Friday, March 20, 2009

Rub-a-dub-a-dubby!

Here's a peek at a portion of an illustration from a forthcoming book. What are boy and ducky looking at? Hint: something with sharp teeth and claws.

But in this cropped view the image is more benign. It reminds me of Ernie's ode to his very best friend, Rubber Duckie.

Rubber Duckie, you're the one,
You make bathtime lots of fun,
Rubber Duckie, I'm awfully fond of you;

Woo woo be doo

Rubber Duckie, joy of joys,
When I squeeze you, you make noise!
Rubber Duckie, you're my very best friend, it's true!

Doo doo doo doo, doo doo

Every day when I
Make my way to the tubby
I find a little fella who's
Cute and yellow and chubby

Rub-a-dub-a-dubby!

Rubber Duckie, you're so fine
And I'm lucky that you're mine
Rubber Duckie, I'm awfully fond of you.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Illustration Friday: Legendary (UPDATED)

This illustration is getting long-in-the-tooth, but it fits this week's Illustration Friday topic "Legendary."

When I say Legendary, I'm referring to those Abominable Snowman snowshoes the boy is wearing. I wanted a pair of those as a kid but now I'm not sure if they even existed! Were they only a figment of my imagination?!!

I've searched online for some evidence of these Bigfoot-shaped plastic snowshoes but came up with zip. Does anyone else remember these?

I suspect they were manufactured by K-Tel (yes, K-Tel), the same folks who made the Snow Block maker (and all those groovy music compilations). I'm afraid this will keep me all up night... 

UPDATE: Thanks to Roberta Baird for bringing Redfeather Snowpaw Snowshoes to my attention. These are not the Bigfoot snowshoes of my youth but a modern equivalent. Sadly, no adult sizes–dang!


Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Dino Detail

I've been working diligently on a series of dinosaur books since November. I'm eager to show off my latest work but feel compelled to keep the illustrations under wraps until the books are published. But I can't resist an occasional tease; here's a small portion of a larger illustration featuring the tail of a well-known dinosaur. Care to guess which dino-type?

Those of you that have seen the final art are not allowed to "guess".