Emiliano Ponzi’s illustrations provide the backdrop for The Biggest Flower in the World, the first and only children’s book by bestselling author and Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago.

When describing his work for the book, Emiliano says: “I [...] mostly worked with wide/empty spaces so children could imagine what they don’t see in my illustrations. There is a lot of ‘air’ in the book, and some details represent fragments from my personal childhood memories, such as my grandma’s house floor or the t-shirts I used to wear when I was a little boy.

It is a ‘mute’ book…in the story there isn’t any dialogue at all, so I kept the same atmosphere where the only sound is the ambient one, from the home’s wooden floor to the wind in the grass, or the water waves produced by fish in the river.”

Visit Emiliano’s blog to see more images of the book.

Graham Roumieu’s most recent bi-monthly contribution to the Globe and Mail’s Focus section has been published.  Titled “Seal Team Six: What are a President’s Ultra-Classified Friends For?,” the illustration imagines zany presidential applications for a highly trained group of Navy SEALS.

Graham Roumieu recently illustrated for Inc. magazine’s technology feature, How to Bag a Hacker. The article, written by J.J. McCorvey, discusses how a growing number of companies are asking their techies to blog in an effort to attract top-tier programming talent.

Illustration Friday, an illustration blog that presents a weekly illustration challenge, featured Gordon Wiebe’s art on Tuesday, January 24th.  Click here to see Illustration Friday’s post on Gordon Wiebe.

Emiliano Ponzi’s award-winning image “Elvis” was chosen to appear in the display vitrine at Society of Illustrators New York.  ”Elvis” will appear in the Society of Illustrators 54 annual as part of a series for EMI Music.

Raquel Aparicio illustrated a woman overcoming depression for Ser Padres magazine, the Spanish-language parenting magazine published by Meredith Magazines.

Graham Roumieu’s comedic take on Hostess filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy was published Saturday, January 14 in The Globe and Mail.  Graham calls for “A Moment of Sweet, Cream Filled Silence” for the end of the Twinkie.

Nate Williams designed a handlettered donor card for the Southern Poverty Law Center.  The SPLC is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to “fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society.”

Four Magnet artists Raquel Aparicio, Eleanor Grosch, Emiliano Ponzi, and Catell Ronca created illustrations for the Italian charitable organization Arcobaleno.  The organization benefits families and individuals who are struggling to find employment.  Raquel, Eleanor, Emiliano, and Catell joined 8 other artists to create a calendar that illustrates the struggles of the people Arcobaleno seeks to help.

Paul Mumby of Caixin Media commissioned Emiliano Ponzi to illustrate the January 2012 cover of China Reform Magazine. The cover article “The Time for Action is Now” prescribes steps for China to take in 2012 to tackle crime and corruption.