When Greg Betza received this commission from Thomas Jefferson University to contribute to their magazine he was excited as he’s always been drawn to butterfly imagery and the idea of metamorphosis, but that was not at all what this was about. Butterfly disease is a devastating disorder that often leads to an aggressive and fatal skin cancer. People who have this rare genetic condition have skin as fragile as butterfly’s wings because their bodies do not make enough collagen to hold the layers of their skin together. This leads to painful blistering and ultimately cancer. Most patients do not live to the age of 35.
Fortunately this article was not only about the disease, but the promising research into a therapy to treat the disease. You can read the article and see more of Greg’s illustrations here: RESEARCH: Thomas Jefferson University
Greg Betza had a great collaboration with the team at Bowdoin Magazine on 2 illustrations for their Fall issue.
He was asked to illustrate the story of Bowdoin alum Ed Burton who searches for American soldiers who never came home. Whether POW or lost in battle his research has brought closure to countless families.
Greg Betza had another chance to work with the great team at EmDash, this time for UtahMed magazine. Greg decided to work 100% digitally on these and the client was very happy with the results.
A few months ago Greg Betza was contacted by Len Small over at Columbia Magazine. He always wanted to work with Len and this was a really fun collaboration. Len had the idea of integrating actual photos into the illustrations, and Greg really liked the potential of doing something different like this.
Last week I was asked to create an image to run alongside the introduction of the jury in the George Floyd murder trial. After quite a bit of discussion here is the illustration that was agreed upon to protect the anonymity of the people involved.
Thank you to the Washington Post for the assignment.
Studio 1482 would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you that visited our site, liked our work, or just offered a note of support this year. It made a very difficult situation a little bit easier knowing you were there.
Because we couldn’t physically mail our annual calendars to you this year we have made them available as a FREE pdf download. We hope that our art brings you joy in the year to come.
Welcome to Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482.We have gathered art from our travels to share with you in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.
Enjoy Chicago by Greg Betza…
The first drawing I remember making looking down the Michigan Avenue Bridge.
I first visited Chicago back in 2010 or 11, I can’t remember exactly, but what I do remember is that I fell in love with what I saw. Now Chicago is a sprawling area and I only had time to see the “downtown” area, but it was beautiful. Being from New Jersey New York City is my major U.S. city of record, and it is second to none, but Chicago is similar to New York just less crowded, congested, and to my eye, much cleaner (probably due to the almost 6 million! less people than NYC…). The major differentiator though for me is the Chicago River that cuts right through the city.
Chicago River
That was my first visit. What I missed, and a major reason why I came back, was that I did not have the opportunity to spend time drawing the city. In 2013 the opportunity arose when the Workbook announced their Creative Carnivalwould be held there. Fellow Studio 1482 member Dominick Santise and I decided to hit the road and head out to the windy city to attend…and spend a few days drawing!
Cloud gate, better knows as the Chicago Bean
Willis Tower
And draw is what we did. All day. For two guys in their late 30s (at the time) we really got around. Looking back at the drawings I’d think we had bikes, but I assure you we did not.
Trump tower Chicago
Chicago Theater sign
Chicago Theater
The city had a great energy, and for October it was quite comfortable. It was the perfect time to just be out drawing. And what I enjoyed so much about my time there was that the time was just spent drawing, for the love of doing it and nothing more. I picked up whatever materials felt right at the time, played around, made a mess, found something new here and there.
Chicago Theater and passers by
Picasso public sculpture
Rides at Navy Pier
Navy Pier ferris wheel
Chicago is a city full of incredible architecture, attractions, food/drink, and friendly welcoming people. I’ll always remember fondly the time I spent drawing there and the late night meals Dominick and I had to end our long days. A cider for him and a few local craft beers for me, not to be missed!
To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482, please click HERE.
Welcome to Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482.We have gathered art from our travels to share with you in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.
Enjoy Times Square, NYC by Greg Betza…
Times Square, that section of midtown New York City that has been referred to as the “Crossroads of the World”amongst other things (both favorable and not so much). It is a place that many native New Yorkers avoid at all costs and yet it is a not-to-be-missed destination for all tourists.
As a New Jersey native that spent a great deal of time in New York City, I have a certain fondness for Times Square, though I completely understand why you’d want to avoid it as well. What a contradiction!
Get me outta here!
Speaking of contradiction, could there be a place more antithetical to our current “new normal”? To think of the thousands of people that would traverse the area each day; have it reduced to a near ghost town in a matter of weeks. Chalk that up to things I’d never thought I’d see.
It was the masses of people that first brought me to Times Square to draw. It was a challenge. So many people, so much movement, even more personality. The architecture, the advertising, the lights! To learn to capture and tell that story was a lesson so important in my development as a reportage artist and illustrator. Here are a few early attempts.
Trips to draw here gave me the full sensory experience. Ears assaulted by honking horns, indiscernible shouts, tourists asking for directions…, music, discernible expletives, and of course, the pigeons!
The smells. Oh boy. From hot garbage in the summer, to the constantly wafting smell of something frying from the endless row of chain restaurants.
And watch your step, the garbage cans often overflow!
Now while this may sound horrible, it is what makes Times Square unique and as an artist you need to take it all in…the good and the bad, to tell the truth with your reportage. And despite all of this (and there is more) people flock here anyway and stay awhile. As did I, many, many times.
On a more positive note, looking up and around when you are here is inspiring. On the surface it can appear a soulless theme park devoted to consumerism, but if you can get past that tired and overused criticism, Times Square is home to so many visions realized. As a student of advertising I love to see the campaigns compete with each other publicly. How each brand approaches this space and how they utilize technology to bring their message to the masses is truly impressive. It’s a constantly evolving gallery.
