Inspiration: Kadir Nelson

This week I decided to check out Kadir Nelson, a name I've seen several times in the Society of Illustrator books. Indeed, he has won quite a few awards in the past few years from the Society.

This ad for a festival sponsored by Coca-Cola has wonderful movement in it. His people are dynamic and real looking, almost lifting off the page. This one below is of Mighty Josh from a book called "We Are the Ship," about the Negro League Baseball. The lighting is superb and portrays the pre-game tension-within-stillness tone well. (Click for larger image).