Paint Monster

So it turns out that the magazine contest runs until the end of 2010 so I'm not going to wait that long to show the public this image. I'm also using it for my own portfolio that I should be sending to the printer next week. It's an eight page portfolio that shows all my work for 2009. I will have them for sale on my website store too for a very cheap price and the cost of shipping if any one wants to purchase one.

New Year

"Hatchlings of Loving Thoughts"
{wip for February promotional postcard}

Heya folks! Silence is annoying, especially in a critique blog, I'm happy to see some still posting. I have been crazy busy the last two months trying to finish my Christmas gifts (quilted stockings) and working with my great friend Candace Camling on 2010 business stuff. I'm way excited about it, hoping this will be the year I actually make some routines that stick. That'd be a miracle in itself.

So I apologize for not being around to comment or critique. I'm so excited for Isaac's new promo card, Steve's book deal, and all of the other great news out there (I haven't read enough so I apologize for not specifically pointing out the major successes I know have happened).

Brian and I are moving starting next week so I will still be MIA for another few weeks until the new studio is up and running. The crit group is part of my 2010 routine and I will let you in on some of the things Candace and I are up to, and hopefully it will give you some ideas if you haven't already thought of them.

I hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas and have a fantastic New Years! :D

Just to wrap up things a bit...

So this is what my promotional cards are going to look like.  Thanks for your help peoples!

Anyhow - these ended up being some of my most detailed and complicated illustrations so far.  We'll see if anyone in the industry notices...

Of course I expect that it'll take a year of promoting myself (at least) before I hear anything...so it's a good thing it's a lot of fun creating these things.

Merry Christmas folks!

Good News!

Hey everyone! Sorry for being a bit absent from the boards lately. Things have been rather busy for me.

I DID contract and receive advance from the publisher mentioned in my most recent post, which is great news! I get to officially do what I've been setting out to do - illustrate a book! Lately, I've been working on final character sketches for the client and am getting ready to make the dummy! Between this and full-time teaching, my plate is getting pretty full but I wouldn't trade if for a thing.

Signing the contract was an awesome moment...then I realized I had lots to do, so I freaked a tad! Now I'm in full-blown creative mode.

Hope to get some images posted soon!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Need a critique

I have an image posted on the SHhhh side of the blog that I would love to get feedback on. It's for a contest so I didn't want to post it for all to see.

Thanks,
Steve

the landing is done

Hey there...this took forever to complete...I was half way through coloring and still ended up changing the background A LOT (thanks to Steve's suggestions...I don't think I did exactly what he said, but it was enough to make me want to clear things up and the line that the panda was on turned into a tree branch...but because the other trees didn't have branches, I had to redesign the other tree which meant that more of the background showed)...

Anyway - I'd like your thoughts, because I want to use this as the front side of my postcard. Also anyone have any ideas as to when one should send a postcard this time of the year? The only reason I ask is that I remember reading somewhere that art directors and publishers and editors are bombarded at Christmas and through January because everyone has that time off and everyone suddenly has time to finish up that book or postcard and sends it off. I'm thinking of at least waiting until January 10th or so before sending something. I definitely don't want to send it now because of all the holidays and it's going to just sit at their office under a pile of other slush.

So, with all that said, does anyone else have any other ideas about sending postcard?

Some sketches

Everything I post here was done on the computer so I decided to take some sketchbook pics for the heck of it. I've been watching the baby a lot lately and while doing the daddy thing I make sure to have a sketchbook with me. This is a brown color erase pencil and a white charcoal pencil and lots of spray fixative on this recycled brown paper sketchbook that I bought at Utrecht art supplies. I know the holidays are crazy busy and it's easy to forget to get busy in those sketchbooks.

How many finishes

I am putting this dummy together, and I have the cover and one finished piece done for the inside. I still have some sketches to finish. I am wondering if I should do another finish or if 2 seems okay. I have done finishes more in the past with other dummies. What are your thoughts?

Patti

panda landing...

This was supposed to be the back of the postcard, but the more I work on it, the more I think it might want to go on the front...what do you think? And, more importantly, what do you think of the drawing? Is it solid?

Season's Greetings

Hi all,
I still don't feel comfy posting my little alien character for the in-progess book. We are working out the style and such still, but once that is complete, then I can't wait to show him off. :) I have a new respect for the process of creating a book. I thought that it would be a simple process of back and forth with minimal changes, but like all things in life, you live and learn. LOL

This is a request for a Christmas card by my daughter. She wanted a blue Christmas fairy, so I stuck her face in this little scene with a made up fairy for what will be a mostly blue and white Christmas card. I am considering making parts of it red and white like a candy cane, so we will see. :)
UPDATE: I added the mostly final file that I created in Photoshop and removed the sketch.

Cowabunga!!!!!!!

New Character WIP

Here is a character I am working on for a picture book I wrote. The story calls for him to have a simple body and be a cute bully. When kids see him on the cover I want them to immediately pick up the book and say, “He’s a very silly winged creature who looks like alot of trouble.”

He needs to be good at snatching and sneaking around ; maybe tiptoeing to be unnoticed, jumping out and scaring people, and then quickly vanishing with their belongings. He needs to be a skilled flyer and builder.

What do you think? I feel like he is missing some kind of sparkle, but it may just be me. Also what color should I make his finger and toe nails? They need to be very long. Thanks everyone.