PANDEMIC PLAYING CARDS
Upon the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, I began creating a set of pandemic playing cards. Hundreds of games can be played with a regular deck of cards, symbolizing how each person acts differently when dealing with the stresses of the pandemic. It also reflected the increase in free time, leading to growing numbers of people playing card games or board games around the world. Additionally, cards can be used for magic tricks which symbolizes the unpredictable spread of the virus though asymptomatic carriers.
THE PEARL
This cover redesign for The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, utilizes imagery of scorpions, oysters, pearls, shells, and Pesos. The whimsical style and color-scheme of the cover is meant to represent the way Kino (the main character) first viewed the great pearl – as pure and filled with hope. Upon closer inspection however, one discovers that many of the ornate details are actually dangerous scorpions, just as the symbolism of the pearl shifts in the novel to represent danger and evil and greed. The blue color of the scorpions is inspired by the blue appearance scorpions have when ultraviolet light hits them (a technique often utilized to find scorpions in the dark).
HOT SAUCE
Tony's Fire-Kraken Hot Sauce started with the recipe, which I developed myself over several months. When I came up with a concept for a hot sauce name and label design, the project became an illustration project. It's sweet, tangy, earthy, and very, very spicy!
