Magic Illustration
Mystical Banner for Canadian magazine, TORO
This time, I present to you my magic illustration. Nothing too mysterious, just some imagery steeped in the enigmatic, and sleight-of-hand.
Quirk Publishing ‘Wonder Deck’
I had fun working with a Philadelphia publisher by the name of Quirk. I had previously completed a very successful illustration series for their book, “The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures”. Guilty Pleasures Quirk hired me again for a magic-trick card deck.
Side View of box
I did a number of how-to illustrations for the instructional booklet that came with the card decks…
Two Blanks
Card Clutch
Deuces
Pencil Trick
Pulling the Ace
Card Shuffle
Speaking of Sleight-of-Hand, I did some work for the professional magician, Steve Cohen. Mr. Cohen enjoys an entertainment residency at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. It was fun to create his image. We started with a sketch…
Steve Cohen Sketch by Kevin Sprouls
Once approved, I went to the finished art. Working in the unique style I pioneered at The Wall Street Journal, I wielded my pen to create this image. All of that time producing those portrait Hedcuts at The Journal prepared me well for this assignment…
Steve Cohen by Kevin Sprouls
I enjoyed creating this image, especially the graphic script. I believe Mr. Cohen is still using my calligraphy to this day!
Considering the graphic possibilities, I hired a colorist, Sarah Jones, to add some ‘magic’ to the original version. Here is the result:
Steve Cohen poster by Kevin Sprouls
To finish, I’ll bring you all the way back to my art school days… Heady Times! My Illustration Professor, William Woods, assigned us this assignment: Create a piece using the elements of neon, and metal. At the time, I was a fan of the group called Procol Harum, of “Whiter Shade of Pale” fame. Their last album had just been released, entitled, “Something Magic”. I decided to create alternate album cover art for this recording…
Art for “Something Magic”, Procol Harum, by Kevin Sprouls
I modelled, myself, for this illustration. It was created in my final semester of my four years at Tyler School of Art.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this survey of my work as much as I’ve enjoyed assembling it… or MORE!
See you next time…
