phil: The Best of Ontario

Those lucky people visiting Canada this summer can see phil’s Ontario vineyard inspired murals while picking up some of Ontario’s best wines at the LCBO. One look at these paintings is sure to inspire a late summer – early fall tour of Prince Edward County/ Niagara region vineyards.

Julia Woolf: The Best of Berkner

Julia Woolf created the playful artwork for children’s music megastar Laurie Berkner’s latest CD cover.

Asaf Hanuka: BP Oil Spill

Asaf Hanuka shares his process for conceiving and distilling his imagery for this editorial piece on the BP oil spill.

Sean Tiffany: Geocaching

One of the last kid's books Sean Tiffany finished up this week dealt with the newly minted sport of geocaching.

Ryan Pancoast: Feel the Power

Ryan Pancoast shares his latest work for Wizards of the Coast’s Magic the Gathering card series.

Christian Lindemann: Recent Work

Christian Lindemann handled a couple of editorial subjects recently with his usual grace and good humor.

C.F. Payne: The Case Against Summer Vacation

Chris Payne taps into nostalgic memories of the seemingly endless, all-American screen-door summer vacation.  Is that so wrong?  According to Time Magazine… yes, it is.

Robin Moline: On the Road

"Awesome" is an overused word... but it just slipped out when we caught sight of Robin Moline's artwork sailing past on these Tuttorosso delivery trucks.

The Hejz: Bacardi Island of Mojito

Bacardi-Martini Poland commissioned The Hejz to launch their Islands of Mojito brand campaign via the web.

Rob McClurkan: Hedgehog Cake

Marks and Spencer is a UK retailer known for their creative cakes. Earlier in the year Rob McClurkan was commissioned to create a cake box for their Hedgehog Cake.

Charlie Griak: The Kensei

Charlie Griak calls this book cover a fun assignment: "It's always great to have a chance to illustrate a vampire/ninja!" 

Mario Sughi: Quiet Afternoons

Mario Sughi explains "Quiet Afternoons," the latest piece in his sexually charged, yet vaguely alienated series, A New Sense of Emptiness.

Paul Morton: Monkeying Around

This is the first of three new games that Paul Morton has been working on for his devoted client, Interplay.

Jon Reinfurt: Gluten-free Fallout

Jon Reinfurt created this full page illustration the new issue of Dream, a quarterly trade magazine published by the Children's Hospital of Boston.

Tim Foley: WSJ x 2

Tim Foley had a couple of interesting, fast turnarounds over the weekend for the Wall Street Journal.  

Kristina Swarner: Gathering Sparks

Kristina Swarner teams up once again with writer Howard Schwartz to explain the traditional Jewish concept of tikkun olam (the repair of the world), imagining a dialogue between a grandfather and granddaughter.

Alanna Cavanagh: Hello, Heartbreak

Alanna Cavanagh clearly had a great time drawing cropped figures and hand lettering this book cover for Penguin UK.

Phil Disley: Fans of the Coalition

Phil Disley neatly (well, not so neatly, actually) sums up the state of the new British political reality for the Guardian, UK.

Ellen Weinstein: Golf Digest

Ellen Weinstein helps explain how NOT to get hit by a golf ball for Golf Digest magazine this month.

La Boca: Zombie Zombie

La Boca conjured up this album design for Zombie Zombie, in honor of their new EP of classic John Carpenter movie theme covers.

James Yang: Sharing Resources

James Yang created a pair of illustrations for the Utne Reader recently on the advantages of sharing, and tending, communal resources.

Alex Nabaum: Major League Divorce

Alex Nabaum created a full page illustration for the latest edition of ESPN the magazine. The subject was the messiest divorce in sports: the owners of the LA Dodgers.

Judith Drews: Amos

Judith Drews created this album artwork for vinyl release Amos Showtime in Hamburg, Germany.

Don Tate: Graphic Reporting

Graphic reportage may not seem a likely passion for a children’s book artist, but Don Tate clearly has a gift for it. Here, Don interviews a couple of Austin police officers about their new in-car video surveillance system.

Jon Valk: Empire State of Mind

Jon Valk went madly mosaic when The New York Times approached him to design and illustrate the cover for this quarter's "Education Life" section on the NYC urban college experience.

PAUL MIROCHA: POLLINATORS

The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign and Co-evolution Institute have been using Paul Mirocha’s luminous Pollinators painting in their campaign to raise awareness among humans about these essential and beautiful beasts.

Yuta Onoda: Listening to My Life

Here is the piece recently done by Yuta Onoda for Paste magazine. The article was reflective autobiographical piece about the writer growing up listening to the radio in his grandfather's home as a child.

Marcus Cutler: Humpty Dumpty

If you pick up the latest issue of Humpty Dumpty Magazine for kids, you'll find this illustration by Marcus Cutler on the back cover. It accompanies the poem, “New High Rise,” which is a new spin on “The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.”

TRACI O'VERY COVEY: FIRE AND AIR

Traci O'Very Covey’s privately commissioned double portrait, Fire and Air, was part of the Salt Lake Art Center's recent exhibition, "Not Just Another Pretty Face."

