Illustration is the portrait of a concept.

Here you see a few pieces of hand drawn illustration (cartoons on left) and digital illustration above (hand in clouds, Trading Post web site with illustrated scroll, the iceberg with the whale and the spheres) created, drawn and published in digital form by Mr. Whidden.

Although illustration, photographic or hand drawn, can "tell a story," it's primary role is typically as an eye-catcher that portrays an idea that cannot be seen in real life. In advertising this might be The Pillsbury Doughboy or, as seen above, marble spheres moving in a spectrum-colored universe or the possibility of a hand rising up through the clouds.

1. The Sorrento Arts Center (upper left) had Mr. Whidden design a logo and the signage (sign frames already existed).
2. The dining table with the casual food items is an attempt to show the wares of a deli-style sandwich shop while suggesting that eating at the shop is as comforting as eating at home.
3. The image of the lab scientist is made more dramatic with the use of blue and magenta gels over the lighting and a white remote flash inside the glass chamber of the large microbe incubator.
4. The cartoons portray the Lobster and Crab as royalty, the point of view a seafood lover might have. Despite his clownish clothing, the jester seen here is quite modern in that he's a big multitasker, and going crazy because of it, The secret to enjoying this cartoon is to "keep your eye on the balls"
5. The CCN folder/brochure art (left of this block of text) are computer generated print outs hand-trimmed and assembled and glued to ceate dummy folders for presentations and hand testing demonstration to help management decide which brochure style they favor
6. The MTSSA brochure cover (left of this text block) fits the description of an illustration in that desks are never situated where the tide rolls in and rarely alongside a military landing vehicle.
7. The H.S. Perlin brochure cover's image (left of this text block) is aimed at getting investors to envision gold bullion coins as sharing a portion of an investment portfolio.