Mayor Bloomberg's Security Cameras

This time around, the portrait was to be of NY mayor Michael Bloomberg. It turns out he is pushing for the placement around NYC of special cameras that are able to detect concealed firearms. I grew up around guns, I support the right to bear arms (if done so in conjunction with common sense). Now, if Bloomberg just had a camera that could reveal who carries and who lacks that weapon!

The art director already had an idea in mind that was super fun and I eagerly agreed without trying to think up any other options; he wanted to show a Bloomberg portrait as if it were one of those "vintage" x-ray specs advertisements. Who doesn't remember these from being a kid? I certainly recall them on the backs of all those old comics my uncle gave me (which started an ongoing addiction :)

Due to time crunches, I had to work fast in order to fit this assignment into my schedule; luckily, the AD was very understanding that sketches wouldn't be as polished as usual. I drew up these roughs exploring the concept:

The AD went with #2, and we discussed how we could take the image more in a "spoof" direction. The text was a good start, but not really my forte. The bones in the letters went over really well, but my font selection was shunned :) We decided he would handle the text while I focused on making the image look "vintage" through halftone printing, paper texture, etc.

Here is the revised sketch I worked over; the likeness still isn't 100%, but  time was a factor, and I knew I could push/pull the features once I built them digitally:

I submitted two finals at different levels of "oldness." This is another project in which I experimented with using color in my shadows.

Detail of the the mimicked printing process (would anyone notice the little handgun on the glasses arm if I didn't point it out?)

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And here is the layout. Creeeeeepy!!!!:

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Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the Day,
Chris