So I’m continuing to take advantage of this pause between projects - but I’m switching from fun stuff like fishing to things that need to be done around the house. Things that involve lots of digging. Like digging up part of the sewer line and installing a clean out access, or digging post holes. I wish I had the digging skills of a crawdad. They seem to make short work of it. As a kid I used to love the impressively tall mud chimneys that marked the entrance to their tunnels. But like this crawdad I’d probably get distracted by a clam. I mean that literally, I could easily get distracted from any particular task by a clam.
New YouTube Video of Ocean Deep!
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…
Scary Deep!
Originally some of the creatures in Field Trip to the Ocean Deep were a bit more intense! Like these giant amphipods that tried to eat the school bus submarine in one of my early ideas for this adventure.
Giant amphipods (related to shrimp) are not to be confused with giant isopods (ocean dwelling relatives of pill bugs) that are featured in the recently released final version of Field Trip to the Ocean Deep.
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.
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….