One of the last times I spent a long day drawing in Times Square was back in 2010 when Mayor Bloomberg closed several sections to traffic, allowing the area to become more pedestrian friendly. I remember it was a very peaceful day, the people seemed to enjoy the space more than they had in the past and I believe I noticed more native New Yorkers hanging around that day too :)
Welcome to Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482.We have gathered art from our travels to share with you in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.
Five years ago, thanks to a very good friend, I had the opportunity to visit northern France. We stayed in a small port town called Honfleur. I had not heard of it, but once seen, I understood why many artists including Courbet and Monet had traveled there to paint it.
Saint Etienne Church
No matter where you turn there are picturesque buildings, boats, and so much beauty in the details. We only spent 2 nights there so I “braved” a chilly rainy morning to make this series of black and white drawings. I had to. I remember sharing the early morning with only a cat. There was quite a bit of action at the local bars and restaurants the night before so I guess everyone had slept in.
View of Sainte-Catherine church, the largest church made out of wood in France
Port d’Honfleur
Leaving Honfluer was only tolerable as we were on our way to Mont Saint-Michel. This place is a fairy tale. I can’t imagine there is another place on earth like it. Its abbey appears to be literally reaching for God.
Make a plan to visit northern France, it is magical.
Mont Saint-Michel
To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482, please click HERE.
Welcome to Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482.We have gathered art from our travels to share with you in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.
In August of 2009 I traveled to the Greece, visiting the islands of Crete and Santorini, as well as spending a few days in Athens. My wife is Greek-American and much of her family lives in Crete. Through our years together I’d heard countless stories about everything from the smell of bread baking in the early morning to the blue sea just steps from her Yiayia’s home.
The village was a new experience for me. Visually it was both everything I imagined and things I had not considered. The streets and buildings felt like they grew there and had always been, but the modern world and the demands of tourism in the 21st century had definitely begun to impose themselves on even this smallest of communities. Turn your head one way and see the most beautiful flora and deep blue sea and turn back around for a small internet café and car rental parking lot.
A main village road. Cafés, bakeries, etc.
Bouzouki player at summer festival
Boats sit in the small River Xydas, Kalyves, Crete
From there it was on to the magical island of Santorini. An island, more specifically a caldera, or volcanic crater! Aside from the cliffs dotted with white washed homes that look like candy, I remember so clearly the sound…or lack of it. At the top of the caldera where most of the dwellings are, you are basically up in the sky. A vast, silent sky.
Returning to Crete before departing out of Athens we spent a long day in the capital city of Chania. Throughout its history the city has been occupied by the Venetians, Ottomans and Greeks. The architecture reflects this in the most beautiful way. You can just draw buildings all day! Again, the balance of old and new exists here as well. There are many beautiful restaurants and bars lining the waterfront.
On our way home we stopped to see the many sites in Athens. Among them, of course, the Acropolis and Parthenon. I’ll leave you with this last drawing made before my trek to the top.
To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482, please click HERE.
For the past few months I’ve been teasing this project on my Instagram and I’m so pleased to finally share it. I was commissioned by Smith Creative Labs to illustrate 3 short animations for the InterContinental Hotel Group’sLive the InterContinental Life campaign.
The animations were based on podcast interviews which told stories of empathy, worldliness and fascination and were recorded in London, Beijing, and New York City. Smith and animator Mark Bellncula were incredible partners to work with, granting me a tremendous amount of creative freedom and support. I couldn’t be any happier with how the animations turned out.
I loved that these pieces were created in a mostly traditional way, using sequential hand made drawings and paintings. Some of the longer panoramic drawings were so long that I had to work on my floor…and my floor became my desk! Whatever works.
I did my best to document the process of creating the animation art which I’ve included below. I appreciate you taking the time to look!
Pose 1
Large scale thumbnail drawingMy floor/desk
Many hours hunched over the light box!
chop chop chopMolePanoramic drawing of the kitchenMy wife and I enjoying a drinkself-portrait
I was commissioned by Bloomingdales to ‘live-paint’ portraits of their customers. It was so nice to see their clients’ faces when they saw their likenesses appearing on paper. I don’t often talk about art with people who are not artists and it amazed me how impressed and fascinated they are by the process of creating art. Their observations and opinions are diverse and genuine. I learned a lot.
I went into the day thinking mostly about the job that I had to do and how I would execute it. I came away with so much more…meeting new people, of all ages, and hearing their thoughts on what I was doing and how much they enjoyed the process.
Thank you to Bloomingdales for asking me to live-paint portraits of your patrons. Great day!
I was commissioned this summer to work on a reportage assignment for NJ Monthly magazine. Being born and raised in New Jersey it was just that much better to be asked to drive around the state to visit and draw different “landmarks” throughout to help make the case for the best downtowns in New Jersey. I had a great time. Here are the drawings which appeared in the magazine (out now!) and the additional ‘rejected’ pieces that I made as well.
Last year I attended a Bob Dylan concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York. I made a few drawings, and David Gaines, the author of a new book on Bob Dylan, saw one of the drawings which I had posted on One Drawing A Day and asked if he could use it for the cover!
As a fan and admirer of Dylan, I could not be happier that I made those drawings. Here is the book, a display at BookPeople in Austin, TX and a few more drawings from that dark evening in New York. Thank you David and Iowa University Press.
I’m excited to share this latest bit of good news with you. I was contacted earlier this year by a company designing a new Chicago office space for a global consulting firm. The company had seen my reportage drawings of Chicago and thought they would make a great addition to the space. I’m truly satisfied when I do work that I love and enjoy doing and someone finds a use for it. Here are a few photos from the new space. You can see the rest of my reportage here.
