Rolled Up in My Other Other Blog

Thanks for following my blog about my op-ed sketches. I just posted a short writeup about some illustrations I completed for a student newspaper on my non-sketch blog: check it out. 

 60 Minutes

Why Are We Drugging Our Soldiers?

This article was fascinating. I highly recommend that you read it.

The basic argument was that our government is providing stimulents like Adderall and Ritalin to our troops. These drugs release norepinephrine, which helps facilitate memory formation. We’re giving soldiers drugs that help create deep, lasting memories and then sending them into combat.

My illustration, a pill-grenade, visually ties together chemicals with the potential damage they contain, both right now and at some point in the future. 

10 Minutes

Sunday Dialogue: Books in a Digital Age

It’s fun reading authors argue about the future of publishing. Some lament its demise, others champion the rise of self-publishing.

My illustration highlights the process of publishing—these are authors writing for our iPads. By using a piece of antiquated technology, the typewriter, and changing its output over time into a digital artifact, I’m alluding to how things are in the midst of change.

15 Minutes

From Flash to Fizzle

This article compares our social landscape with a fireworks display—different stories burst onto our screens and disappear hours later, leaving no lasting impression. 

It’s hard to capture what a firework looks like once its flash is gone—I played around with a few different ideas, and decided upon a burnt match. There’s nothing left to do with a dead matchstick—you just throw it away. I like the way that the stick both breaks out of the video window and disappears into it. 

15 Minutes

Working and Women

I’m a pretty big news-junkie, but I managed to avoid the Hilary Rosen/Ann Romney articles until today. I’d seen them, but hadn’t read through them. Thankfully, this article seemed pretty balanced in its approach—let’s respect hard work, and the incredible women who do it, no matter where that work might take place. And politics sucks. 

My concept is a simple illustration of a woman juggling a bunch of icons—they’d represent economics, information, transportation… a few huge things, all taken care of by one strong person. 

20 Minutes

The Cybercrime Wave That Wasn’t

Remember how criminals were lurking behind every spam email, ready to tear your bank account number out of your typing fingers? Me, too. But according to this article, online theft is neither as prevalent or as profitable as we’ve been led to believe. 

My idea illustrates the concept of cybercrime with a dollar dissolving into binary.  

15 Minutes

The Road We Need Not Have Traveled

Changing Our Car Culture

This Sunday Dialogue argued around the issue of gas consumption in the US and how best to encourage alternatives. 

Gas symbolizes dependence on foreign countries and environmental harm—this piece literally cuts those off with a knot. The idea is that a knot like this doesn’t come as an accident. We might disagree over what kind of a knot to tie, but we can agree that this dependence and harm needs to be curtailed. 

There definitely needs to be a drop of gas coming off the end of that nozzle. 

10 Minutes

The Road We Need Not Have Traveled

This editorial piece touches on both the willful decisions and the blunders that have lead to over nine years of imprisonment and now a trial outside of the United States for the men accused war crimes in the 9/11 attacks.

I’ve been disappointed with many things Obama has done with his time in office, and one of those disappointments was his failure to close Guantanamo Bay. I’m sure he has his reasons, but my disappointment remains. My illustration would highlight both the justice that is being brought down, but also the over-reach of our government in administering that justice. 

10 Minutes