It should come as no surprise that when it came time for Communication Arts magazine to pick an image for their 53rd Illustration Annual, they chose a portrait painted by Gregory Manchess. This powerful work of art displays those broad brush strokes and bold colors he is so known for. We can't wait to receive our copy of CA in the mail.

Niklas Asker is an accomplished fine artist as well as a talented illustrator. The opening to his most recent exhibition in his native Malmö, Sweden called "The Illustration Project", was last friday. It showcased his dark, emotional, and dreamlike paintings that are radically different from his usual graphic novel style. The premise for this show what that Niklas painting these images immediately after reading a book; there were 9 books in total (see image captions to see which books they are based on).

If you are in the Malmö area, the show will be running until April 29th at the Rönnquist & Rönnquist Gallery.

Scott Brundage's illustrative take on the classic "American Gothic" painting commissioned by The American Interest was published in their latest issue. Scott put this iconic pair in a "blue" underwater environment to reflect our current economic downturn. Read the article here: Underwater Recession

The article is a bit of a bio about Val, a Canada-based Bulgarian black bear hunting guide. It explores his "tough-as nails" demeanor and the trials and tribulations of escaping Eastern Europe to establish his own business on this side of the pond. Jim, the AD, thought a propaganda poster approach would be suitable imagery to reflect Val's triumphs, and I was happy to collaborate on such an image (and I got to draw bears!).

Read the rest of the article here. 

This week (starting April 11th) we are launching our second annual Breakthrough Contest. After the incredible success last year, we are happy to once again help out talented, young illustrators launch their careers. Just take a look at the talented artists who submitted last year, who we were happy to feature in several blogs (Runners Up and Staff Picks).

Last year's winner, Michal Dziekan, is a successful member of our group now, working on a broad range of projects from editorial to advertising. We also asked Tran Nguyen and Maria Corte Maidagan, who did not win, to join our group after seeing the incredible portfolios they submitted to the contest. Here is what they had to say about their success after submitting to the contest:

Breakthrough Blog