Being a fan of the 80s, it was just a matter of time before I stumbled upon the work of Patrick Nagel (1945-1984). Probably most famous for his illustration of the cover of Duran Duran's 1982 hit album "Rio," Nagel was also a regular contributor to Playboy and worked for commercial clients such as Intel, Lucky Strike, and Budweiser. His distinctive style took inspiration from the Art Deco movement and the look of traditional Japanese woodblock prints.

In teaching myself the mechanics of Adobe Illustrator, I wanted to see what kind of portrait work I could create, and the first place I looked for inspiration was from Mr. Nagel. What follows is a series of portraits I have made in the past two years that pay tribute to the influential artist.