Rethinking Textbooks
Posted by J.D. King at 8:49 am on September 29th
For Patrick JB Flynn at Rethinking Schools magazine I drew this for an article about new approaches to diversity in public school American history and social studies textbooks.
I decided to break the page up into a comic book-like panels, and put a book at the center of a diverse collection of people.
Harvard, Man!
Posted by J.D. King at 8:32 am on September 15th
These were done for Harvard's Kennedy School magazine: A game board cover and three spots, all featuring a generic and overwhelmed voter trying to make sense of Election 2008.
I got to handle the game board's type as well as the actual drawing.
What's On A Man's Mind?
Posted by J.D. King at 9:35 am on September 12th
Be it president or pauper, sad to say and truth to tell: Not much is on a man's mind. An assortment of the same old stuff, cliches, bromides, a horizon not reached, a rut or two, puffery, a few rabid bats, the one that got away, inchoate notions, etc. -- all with a coat of dust as thick as a slice of Wonder Bread.
MySpaced
Posted by J.D. King at 6:36 am on September 9th
It was about time that J.D. King & The Coachmen set up a MySpace page, and that we did, with an able assist from webmeister, Otis Fodder, at the very end of August.
The raison d'etre was to get the word out regarding some material we recorded and mixed circa 2003/2004, "Mercy (Can Make You Happy)." There're 13 tracks, and we posted four, to let The World know we're here and we're looking for a label!
Other than that, it's been wonderful to get in touch with old friends via MySpace and to make some new friends, as well.
I enjoy this whole "friends" thing on MySpace a great deal. I set up a "Top 40" of friends, and some of them actually are friends! You know, people I've known for ages, former bandmates' current combos, etc.
Some others? Well, maybe I've never met them. And maybe they're dead. But in cyberspace we're FRIENDS!
Agri Culture
Posted by J.D. King at 7:47 am on August 22nd
These were for a recent project I worked on, funded by NYS, that's designed to help promote "Agri Culture," a mixed bag of local interests that includes: family farms, organic farms, orchards, dairies, bakeries, agri-tourism, petting zoos, green markets, slow food, the farm economy, etc.
It's a rare example of me getting to put my illo skills towards something near and dear to my heart.
Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges!
Posted by J.D. King at 7:02 am on August 13th
Recently I got a job for a trade pub. They already had an idea for the article, but when I started to work from their thumbnail, it soon became evident that it was a really clumsy visual, let alone way too literal.
So, I took it in another direction, and sent in the above.
I got an e-mail from the AD, a good guy, but stuck in the sorry position of being an art secretary, running art between an illustrator and a meathead editor.
They wanted me to go back to the original idea of an inspector looking over the shoulder of an elevator inspector, and, while I was at it, could I give them both "badges" so it'd be OBVIOUS that they were, respectively, an elevator inspector and an inspector of elevator inspectors?
I wrote back, in polite terms, "Either use this, or find someone else."
I've prit-tee much had it with idiot editors.
I love working with ADs. Often, when thanked for a job by the AD, I tell them, "Thank YOU! Thank you for making me look better than I am!"
But editors? Find me one who's not a total maroon and I'll adore you forever.
Like, James Dean...
Posted by J.D. King at 6:44 am on July 29th
I was only four-years-old, barely out of my crib, when my parents broke the news to me, they tried to be gentle, but there was no easy way to say it:
"Son, brace your self. James Dean died today, in a car wreck..."
Bewildered, I took a deep drag on my Lucky, exhaled slowly, and mumbled, "It can't be... It simply can't be... He's my hero... Rebel Without a Cause spoke to me on a profound, existential level... If this is your idea of some sort of sick joke..."
PS: Now you know where the "J.D." in J.D. King comes from...
Overpaid Illustrators
Posted by J.D. King at 7:04 am on July 24th
Here's some recent illos, one for Guideposts (I call it The Case of the Algebraic Angel) and three for American Baby.
That said, I'd like to take a moment to speak to all the ADs, editors and publishers who might stumble upon this post:
Illustrators love to draw! Ask the typical illustrator and they will tell you, "I wuv to dwah! Diss is SO much FUN dat I'd do it for FWEEE!"
This is true!
And, Illustrators have no bills to pay! They live with their parents, or in public housing with an ample supply of food stamps. Of course, they're too dumb to ever learn how to drive. Thusly, their very few needs are taken care of.
Pay them anything and it's TOO MUCH! Send them a check, and they'll simply forget to cash it. Or if they do cash it, they'll just waste the money on candy and beer.
