Behind The Cover

Comic Inspiration And Larval Termite Gods With Illustrator Danny Hellman

By Alexander Flores Fri., Aug. 26 2011 at 10:45 AM
Categories: Behind The Cover, Q&A

082511.jpg
Dallas Observer, Alexander Flores, Danny Hellman
​
We're sure that there must be more than just a few Dallas folks out there that are asking themselves, "What kind of person would defile American artist Grant Wood's iconic Gothic *couple?" in the style of what adorns our cover this week. Well, to be accurate, the notion came from within, but it took someone with a certain penchant for deviancy to push it out of his brain hole and onto the page. That man would be none other than illustrator Danny Hellman.

After the jump, check out what Mr. Hellman has to say regarding chasing Spider-Man, his idols, and other alternative religions. Speaking of alternative, after you're done here, make sure you read the cover story regarding the recent woes of Dallas' leather scene here.

*That couple is oft unwittingly mistaken for a husband and wife. It's actually father and daughter ... Yeah, takes the cover to a whole new level, huh? Gross.


More »

Tags:

American Gothic, Behind The Cover, cover art, Danny Hellman, illustration, Jack Kirby, Mad Men
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

Taking Cover With An AK

By Alexander Flores Fri., Aug. 5 2011 at 9:03 AM
Categories: Behind The Cover
080411.jpg
Original Image via iStockphoto/Alexander Flores/Dallas Observer
​

This week's cover story on one incarcerated Don Hardge focuses on the weapon of choice he fired into a crowd of Oak Cliff teenagers on what turned into a violent evening back in 2008. You can read all about the local tragedy here.

Handling the tragic tale of one kid's irresponsible action where another kid's life was taken isn't an easy one. An added factor is the shooter's claim that he's not responsible for the actual death of the victim, without denying discharging his Avtomat Kalashnikova assault rifle into the young crowd outside an Oak Cliff venue. Claiming innocence when the evidence is against you is awfully bold. Claiming innocence when you're carrying a Russian killing icon in your car is even more difficult to swallow. Nevertheless, the aspect of innocence (and regret) is something to utilize when portraying this story on the cover. Enter the white-washed, paper-made replica of the iconic weapon.

Going stark and mostly neutral in color with the cover as a whole enforces the innocence aspect. Overlaying the keyword "irresponsible" across it in heavy, distressed red type addresses everything else about this story: tragedy, calamity, violence, and sadly, murder.

Hopefully, this cover will catch some eyes, if at the very least, for its spartan presence, save the unavoidable red headline that shouts out from the emptiness. It's not unlike the emptiness created for so many when Don Hardge made one last bad decision on that fateful night in Oak Cliff. Pick up a copy of the issue and read all about it.

Until next week, be safe out there.

Tags:

AK-47, Behind The Cover, cover art, Don Hardge, photography
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

Question The Artist: Illustrator Chris Gash

By Alexander Flores Thu., Jul. 28 2011 at 5:15 PM
Categories: Behind The Cover, Q&A

072811.jpg
Chris Gash/Alexander Flores/Dallas Observer
​
As you can read in this week's cover story, you'll see that the kids are still not all right. Certainly not a fun topic, but certainly one that demands attention.

With such a serious subject of suburban teen drug abuse, one might think it wise to go a more somber route with how to portray it on the cover. Yet, there's an old saying that you can attract more flies with honey than, well, morbid, bitter vinegar. With that said, in order to also attract more eyes -- for the sake of history not repeating itself -- perhaps a wolf in sheep's clothing is in order here.

That's when we once again turned to New Jersey-based illustrator (and Montclair State University teacher of illustration concepts) Chris Gash to conjure up some of his special brand of artwork to package up this unfortunate tale of kids falling victim to the "cheese" trap yet again here in North Texas.

Sharpen your pencils, kids. Class with Mr. Gash is about to begin. This course will cover experimenting with finding your style, teaching illustration, and jazz. Pay attention! 


More »

Tags:

Antonio Petruccelli, Chris Gash, cover art, illustration, New York Times, teaching
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

Question The Artist: Illustrator Sachin Teng

By Alexander Flores Thu., Jul. 28 2011 at 9:02 AM
Categories: Behind The Cover, Q&A
072111.jpg
Sachin Teng/Alexander Flores/Dallas Observer
Still Fighting The Good Fight
​
Last week, we took a quick look Behind The Cover without the artist in question to give us his insight and thoughts that we usually inquire about. Fortunately, the illustrator of everyone's favorite Gorilla Vs. Bear cover is back from his secret mission in the Far East and has provided us with the answers to our questions.

Check out what he has to say about dissecting ideas, Saturday morning cartoons, and finding a style. 


More »

Tags:

Behind The Cover, cover art, Frank Stockton, Gorilla Vs. Bear, illustration, James Jean, Q&A, Sachen Teng
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

The Thrilla Of Gorilla Vs. Bear Cover Art!

By Alexander Flores Thu., Jul. 21 2011 at 4:56 PM
Categories: Behind The Cover
072111.jpg
Sachin Teng/Alexander Flores/Dallas Observer
So is the gorilla shooting the lasers from his eyes, or is the bear?
​
It's a fight to the finish, for sure. But who will win this battle? There's some talk about it here and there, so place your bets now.

Sure, other folks are covering the highly anticipated #gvbfest at the beloved Granada Theater this weekend, but you can read all about it here.

