Just wrapped up a piece for The Atlantic (formerly The Atlantic Monthly) that turned out quite well. It was my first time working with the art directors there and I can’t praise them enough. They completely got behind my intentions and had nothing but great suggestions. The article itself is an astute observation and reflection on the mind of a teenage girl, spurred by the incredibly popular Twilight vampire novels by Stephanie Meyer. My approach to the image followed a parallel path of timelessness and mythic presence that Meyer’s captures in her books. Rather than illustrate the article, I was trying to illustrate the larger ideas both authors put forth.
The Atlantic author Caitlin Flanagan writes in her piece “The Twilight series is not based on a true story, or course, but within it is the true story, the original one.” And “The salient fact of an adolescent girl’s existence is her need for a secret emotional life.” These points were important to me in capturing the reader’s attention, as it would have been all too easy to do something cute. Something the average reader could flip past without giving it a second thought. My intent was that the visual obscurity would evoke the written complexity. It’s a terrific article. I recommend picking up the issue when it comes out in December, not only for my artwork.
