Marie Meyer Fower Learns to Fly

This illustration for Chapter 2 of the Notable Missourian book on Marie Meyer Fower (written by Christine Montgomery and published by Truman State University Press) shows Marie being instructed on how to fly the famous and at the time ubiquitous Curtiss JN-4 Jenny.  The Jenny was designed as a trainer aircraft during WWI. After the war thousands were sold as surplus for next-to-nothing prices.   All these easy easy to fly aircraft were suddenly in the hands of civilians brave enough to fly them in an almost completely unregulated environment.  Thus began the barnstorming era!   That period really helped put the plane into the public consciousness....although not always for the good.  In the daredevil world of Barnstorming, dramatic accidents were not uncommon.

Rough Sketch

Rough painting, acrylic on panel

Final image

Marie Meyer Fower, a Missouri Barnstormer

This Notable Missourian book (written by Christine Montgomery and published by Truman State University Press) is about Marie Meyer Fower. Not only was she one of the rare women pilots in the early days of flight, she was also a barnstormer, wing walker, and all around daredevil with a true love of aviation. This first illustration shows Marie playing with the other kids in St Louis and noticing an early airplane flying in the distance.

Rough Sketch

Colors roughly blocked in by hand in acrylic

Finished art, completed in Photoshop

Small town girl in Philly

This illustration is for chapter 3 of the Notable Missourian book on pioneering programmer Jean Bartik.  It shows the former farm girl taking in the big city of Philadelphia for the first time.

The Notable Missourian series is published by Truman State University Press.  The book on Jean Bartik was written by Kim Todd.

Hayloft Daydreaming

This is the first illustration for the Notable Missourian (Truman State University Press) book on Jean Bartik written by Kim Todd. Here a young jean is shown looking out of her family barn's hayloft and doing a bit of daydreaming about her potential future.  If that was me in that loft I would be daydreaming about hitching a ride to town and getting a box of Claritin.

Joseph Kinney's Shoe Store

The illustration of Joseph Kinney working in his Boonville shoe store unexpectedly turned out to be one of my favorites from this story.  I just really like the atmosphere.  

Below is the final art along with the original composition sketch and the revised composition sketch.  This artwork is for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Final illustration

Revised and tightened composition sketch

Original composition sketch

The flatboat hits a snag

This is another illustration that ran through a few versions.  It depicts Joseph Kinney's venture into flatboat ownership ending in disaster.

Flatboats were an affordable means of moving goods down river, especially before the steamboat was firmly established.  Rivers were pretty treacherous to navigate due to snags and boat wrecks were not uncommon.  When such wrecks would happen, nearby flatboats (should they be around) would help rescue the crew and save the cargo.  

Originally I thought an illustration of such a scene would be interesting to look at, but the problem was that Joseph Kinney lost most all of his cargo which makes it unlikely that there would've been another flatboat close enough to salvage anything.  So I pushed the other boat far into the background and made some other changes as well.  Both versions are shown below.

This is the final art showing Joseph Kinney's wrecked flatboat.

Here is the first version of the flatboat wreck with another boat helping out.  While I do like the commotion of this one, Joseph looks a bit too calm. Like he's asking the other captain how his corn crop is coming along or something.

This artwork is for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Young Joseph Kinney watching an early steamboat

Here a young Joseph Kinney is seen working for his uncle and admiring an early steamboat passing by.  And so began his life long passion for steam boats. 

This one went through a few changes in editing.  It was decided that it was more likely that Joe would have had a clerical job than a labor job when working for his uncle so I changed him from pushing a barrel to pushing a pencil.  While at it I tweaked quite a few other aspects of the illustration too.  Compare them and try to spot what's different.  

This artwork is for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Final version - Joseph Kinney counting barrels and watching an early steamboat

First version - Joseph Kinney pushing a barrel watching said early steamboat

Joseph Kinney comp sketches

Here are a few new composition sketches for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney. Joseph Kinney was a 19th century steamboat mogul who spent most of his life in Boonville, Missouri.  I call him a mogul but honestly I'm not sure what mogul means. I think I'll look that up.

These sketches are for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Joseph Kinney as a teen working on a dock while watching an early river steamboat pass by.

Joseph Kinney's investment in a flatboat ended in disaster when the boat sank.

Joseph Kinney opened a shoe store in Boonville. While working there he met his second wife, Matilda.  Business was good and he accrued enough money to return to his passion, steamboats.

A steamboat race on the Missouri River.  Who wouldn't love a steamboat race?

An aerial view of old Boonville showing Joseph Kinney's mansion, Riverscene, on the north side of the Missouri.

This one won't be used but it amused my inner cartoonist.  Here he's posing for his portrait painting by George Caleb Bingham and he can't help getting excited and breaking his pose when he sees a steamboat passing by on the river.