Monday, November 29, 2010

School Buses: Crunchy on the Outside, Soft on the Inside

A couple years ago I illustrated a series of educational children's books about dinosaurs; it was a great project! I got paid to draw Tyrannosaurus Rex, Spinosaurus and my long-time favorite, Stegosaurus (among others).

This Allosaurus never made it out of sketch phase. Everyone involved decided that a child running for its life was not exactly appropriate for the target age.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Rotten Teeth, Hairy Moles and Knobbly Knuckles

I had a blast illustrating "The Truth About Witches", a book slated to be published January 2011 (according to Amazon.com). Drawing wicked and ugly came very naturally to me. Don't get me wrong–I enjoy cute and cuddly as much as the next guy–but sometimes I want to draw rotten teeth, hairy moles and knobbly knuckles.

Below is a peek at my process from sketch to final digital illustration. I'm looking forward to the book being published so I can share more of my witchy work!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

How Doth the Little Crocodile

I have an illustration in the December issue of Highlights magazine.

ON NEWSSTANDS NOW!

Yeah. That's still fun to say.

Back in June, the folks at Highlights asked me to illustrate the Lewis Carroll poem "How Doth the Little Crocodile." I couldn't say YES! fast enough; there's no one more iconic in children's literature than Lewis Carroll and having the opportunity to illustrate his words was a real kick.

I'd say it was a brush with greatness–but I work digitally (and I'm not a fan of puns).

And I'm always thrilled to work with Highlights. My wife and I have had the good fortune to visit their Honesdale, PA offices and meet many of the talented and passionate people that bring the magazine to life. This reminds me – the Holidays are fast approaching and a great gift for 6-12 year old kids is a subscription to Highlights! And for younger kids, check out High Five. Fun With Purpose – without corporate product placement.

Below are some of the sketches I created on the way to the final illustration. First, the final sketch which I submitted for approval:

And below are some of the early "thumbnail" sketches. Here you can see me experimenting with different compositions.

And one last thing – the poem!

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!

By Lewis Carroll
Art by ME!