Back to Basics

December 16, 2020

Lately, I’ve been getting back to basics: doing book illustrations instead of the flashier, editorial covers and splashy pharma projects. There’s no background, no dramatic composition—just clean, clear images that do exactly what they need to do. The challenge is all in the details: precise labelling, uncluttered leader lines, and an arrangement that communicates the progressive disclosure of information.

When I first started, most of my work was for surgical textbooks, and there’s a reason for that foundation. Working on book projects forces you to really know the subject inside and out. You spend time with the author, you iterate over a series of illustrations, and the learning happens gradually rather than under the pressure of a single “do or die” image.

I still love the big, splashy editorial projects—but there’s a quiet upside to the book work. It’s methodical, thoughtful, and satisfying. Each illustration may not make a cover, but by the end, you’ve helped create a coherent visual language that supports learning and understanding in a way that few other projects do. Sometimes going back to the basics is exactly what reminds you why you love illustrating in the first place.