Image of New Yorker cover
Image of New Yorker cover
Image of New Yorker cover
Image of New Yorker cover
Image of New Yorker cover
Photo of illustrator Barry Blitt

One of America’s foremost illustrators (and OCAD University alum), Barry Blitt is perhaps best known for his political New Yorker magazine covers. He’s illustrated over 80 covers along with doing work for The New York Times, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. Barry has also illustrated a series of children’s books.

We caught up with Barry to ask him about illustrating Time’s person of the year, Donald Trump.

Bad Reception

Miss Congeniality

 

As someone who’s been living the US presidential election campaign pretty closely for the past year and a half, how do you feel now that it’s over?

You'd think I'd be happy it's finally over, but the result was so disappointing to me. It was sort of giddy fun during the early months, but as it wore on - in those last few weeks of the campaign -  it became harder and harder to filter out the ugliness of the whole thing.

 

Grand Illusion

Significant Others

 

Will you draw Donald Trump differently now that he’s been elected president?

I don't know - I haven't been able to bring myself to draw him since. Though I expect it's inevitable, unless I go into another line of work. Orthodonture or ditch-digging are suddenly looking tempting in comparison.

 

Anything But That

 

What’s your creative process? How do you come up with your New Yorker cover ideas?

I try and keep a sketchbook around all the time and scribble wry thoughts as they occur, with as little self-editing as possible. Then, I redraw the least objectionable ideas as quick sketches, and submit them to the magazine. If something gets chosen I begin the process of sucking all joy and life out of the drawing for the final art.

 

Illustrator Barry Blitt

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