My editor likes your vintage deco look.

For accountants wondering how much money their peers made last year

So began my 13th annual cover of the Career and Salary issue of Strategic Finance magazine. My usual level of fear and panic was multiplied several times over by a little case of superstition. This, in addition to my overwhelming gratitude to the amazing Mary Zisk for putting her trust in me caused me to prolong my customary period of agony and procrastination.

I finally came up with rough sketches but, soon realized that I had set myself up for some serious noodling. There was nothing left to do but dig in and hope for the best. I really could have used the help of a Rumplestiltskin at this point. Amazingly (yes, I am the most amazed when I get something to work), it all somehow came together.

By the way, I'd like to give a shout out to my sister-in-law Patty, a dues-paying member of the Institutue of Management Acountants who receives this magazine and has always been quite diplomatic in reviewing my efforts.

12 years of the annual Career issue and Salary survey

This year's cover in my vintage deco look

A page of inspiration and reference (thanks to Google) and two pages of doodles in the Aquabee Super DeLuxe

Sketchbook meanderings transformed into roughs and assembled into neat little rows

Using roughs as a template, work proceeds to a grey scale rendering prior to adding color tints and gradients and finally, highlighting and shadowing the individual shapes to add a hint of dimension