Though, if you're the type that likes the smell of fresh ink on your fingers, then go grab your copy of the issue today. Just try not to get caught in the crossfire, brought to you by NYC-based illustrator Sachin Teng.
More »

Tags:

Behind The Cover, cover art, Gorilla Vs. Bear, GvB, gvbfest, illustration, Sachen Teng
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

Question The Artist: Illustrator Alex Fine

By Alexander Flores Tue., Jul. 19 2011 at 2:53 PM
Categories: Behind The Cover, Q&A

071411.jpg
Alex Fine/Alexander Flores/Dallas Observer
Joey Daubin + Charles Foster Kane = Homage to Orson Welles.
​​
If you picked up last week's Dallas Observer, you may have noticed a little nod to what many consider to be the best movie of all time. The cover story is on a young Joey Daubin, a self-celebrated wunderkind and aspiring media mogul who's amassing his own empire. Not unlike the title character of Orson Welles' controversial film loosely based on a real-life publishing king with political aims, we drew some metaphorical parallels between Daubin's crusade and that of Mr. Kane. To keep the cover of this profile light-hearted and yet still firm to stand on, we turned to illustrator Alex Fine to conjure our small-town version of "Citizen Joey."

We Question The Artist after the jump. Check out what he has to say on drawing hair, developing a style, and Willie Nelson.
More »

Tags:

Alex Fine, Charles Burns, cover art, illustration, Kent Williams, Nathan Fox, Norman Rockwell
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

On John Wiley Price's Strange Land(mark) Dealings

By Alexander Flores Thu., Jul. 7 2011 at 3:32 PM
Categories: Behind The Cover, Visual Cues
070711.jpg
iStockphoto/Alexander Flores/Dallas Observer
JWP's acquisition of Teddy's spot is decidedly not bully.
​
There's nothing more fun than putting people's faces in places where they don't belong.

Wait, let's rephrase that. Maybe it's more fun accumulating so much cars and cash that the FBI raids your offices and home. Or maybe obtaining some land in the most bizarre manner possible, with the help of a couple known crooks. You can read all about the weirdness regarding Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price in this week's cover story, by Jim Schutze.

As far as the cover goes, when it comes to the Federal gov, and when it comes to land, the first thing that came to mind was sculpter Gutzon Borglum's tribute to the first 150 years of the U.S.A in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Many regard it as one of the ultimate pieces of patriotic land in the country, while others felt it a pompous eyesore yielding in many deaths during its development. Enter John Wiley Price's visage; that slippery devil! We can also see that Wash, Tom and Abe are none too happy with their new neighbor. Apparently Teddy's big stick wasn't big enough to keep JWT from usurping that prime piece of real estate. We'll just have to wait and see what the FBI turns up.
More »

Tags:

Behind The Cover, cover art, Fun With Photoshop, John Wiley Price, Mt. Rushmore
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

Question The Artist: Illustrator Brian Stauffer

By Alexander Flores Fri., Jun. 24 2011 at 9:01 AM
Categories: Behind The Cover, Q&A
062311.jpg
Brian Stauffer/Alexander Flores/Dallas Observer
When it comes to the value of street cars in Dallas, it's a split decision.
​
For our latest installment of Question The Artist, we're proud to be working with and talking to the award-winning editorial illustrator Brian Stauffer. Stauffer's work has graced our pages before, and we're fortunate enough to have him grace our pages once again. Coming off of a recent gold medal win at the Society of Publication Designers Annual Awards Gala in New York City in May of this year (for his amazing cover done for our sister-paper, SF Weekly), Mr. Stauffer, a pillar in alt-weekly aesthetic, shares a little bit of his journey with us. Take a look at his latest gold-earning cover after the jump.

More »

Tags:

Andew Nielson, Brian Stauffer, cover art, illustration, SF Weekly, Society of Publication Designers, SPD, The New Yorker
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

Not Your Father's Championship Mavs Cover (Whoops...)

By Alexander Flores Thu., Jun. 16 2011 at 4:30 PM
Categories: Behind The Cover
061611.jpg
Dallas Observer/Alexander Flores/Newscom
Crow never tasted so good!
​
Greetings citizens! In conjunction with The Mixmaster's regular series, The Weekly Tease, come every Thursday, when the print issue is hot off the press and out on the streets, we'll take a look at the full reveal, as well as go Behind The Cover a little to discuss what we were thinking.

Surely, that question may abound for this week's cover. Take a jump to get a little back story.

More »

Tags:

cover art, Mark Cuban, Mavs
Email to Friend
Print Article
Behind The Cover

Question The Artist: Nana Rausch of QuickHoney

By Alexander Flores Wed., Jun. 8 2011 at 9:00 AM
Categories: Behind The Cover, Q&A
060211.jpg
Dallas Observer/Alexander Flores/NanaRausch/QuickHoney
​

For our on-going feature where we Question The Artist, today we hear from the multi-talented outfit QuickHoney. We turned to tap their pixel-y goodness to illustrate a story where the control and fate of a particular neighborhood was the topic, not unlike the control one has in developing your very own SimCity. You can still read the story here, of course, but before you do, take a quick moment to see what QuickHoney is all about, after the jump.


More »

Tags:

cover art, illustration, Nana Rausch, pixel art, Q&A, QuickHoney
Email to Friend
Print Article
VOICE Daily Deals

From the Vault

 

Slideshows»

Services

Health & Beauty

Medical Research

More >>

Links

Blogroll

©2013 Dallas Observer, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Dallas / Fort Worth

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city