Since completing the monumental “Read Scripture” illustration marathon for The Bible Project last October, I’ve been working on a new series called “How to Read the Bible,” which is basically an introduction to Biblical literature. The first of a planned fourteen episodes went live this week. Check it out!

Though I did most of the illustrations and all the storyboarding, I owe a LOT to writers/narrotors Tim Mackie and Jonathan Collins, magician animator/illustrator Murphy, and animator Joshua Espasandin. Also a huge posthumous thanks to Aaron Douglas, an American painter associated with the Harlem Renaissance whose work I greatly admire, and whose vibrant palette and evocative, geometrical composition inspired the painterly sequences in this video more than a little. This video is dedicated to him.

A lot of the art in this five-minute video slips by pretty quickly, so here are a few pieces that you can scrutinize at your own pace. It was a huge relief to be able to draw movie theaters and motorcycles in addition to my usual repertoire of camels, temples, and bearded dudes in sandals! We’re hoping that all future videos will also feature “bookends” set in the modern era.