JAMES BENNETT: BARRON’S

James Bennett illustrates the old bond fund ball & chain for the cover of this week’s Barron’s.

Kareem Rizk: Varoom

Kareem Rizk’s art and words are among those featured in the latest copy of Varoom Magazine. The 12 page lead article, titled 'The Future Is Junk,' aims to give a concise look into the growing trend of collage, the psychology of collage art, some of the current key contributors to the contemporary world of this genre and where it is heading.

Written by artist, writer and film director Paul Burgess, the article reveals that carefully collecting images, and the art of destroying them, is often essential in creating a vision of the future that isn’t smoothed over by convention and consensus.

Robert Dale: Star Island

Robert Dale gives us a peek at his latest book jacket for Alfred A, Knopf. Written by best selling author Carl Hiaasen, the novel follows the adventures of the young movie star, Cherry Pye, and her drug addled entourage. It will hit bookstores (and beach bags) in the next few weeks.

Kathryn Rathke: Jil Sander

This lively portrait was illustrated by Kathryn Rathke, who has been a regular contributor to the superb Intelligent Life Magazine. The new summer issue contains two illustrations by Kathryn, including this portrait of fashion genius Jil Sander.

Margaret Cusack: Guideposts Magazine Cover

Guideposts Magazine commissioned Margaret Cusack to create a cover for their July 2010 issue. She was asked that it be quilted and have a very "Fourth-of-July" feel. After some discussion, Margaret and the creative director decided on block lettering with a quilted motif border. They settled on subject matter: hot dog, apple pie, etc, and Margaret went to work.

Brucie Rosch: Cyber Security

Brucie Rosch created this cover for a power industry trade magazine on the topic of cyber security.

Mike Tofanelli: Blessed are the Mirthful

Atlanta Magazine called upon Mike Tofanelli for this illustration of Christian mommy comic Anita Renfroe for the article "Blessed are the Mirthful." It appears in their July issue.

John S. Dykes: How to Tame Your Nightmares

The Wall Street Journal called John S. Dykes late last Thursday with this rebus-like puzzle assignment that ran in today's paper. According to the article, with training and awareness, sleepers can turn nightmares into happy endings or learn to mentally try out fantasies that occur in dreams, like flying.

J David McKenney: Absolutely Charming!

J David McKenney was commissioned to design these gorgeous little charms, inspired by the work of doll artist Marina Bychkova.

Christian Lindemann: Swiss Family Illustration

Christian Lindemann is a favorite choice of Swiss Migros Magazine, thanks to his colorful, funny approach to illustration. Here. Christian shows us “First-time Travel without Your Parents" and “Escape the Family Tree."

Jon Krause: La Chatte

Jon Krause has a feature illustration in the August Playboy titled "La Chatte," that plays subtly with its subject.

Jason Seiler: The Weekly Standard

Jason Seiler visualizes the unthinkable for The Weekly Standard. “No, I do not think Israel should bomb Iran, and I pray it never comes to that. I have many friends who live in Iran and know they want this lunatic out of office as soon as humanly possible. I hope for their sake that Ahmadinejad will be removed . . . it's a sad and scary time for both Israel and Iran.”

“It was a bit of a challenge because the topic is so serious. They wanted a caricature and they wanted humor, but it was a fine line of not going too far, but still being funny.”

Science Times, July 20, 2010

Today’s New York Times Sciance section boasts a fine assortment of work by members of theispot.com. Chris Gash has fun with the two-part egg mystery of the macaroni penguin for his regular Observatory slot.

Jacob Thomas: Surviving Comic-Con

Jacob Thomas illustrates an article by 'Superbad' and 'Green Hornet' writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for the LA Times, offering tips on attending the pop-culture phenomenon that is Comic-Con.

Georgie Fearns: The Adventures of Kitty Langlands

Georgie Fearns was commissioned by Woman's Weekly Magazine, UK to create this lovely Regency-inspired illustration, "The Adventures of Kitty Langlands."

Janis Dougherty: The Lake Isle Gig Poster

This atmospheric gig poster was created by Janis Dougherty for Greensboro, N.C., band, The Lake Isle. “This has been a truly fun and inspiring project simply because there's a trust between us,” explains Janis. “They let me freely explore the ideas that come to me while being equally open to what I present to them.”

Chris Gash: NYT Regulars

Chris Gash is a popular guy in the halls of the New York Times. Here are a couple of pieces for his regular sections, business and science, from last week.

Mark Summers: Swift Current

Mark Summers traces the sketchy path from a peerless wit to a “Fearless” starlet for the current issue of Vanity Fair.

Jason Greenberg: Food Fights

Jason Greenberg references our favorite part of Lady & the Tramp in this Food Fights illustration for the Wall St Journal.

James Yang: A/I Data Poster

James Yang created an image for use on a poster/fold out mailer for A/I Data, a company that researches underground structures. Two color choices were presented to the client; the brown scheme was selected.

MELISSA DOW: TOIL AND TROUBLE

Melissa Dow created this image for the cover of Salt Lake City Weekly illustrating an article on the future of the Utah Shakespearean Festival.