Cover Girl

Being just a wee bit vain, Charlotte loves to model. So when Aaron Mouse asked if he could draw her for a magazine cover proposal, she couldn’t have been more thrilled: “Just make me look like a movie star, OK?” (Aaron readily agreed—though wisely didn’t mention that his two favorite movies are Godzilla and King Kong.)

Aaron’s sketch was for the Blown Covers Weekly Contest—named for New Yorker cover art that for one reason or another is never published. Artists are invited to try their hand at tackling specific cover themes, announced each week. And while the contest isn’t affiliated with the magazine per se, it is run by The New Yorker’s art editor, Françoise Mouly. So it’s a great opportunity for a young mouse—or really anyone—to get their artwork and ideas in front of a decision-maker, get some coaching, and, who knows? —Maybe even do an assignment for her “for real” someday.

Just for fun, I decided to submit some sketch ideas to the contest this week myself. The official assigned theme was “Graduation” (not “Charlotte Takes Manhattan By Storm,” as drawn by Junior Mouse above). My first idea, on the left, showing graduates being banished from paradise (college life) to face the harsher realities of life on the outside, made it to 5th runner up, so I was very pleased.

If you like (or do) illustration, or just happen to be a New Yorker cover art fan, do check out the winners and runners-up, as well as the 75 other submissions that weren’t ranked (which included my second sketch, on the right, depicting a more carefree graduate, optimistic despite the sucky economy). Some of the drawings on there are really imaginative and fun!

—And maybe even think about submitting your own cover sketches for the contest next week? All the info you need for the next one, which concludes on May 17th, is right here.