Engraved Image - Show Me The Money

This time, more on the art of currency. My work is all about detail. And, in the illustration field, there’s nothing more detailed than the engraved image. I create a lot of the Wall Street Journal hedcut portraits, for which I’m known, but I also get assignments involving the art of money. Although not strictly a currency design, the client who commissioned the Roosevelt portrait above requested that the illustration be made to look like an engraving.Once, I was hired to duplicate a small portion of the one-dollar bill for Luxor, the Las Vegas casino.Believe it or not, this illustration was printed on a huge banner and hung from the casino’s facade! Wish I had a picture of that…Sports Illustrated commissioned this image of a famous (and wealthy) golfer:Note the not-so-subtle product endorsement.Another interesting casino project found me conjuring up a few U.S. presidents, with a twist.The ornate headgear indicates that these gents have struck it rich! I drew the background texture to give the impression of an engraved image. This was a lot of fun to produce, and was used on billboards in Vegas, as I recall.Well, I have to go now, down to the printing-press in the basement… (wink, wink!)