David Cooper’s cover art for Black Boy Out Of Time book cover was accepted to The SOI 64 Annual show and has been nominated by All Ways Black for their 2021 Cover of The Year.
Best of Illustration 2021
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When we asked Bill Mayer why his label for Muckety-Muck Single Grain Scotch Whisky was his favorite project of the year he replied, "The short answer is I got paid to draw pigs in kilts." He also went on to add, "It was great to see the label I did for them turn into a series of three."
When we asked why Steve Harrington why he submitted his work for Kodiak Cakes as his best project of 2021 he told us:
"That's an easy one! It was a great opportunity for me, illustrating subject matter that interests me (nature) in a style (B&W engraving) that I don't get to use too much but I really enjoy. I've worked with the folks from Kodiak Cakes before and they've always been a pleasure to deal with."
In illustrating a series of five new picture books for Madeline, one of the most beloved and well-known characters in children's literature, Steven Salerno became a sort of guardian of the Madeline character/brand and pays homage to Ludwig Bemelmans, a wonderful artist whose work he has long admired.
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Jing Jing Tsong has a very personal connection to this poster she was asked to create for the 50th Anniversary of the international Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.
"It was a chance to revisit a place I'll always think of as home: Hawaii island. Creating this graphic quilt with symbols representing music, art, food, and coffee brought back many memories. We used to drive our kids to school
through the heart of coffee country. My favorite time of year is when the coffee plants are
covered in their jasmine-scented white blossoms."
In 2021 Denise Gallagher created the merchandise and posters advertising the tour for Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi's Grammy-nominated album, They're Calling Me Home. Denise says, "I love working for with musicians and was inspired by the duo's rich music and lyrics."
James Steinberg had done a sketch years ago using this idea that turned out to be the perfect cover image for this Yiddish language autobiographical novel by Ida Maze. It expresses the protagonist’s imagination and connection with the natural world. James told us, "The descriptions of life in 19th century Belarus were captivating."
Carolyn Ridsdale's best of 2021 was a project with a very open brief that allowed her to respond to a musical stimulus rather than to a written one. She also loved the technical challenge of combining illustration with animation.
Brian Stauffer is regularly called upon to visualize the world's most pressing issues. In this case the topic is climate change, an image he created for The New Statesman.
David Cutler chose this image for Investors Business Daily for an article on the global chip shortage as his favorite of 2021 because, as he says, "I just love the farmer character, the parody of Americana, and quiet humor of the piece for what is otherwise a relatively dry topic (microchip shortage).
