Panorama

Last week, I got a call from Judy Pryor at the LA Times to illustrate the book review of the novel "Panorama" by H. G. Adler.  This is the first english translation of the novel, written in 1948, which follows its character, Josef Kramer, through 10 distinct chapters of his life, some of which mirror the author's own years in Nazi forced labor camps and surviving Auschwitz and Langenstein (where Kramer's character ultimately arrives).

Below are the rough thumbnail ideas based on a couple passages in the text echoing a recurring theme of isolation and obliteration throughout the passages of Kramer's life.



Above are refined versions of three of the sketches; the third sketch of the characters at the labor camp was selected.  Below is the ink-wash drawing, which went through a range of trial and error with color and light before coming up with the final version (top) that felt closest to the tone of the story.

Destiny & Desire

Here is an illustration I did for the LA Times Book Review of Carlos Fuentes' new novel "Destiny & Desire."  Based on the brief synopsis and a couple overviews of the book, my AD Paul Gonzales and I came up with a couple specific visuals from the story, including the severed head of the novel's narrator lying on the pacific coast. Below are the quick thumbnail roughs, and then two tighter sketches that best carried across the cast of characters and violence while retaining some traces of magical realism, found in Fuentes' storytelling.