For her first book, artist and illustrator Jess Rotter drew unusual daydreams, or escapes for your brain at 3 p.m. on a workday. Her characters include a walrus in an AC/DC T-shirt, an ostrich trying to hitchhike, and a platypus who demands perfection. They often parody overly motivational office posters with slogans like “BE PERFECT!” or “I’M TRYING.”
“The emptiness of boredom allows the mind to wander, explore, and rest,” Rodarte founders Kate and Laura Mulleavy explain in the foreword to Jess Rotter: I’m Bored, out November 22 from Hat and Beard Press. For Rotter, that means exploring “the in-between spaces.”
Rotter’s artwork is inspired by ’70s rock and roll, her father’s vinyl covers, and comic books she read while growing up. With a “part Peter Max, part Fritz the cat” aesthetic (her words), she also designs T-shirts for Rotter and Friends, a label she founded, and tour merchandise for musicians like Cat Stevens. Click ahead to preview illustrations from her book.