New York Magazine, Vacations

Illustration
2019

Illustrations for New York Magazine’s series on tips and tricks for New Yorkers escaping winter in the city for warm, Caribbean vacations.

I worked with the New York staff to create artwork for a series of five articles about vacation tips and insights to help New Yorkers get away from the city for the winter.

Each article featured completely different content – from a “What To Wear This Winter” article that was a play on the topic by suggesting warmer weather attire, to advice on destinations for NYC residents based on what neighborhoods they live in – but the artwork remained consistent throughout the series. Working with a rich and colorful, Caribbean-inspired color palette, the artwork is vibrant and full-color with watercolor texture and depth, and a refined level of detail expressed through hand-drawn, pen-and-ink line work.

Five different New York Magazine web pages about New Yorkers going on vacation over the winter

“Your Ultimate Caribbean Getaway, Based on Your NYC Neighborhood”

Hand drawn scenes of New York City people on vacation like a woman doing yoga, a man in a hammock, people walking along the beach, someone tasting wine and someone jumping from a diving board

This was one of my favorite articles to illustrate in the series. The concept I developed shows these vignettes of New Yorkers enjoying vacations with an almost “picture-in-picture”-like effect of the city behind them. Because each location is suggested based on the residents’ neighborhood, the imagery shows the vacation activities and places in the foreground, and a suggestion of what New York neighborhood the characters left behind in the background. It was interesting to juxtapose the city against a tropical setting in each composition!

Drawing of people on a Jet Ski with a taxi and the NYC arch in the background

Union Square, Chelsea, Midtown, or Hell’s Kitchen → Aruba

A drawing of Soho buildings behind a group of people tasting champagne on a boat

Soho, Tribeca, the Financial District, or the Upper East Side → St. Barths

Drawing of a couple walking away from an artisan selling ceramics with the Williamsburg Bridge in the distance

Williamsburg, Dumbo, or Long Island City → Barbados

Editorial illustration of a woman shopping for fruit with a Brooklyn tree-lined in the background

Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, or Brooklyn Heights → Curaçao

Editorial drawing of a man with a camera walking down the streets of Cuba

Bushwick, Greenpoint, Bed-Stuy, or Crown Heights → Cuba

“The Art of Perfecting Your Social Media Captions on Vacation”

A large editorial illustration of vines opening up to show a tropical scene with a social media like bubble floating above the mountain

This article features tips and tricks on documenting your travels – it was a good excuse to get to draw all sorts of tropical leaves and waves and explore what type of imagery and color makes someone think, “I want to go there too.” I also was kind of a fan of – and glad that we got to introduce people to – this funny little Hashtag Island in the last spot illustration!

Drawing of someone snapping a photo on their phone of a tropical destination

“Always Give Context”

Drawing of an instant camera spitting out a photo with a long description attached

“Get Personal – And Don’t Be Afraid to Go Long”

Illustration of an island in the shape of a hashtag

“Use Hashtags Selectively”

“The Art of the Mini-Vacation”

Illustration of a person carrying a duffel bag leaving New York through a doorway to a vacation island

This article was all about mastering a quick getaway – something I am actually a pretty big fan of personally (I’d rather explore a lot of smaller, weekend trips rather than try to pack all of my vacation hopes-and-dreams into one big trip). This article also continued the concept of showing a New Yorker enjoying the vacation settings juxtaposed with scenes from the city in each illustration.

Drawing of someone sitting in a giant map pin drop in a roundabout

“Don’t Travel Too Far”

Drawing of someone in a hammock between a palm tree and a New York street light

“Don’t Overload Your Itinerary”

“Stay Near Bars, Restaurants, and Stores”

Hand drawn illustration of someone in a hammock sipping a cocktail with the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance

Credits

Art Director
Sam Kim

Illustrator
Russell Shaw

Illustration of someone jumping off of a diving board with a New York taxi scene in the distance
See more projects
An open glass door with a white logo decal for Bradley Odom for Dixon Rye's interior design business

Bradley Odom Interiors

Branding, Web

Kid President's book cover sitting on a wood ledge underneath a plant

Kid President

Publication

Digitally illustrated character shops on a laptop with a diagram of illustration guidelines around them

Walgreens

Guidelines, Illustration