Cicada Magazine

John Sandford and Pamela Bonesteel (BONESTEEL) are two of my favorite people. Immediately after getting the job to do the Muse cover (here), they asked me to do a cover and some interior work for the November/December issue of another Carus magazine, Cicada. Not only that, but the topic was hugely open: transformation. That's it. The above illustration is the result.

There were quite a few hiccups trying to get this image to print. For whatever reason, the editor was unsure if the image was "safe" enough to be the cover of a young adult magazine (14 years old is the younger side of the scale). I don't want to get into the whole story (words like "predator," "scary," "testosterone," and "Jacob from Twilight" were thrown around), but there was a meeting involved with the owners of the magazine who, after some back and forth, gave it the go-ahead. John and Pamela went to bat for me the whole way. The best!

This second image was printed with a short biography that Kali wrote about me and states that I am, indeed, the spot artist for this particular issue of Cicada.


Again, a totally open page for me to play with. MYSTERY. LITTLE PEOPLE. You know me by now, of course. The spots were all older sketchbook things which I won't bother posting.

Both images are ink, pencil, and digital.

And Kali's biography, painstakingly researched and offered to you now for the first time ever:

As his longtime researcher and cataloger, I must first warn you that Sam Bosma is not for the faint of heart. Luckily, it is not likely you will meet him, for he is elusive and not easily photographed. Though he has no identifying marks, he possesses a particularly determined demeanor and uses great dexterity in the handling of tools. In fact, it was his skillful zoological engravings that first drew the attention of the scientific community, later culminating in the discovery of a cache of mysterious renderings that are yet to be deciphered. For those who may seek him out on the barren moors and pine forests of his homeland, his presence may be detected by the sounds of wistful humming and badly disguised birdcalls.

Have a good Halloween!

P.S.

The website has also been updated.