For the SF Bay Guardian's annual Sex Issue, arts intern Daniel Bromfield wrote a feature/playlist on awkward songs to give oral to, which was hilarious and amazing. (Read it online here.)
I sent an early copy of the text to illustrator Gracy Henry Pincer, and we came up with this awkward sexy magic:
Layout for the Music section opener in the Bay Guardian's 2014 Sex Issue; illustration by Grace Henry Pincer
For the SF Bay Guardian's annual Sex Issue, we decided to base our 2014 cover shoot on our cybersex story, and go with a TRON-esque setup (inspired by Playboy's 2010 tribute) with Virtual Reality headsets, à la Oculus Rift.
We immediately found two perfect models: dominatrixes Maitresse Madeline and Lorelei Lei at Kink.com, which kindly allowed us to stage the photo shoot in Kink's Battlestar Galactica space at the San Francisco Armory. (Sidenote: Kink has the most amazing prop closet I've ever seen!)
And photographer Matthew Reamer took care of the blue and red lighting to perfection.
But I ran into problems finding an Oculus Rift VR headset that would be available during our scheduled photo shoot. After looking at a few VR spoofs online, I decided to make my own with cardboard, goggles, and spray paint:
I think my fake headsets translated pretty well in the final cover:
Guardian photo of Maitresse Madeline (top) and Lorelei Lee by Matthew Reamer
Here's a behind-the-scenes shot from the photo shoot, courtesy of Matthew Reamer:
From left: Maitresse Madeline, Eleanor Bleier, Matthew Reamer, Pony Gold, Lorelei Lee, Brooke Ginnard
Today I found out I'm a finalist in the Association of Alternative Newsmedia's 2014 awards for cover design!!! Check me out.
Below are the three SF Bay Guardian covers I submitted for the entry.
In all of these designs, I relied heavily on physically making (with paper, an X-Acto knife, paint, gemstones) or staging (board-game pieces, my own fist), then photographing the elements and adding some digital touches in Photoshop.
I haven't seen the other finalists' work (the website has not yet been updated with design submissions), but I'm hoping this hands-on approach gives me an edge.
Send winning vibes my way! (But honestly, I'm super stoked on being a finalist. Still pinching myself!)
Airbnb cover for the SF Bay Guardian, Aug. 7, 2013
Foreclosures cover for the SF Bay Guardian, Sept. 4, 2013
Queer gaming cover for the SF Bay Guardian, Oct. 23, 2013