11/8/11

Style Shift for "The ARRIVAL"

My original vision for this story was to use a simple vector style. My project and job plates are filling up too fast to pull this off, though (simple design is NOT simple and takes forever!) So, I'm switching the story to a style I'm more comfortable and faster with. The same thing happened with "STACK/STUCK" - That book started out with vector art as well.


10/26/11

Zombie! Magnet (Large) Day 003 of 365 Etsy Items



This colorful and silly zombie head is approximately 10" tall with a full magnetic back. Free shipping in U.S.

10/25/11

The Pig Painting: Day 002 of 365 Etsy Items

I painted this about 5 or 6 years ago. It is one of my early palette knife paintings. I use knives in almost all of my paintings now. I painted a new protective gloss finish which really refreshed the colors.



18" x 24" Stretched Canvas
Thickly Textured Painting - produced with Acrylic and Palette Knives
-Painted Edges
-High Gloss Protective Finish

$50.00

10/24/11

Polar Bear Adrift: Etsy Challenge Day 001

Today I am starting a 365 Etsy items in one year challenge. Here is item #001: Polar Bear Adrift. 

 

This image was originally created for the illustrationfriday.com topic "adrift".

Limited Edition Digital Print
8.5" x 11" Antique Parchment Paper
w/ 11" x 14" White Matte
Ready for Framing
Free Shipping in U.S.
$12.00

10/18/11

WIPs for new story "The Arrival"

Here are some work in progress images for my new story that will be in the illopond's upcoming "Anthology in Spaaaace!":




I will add some shadows and highlights yet, but the artwork will remain very simple. The story has a Twilight Zone-like feel and the clean graphic style will help disguise the twist until the last page.

9/26/11

The Cuckoo County Fair

I like to try to make something out of even little ideas and doodles. Something like this only takes a couple of hours but it was fun and now it is out of my head so I can move on!
 

9/21/11

Noah's Ark Interactive "Mural"

This is a small project that I plan on donating to the children's ministry of my church. It is an interactive "mural" painted on a 36"x 54" wood panel.


I painted the entire surface with magnetic paint which you can find at most hardware and craft stores. Then I painted the simple ark scene with acrylic paints and brushed a coat of gloss sealer for a textural finish. The panel has a wooden frame attached to the back so it stands about 2.5" off the wall when mounted.

Here are some detailed images of the magnets:




I sketched the characters with pencil and scanned them into my computer. I painted them with digital watercolor in Corel Painter and then printed them on "antique parchment" paper which gives them a warm and textural look. I used 3M spray adhesive to attach the prints to a sheet of magnetic material (which can be purchased from sign suppliers) and then covered them with a layer of clear gloss vinyl.

I'd like to make a bunch of these that could possibly be used as interactive apps as well. I have dozens of scene ideas (space, jungle, fairy tales, ocean, cars, zoo, etc). It would be a dream to make a living by painting fun interactive murals for daycares, schools, libraries, kid's rooms, restaurants, etc...
...so...
...feel free to contact me if you have an interest in commissioning a fun interactive mural of your own!

8/5/11

Salt and Pepper...DONE!!!!

Here is the "cover" for my contribution to BOO!: Spooky Tales for Kids. I will spend the next week or so on the book's layout and bio pages. The contributors did an AMAZING job. I couldn't find a book that combined my love of horror, art, and kid's stories, so I asked for one...and it is AWESOME! Stay tuned to find out where you can order a copy. It will be available this October.

8/4/11

Food Sketches for Daycare Mural

Here are some food character sketches for a daycare mural proposal. 

7/15/11

Cuckoo County Fair: Style Update


I've decided to illustrate Cuckoo County Fair as an 11 year-old boy named "me". Using pencils, crayons, and markers turns out to be creatively refreshing. This book will come together fast.

7/1/11

Cuckoo County Fair

I am hard at work on Salt and Pepper for the upcoming Boo! Anthology. This year I will be attending APE with some fellow creators from the Illopond. I want to finish another book along side S&P for the show. This means I have about 5 weeks to write and illustrate a full 32 page book and send it off to the printer. The goal here is simple, silly, and FUN! The story is about a boy's trip to the Cuckoo County Fair...Here is a sample page:




6/15/11

Salt and Pepper: Pages 4 and 5

Here are semi-finalized pages from my contribution to "Boo!" Check out the process and progress of some amazing creators here:www.illopond.com


6/8/11

Salt and Pepper: Page 3

Here's a semi-finalized page from my contribution to "Boo!" Check out the process and progress of some amazing creators here:www.illopond.com

5/27/11

Salt and Pepper: Page 2

Here's a semi-finalized page from my contribution to "Boo!" Check out the process and progress of some amazing creators here:www.illopond.com

5/19/11

Salt and Pepper: Page 1

Here's a semi-finalized page from my contribution to "Boo!" Check out the process and progress of some amazing creators here: www.illopond.com

5/10/11

5/8/11

Character Monday #16: Olivia and Caleb Wagner



Here are some caricatures of the kids that I used for our Mother's Day card.

4/22/11

4/18/11

Character Monday #15: Chickadee Sweet

Here's a quick sketch for a small personal project: a comic with soundtrack titled " Chickadee Sweet and the Super Shrimp Vs. the Super Villains of Dance".

4/11/11

Character Monday #14: Mr. WorryWort

Here is an early design for Mr. WorryWort - he's a character from my scary kid's story "Salt and Pepper".  You can check out the art and story development process from a bunch of really awesome creators here: