop by next month when I'll show the next step in the process.

And thanks to Ray, Softmart, and all my trusting clients who grant me the opportunity to collaborate and make my pictures.

Hunt for read October

Here's a little something for you early-bird holiday shoppers... or those who simply could use a good laugh.

I've previously shared illustrations created for Pat McManus's monthly Last Laugh column in Outdoor Life magazine. This past summer Pat and the good folks at Simon & Schuster chose one of my images to grace the cover of his latest collection of short stories titled "Kerplunk" which will be available November 3, 2007.

It's a real honor to be associated with Pat and his work, and I encourage you to visit his website http://www.mcmanusbooks.com and order several hundred copies -- and get 'em all signed! And please say hello to Pat and Bun for me.

September!

Okay, so not everyone is happy that summer's coming to a close.

Yeah, I'd planned to lose a few pounds during the warmer months and get in better shape, but I have to remind myself of all those goals I DID achieve...

...[queue the crickets]...

But hey, enough about me, here's to the changing seasons, and in partucular, Fall: a time to enjoy life wearing long pants.

© Daniel Vasconcellos 2007

Dog Days...

Ahhh, summah in New England!... Where expectations collide with a brief reality.

To view recent work, pick up a copy of the following publications ; Harvard Business School, Outdoor Life, the Wall Street Journal, EDN News, MetGolfer and Perfect Vision magazine.

And I hope your summer is exceeding your imagination.

It's JULY! and here's what's cooking...

Thanks for checking in.

In the coming months your visit should be rewarded with more content; notecards, art reprints, original art and assorted items available at the 'store' link, as well as occasionally updated portfolio images. I trust the content will prove worthy of your time and support.

If there's something you'd like to see more of feel free to let me know. And please, tell a friend or twelve to drop by.

And in response to recent requests, yes, virtually every image on this site is available to be ordered as notecards for your personal or business communication needs or as a gift t-shirt, etc. I invite your inquiries and do check back soon. I'm planning to update this "News!" blog every month. Thanks.

"Uh-oh!"

Pick up a copy of Outdoor Life magazine where you'll find the Last Laugh column written by the funniest outdoorsman alive, Patrick F. McManus.

I'm fortunate to have the unique privilege of illustrating Pat's work every month, so I speak from personal experience when I say you won't be disappointed.

The image above appeared in the February 2007 issue where Pat addresses (as only he can) working with outdoor guides.

Daniel Vasconcellos

Knock! knock!

A March Lioness

A March Lion