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Madison digital illustrator T.L. Luke debuted “Auntie Luke Explains” in Isthmus in May. In the series, she details a part of the election process in comic form. This month’s topic is the lifecycle of absentee ballots, born out of a trip to the Madison city clerk’s office to see the process firsthand.
Isthmus art director Tommy Washbush joined that fact-finding mission and says he got to experience T.L.’s curiosity and passion firsthand. “She was super intrigued by the process, and seems energized and optimistic about democracy in general, so for the cover illustration this month, I asked her to tap into that feeling to get people motivated to vote ahead of the November election."
T.L. Luke
Early drafts of T.L. Luke's Isthmus cover show how she starts to arrange a composition.
Early drafts of T.L. Luke's Isthmus cover show how she starts to arrange a composition.
T.L. is in general interested in making difficult topics, like politics, more digestible and accessible. She says she wanted her cover illustration to “represent the ease and joy of civic engagement. If you have an ID, it’s easy to register to vote; you can do it from your desk! Volunteer work and canvassing is direct action with the community; people are more likely to listen to and agree with their neighbors! And voting early is easy in Madison with its accessible drop boxes!”
She prepared the cover and Auntie Luke Explains with a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24-inch tablet and Photoshop. You can see more of T.L.’s work on Instagram at @tl.luke and tl-luke.com. Her political comics are on display at Giant Jones Brewing Co. through Oct. 21; on Oct. 16 she will host a Get Out The Vote event at the brewery.
