I’ll Make You Fun-Sized!

The American Illustration book release party may be just around the corner but my mind is already on an epic competition of tiny proportions. I’m speaking, of course, of the Society of Publication Designers’ annual SPOTS Competition.

Though most illustrators dream of expansive full page assignments, covers, and gutter leaping spreads, many of us spend a good deal of our time laboring over drawings of somewhat more humble proportions. It’s true, a spot illustration is never going to steal the show the way an opener might, yet it serves its own indispensable design function by breaking up the monotony of the text and providing the wandering eye with a satisfying place to pause. And although they may be constrained dimensionally, spots are often not confined to the boundaries of a rectangle, offering the illustrator a chance to explore far less mundane shapes. This year I’ve had many great spot jobs and, lately, I feel I’ve been growing more comfortable with the particular challenges of the format.

I’m looking forward to entering some of my littlest portfolio pieces in next years SPOTS and continuing to hone my skills at this art of the minuscule. As Reducto, the little green shrink ray wielding attorney from Harvey Birdman, says, I’ll make you fun-sized!