So I decided to put together a “video” of Field Trip to the Ocean Deep using the preliminary sketches. With the help of some royalty free music and sound effects, the sketches really come to life! Well… I think so. Also I’d like to point out that royalty free doesn’t mean something is sub-par. A lot of the music i found was really great…in fact one of the songs has become such an earworm that its a bit of a problem (Candelabra by Latasha in the Youtube Audio Library). Anyways, check it out, and if you like it check out the actual book - Even if that means literally checking it out from a library. I like to think the final art gives it a life and atmosphere of its own.
So this is what I thought an air force application looked like
This is from a story I wrote when I was in grade school called Reptic Returns - a story about a Lizard who joined the air force. (I was really into Top Gun and Iron Eagle and anything involving cool airplanes). Anyways I don’t know what my favorite part is about this page….the fact that I left the girl character’s name blank to fill in later, or the somewhat suspect air force application…
Down into the Deep!
Field Trip to the Ocean Deep is officially out! Here’s some of the early drafts of the cover along with the final version.
Salamander
When I was a kid, my favorite activity was exploring the woods near our home. One day I came across my first salamander. It was THE coolest thing I had seen up to that point. It was like a frog and a lizard combined. What could be cooler? I also quickly realized that, like a frog, it needed a moist environment to flourish. Which makes it all the more crazy that in ancient times, salamanders were considered creatures of fire! That notion is thought to have originated when prehistoric people would gather old, dead wood to burn - and when doing so the occasional salamander would emerge from the fire! (moist dead wood being a favorite home of theirs). So a legend began to develop that there were large salamanders out there with the power to start and extinguish fires! Kind of cool. But not as cool as just a plain old wet-log loving salamander.
I'll be on a BookCon Panel this weekend!
Check it out if you have time! If not I believe they’ll be recording it so it can be viewed later. Must remember not to pick my nose….
YouTube channel? Yes!
An image from Catch on Venus.
With the extra time resulting from the COVID 19 quarantine I’ve decided to do something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile. I’ve made a YouTube channel where I will post videos based story ideas that didn’t quite make the cut. What do I mean when I say they didn’t make the cut? Well, maybe they were too short, or too long, or just me goofing off, or a bit too confusing….or a lot too confusing. Whatever the reason, I don’t want these ideas to die unseen in a folder somewhere. That said, most are just rough sketches strung together into movies, so don’t expect too much. Anyways check it out! This first video is a short called “Catch on Venus”.
Who knows…this could have possibilities. Maybe I’ll use the channel for sketchings and book readings too…but one thing at a time. With me there’s always a chance it will fade away once we get this virus behind us. (And we will get it behind us!). In the meantime I’ll try to post some stuff to entertain myself and maybe a few of you while we’re all keeping our distance IRL! Be safe out there!
