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.

Screenshots of a magazine article about Caribbean travel tips, with colorful illustrations of beach scenes, travel accessories, and vacation activities.

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

A colorful illustration of various scenes representing travel and sightseeing in New York City, including a man relaxing in a hammock, a person practicing yoga under a palm tree, a woman enjoying wine and dinner, archway entrance of a landmark, people walking on a street, and individuals swimming in a pool.

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!

Two people riding a jet ski near a tropical island with palm trees and a structure resembling an arch, with a yellow taxi car in the background.

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

Colorful sketch of four friends on a boat in a city canal, with tall buildings, palm trees, and a sun in the background.

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

A colorful illustration features two walking people along a coast with a small beach stall selling drinks, a person swimming with a snorkel, a bridge in the background, and a starry sky with a crescent moon.

Williamsburg, Dumbo, or Long Island City → Barbados

A girl shopping at a street vendor's stall with apples, near a swimming pool where two people and a turtle are swimming, in front of a row of houses and a big green tree.

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

A street scene featuring a man wearing sunglasses, a straw hat, a red shirt, and denim shorts, holding a camera. There are colorful buildings, stringed laundry, a classic car, and lush green plants around.

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

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

A tropical beach scene with green lush leaves framing the view. In the distance, there is a mountain and a small thatched hut on the sandy shore. The ocean has gentle waves, and a cruise ship is floating near the coast. The sun is setting or rising in the background, creating a warm glow.

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 hands taking a photo of a tropical beach scene on a smartphone, showing a sand beach, palm tree, island, and boat in the water.

“Always Give Context”

Illustration of a vintage instant camera with a film strip coming out, showing a landscape photograph.

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

Illustrated map of an island in the shape of a hashtag with depictions of iconic landmarks, cities, beaches, and natural features.

“Use Hashtags Selectively”

“The Art of the Mini-Vacation”

A woman walking across a city with a tropical island in the background, featuring a clock tower, colorful buildings, greenery, a lighthouse, and a palm tree.

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.

A colorful cartoon illustration of a city skyline in the background with buildings and water, a roundabout with greenery and trees, and a large red map pin marker in the center. Inside the pin, a woman is sitting and looking at her phone.

“Don’t Travel Too Far”

A woman relaxing in a hammock on a tropical street with palm trees, a lighthouse in the distance, and a small body of water nearby. Checkmarks and check symbols in the sky suggest she is relaxed and satisfied.

“Don’t Overload Your Itinerary”

A woman is in a swimming pool, talking to a man at a bar near the poolside. The bartender, wearing sunglasses and a tropical shirt, is behind the bar. In the background, there is a building with multiple floors, people walking on the balconies, and a flag on top. The scene is set during sunset with a large sun in the sky.

“Stay Near Bars, Restaurants, and Stores”

A man relaxing in a hammock with green plants and pink flowers nearby, and the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.

Credits


Art Director
Sam Kim

Illustrator
Russell Shaw

A colorful illustration of a city park with a pool, two people swimming, a woman in the water, a kid on the splash pad, and a man sitting nearby. In the background, city buildings, a yellow taxi, and a church steeple are visible.