Owlkids/Chirp Spread: Cambodia Boat Festival

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:41:35 +0000

I have a illustration spread published in this month’s issue of Chirp magazine (June ’13). It was a very fun piece to do (as all these busy, festival pieces are)! Challenges with this project was working out the rough on my laptop and Wacom tablet (verses my desktop and Cintiq), and deciding from what angle to best depict the boats, festival goers and fireworks. Below is the cover and spread, from afar:

The first page:

And bits and pieces at random:

Editorial Art: “God’s Work, God’s Way”

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:24:07 +0000

This came in my mail yesterday–tear sheets! This was an illustration I did under the category of “editorial”. I enjoy this side of the business as I get to put my brain to work in a little bit different way in that I’m illustrating for adults, not children. The article itself is a nice read, about making your plans, but God directing your course (Proverbs 16:9 stuff, pretty much). I was happy with how this turned out. And I was drawing this at a time when Barbara Johansen Newman was promoting her latest book, Glamorous Glasses around the internet. I love her work, and so I wanted to add some “glamorous glasses” to my character, too!

Highlights Magazine: “Grandma’s Pickles”

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:58:48 +0000

I found this illustration I did up on the Highlights For Children‘s website the other day, and realized I’d forgotten about it:

(Copyright Highlights For Children)

It’s the illustration for a poem by Marileta Robinson. Can’t say I’ve ever had hot pickles! Have you? The little girl certainly is enjoying it, but not without some tears–albeit happy ones!

Illustration Friday: “Tribute”

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:50:20 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve participated in Illustration Friday. It’s kind of a challenging prompt “Tribute”. Yesterday I was working outdoors and was thinking, it would be a nice “tribute” to spring to sketch a leaf. We are FINALLY seeing spring in these parts. With a series of 70-plus degree temperatures, spring has been just busting out all over!

When you sketch a leaf or flower, you notice things you wouldn’t when you admire it from afar, and the bulk of leaves on a tree. So I was appreciating how this leaf and the flower near it was constructed, the number of blades, the structure of the veins, the number of petals and pistols. I noticed, too, that I started impatiently to draw it, but quickly settled down to enjoy the process. And I’m so used to drawing on the computer, once I had the line drawing, I wanted to preserve that and make multiple copies to colorize, always having the original line drawing. Funny how that is. Oh, and what kind of tree is this…? I’m not sure, but the leaf looks like it might be a Maple of some sort.

Maybe this will encourage me to start sketching again. It’s been a long time.

On The Drawing Board: Animals in Black & White

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:49:12 +0000

Happy May, everybody! I’m working this week on some black and white images for a client’s curriculum (below). Fun stuff!

April Stuff

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:02:10 +0000

This week’s work on the drawing board. All are works-in-progress and at the rough stage. A range of styles keeps things fresh!

Spot Illustration Fun

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:38:54 +0000

Thankfully, spring looks like it’s making it’s appearance. I see buds on trees, I spotted some bulbs sprouting, temps are on the rise…and most of the snow is melting away. I soon may be able to put the parka away for good!

Below are some segments of illustrations I did this year for a poster about reading books. You can read a book anywhere, dontcha know!

(copyright Highlights For Children)

Polar Bears, Baby Bears, Waiters & Octopuses

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:16:50 +0000

What do these things have in common? Nothing, really. Other than they are things I’ve been drawing the studio as of late. Below are just a sampling of illustrations that have been on my drawing board recently. Fun stuff, drawing octopuses getting married. Heh.

Happy Easter ’13!

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 11:55:19 +0000

Easter 6

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:41:05 +0000

Something different–and quick: Illustration mixed with photos.

Easter 5

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:35:36 +0000

Some fun with softer, less cartoony bunny images for Easter cards.

Easter 4 & Some Musings

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:18:25 +0000

And so I shall round out the week with more rabbits. Or bunnies. Either/or. And a rabbit/bunny pattern, to be exact.

Making patterns is enjoyable, I find, though that is an exercise I pretty much do on my own time, for my own projects. It’s a completely different approach to creating something visual. Whereas I’m usually doing something that creates or enhances a story, to just simply take an image–and related images–and play with juxtaposition, alignment, color, texture, etc., has a very liberating quality to it. No need to weave a narrative. I am free to just enjoy the design.

Illustration Friday: “Eye Glasses”

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:19:19 +0000

A quicky warm-up for Illustration Friday. What a fun topic! So many ways to go with this. And I’m keeping the Easter theme going.

Check out all the other submissions at Illustration Friday.

Easter 3

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:10:54 +0000

I love this pink bunny.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 12:46:46 +0000

St. Patick’s Day Card

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:41:41 +0000

I forgot…St. Patrick’s Day is this Sunday, March 17th. It has me wanting to have something Irish for lunch. But I will settle for an avocado. That’s green, too!

Below is a St. Patrick’s Day greeting card I was commissioned to do a few years ago. I’ve never had green beer myself, but it looks pretty enough!

Easter 2

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:07:40 +0000

What is Easter without more bunnies?! This is from an Easter card I did last year. …And I just noticed he’s missing whiskers!

Easter 1

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:45:26 +0000

I love playing with the icons and images that surround holidays, and Easter is no exception. Being a cartoonist and humorous illustrator, images of bunnies, egg, chicks, baskets, etc. are my favorites to draw from this holiday. So I think I will be decorating my blog frequently with past and present images I am working on or are related to Easter. And I may throw spring into that mix. We shall see!

I begin with a bunny. This one is rather traditional in style and has a pattern and icons that compliment. Fun!

Illustration Friday: “Talent”

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:30:52 +0000

Finally! A little something for Illustration Friday:

Click on the link above to see all the other entries. And be sure to enter something yourself!

Take A Sound Walk

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:07:49 +0000

Here’s a fun illustration that was published in a recent Highlights’ High Five magazine (January ’13, I think). The activity looks like a lot of fun! Try it by yourself or with children! And, as always, my thanks to the great people at Highlights!