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….
Still figuring this thing out
I’m having fun using the quarantine as an excuse to experiment. I just posted a video of a Prompt Sketch…just a super quick sketch based on a writing prompt. It is suuuuper basic and if I was to keep doing something like that, I’d make it a bit more interesting. Still….gotta start somewhere! Not saying this is the start of something….but if it was there would definitely be room for improvement!
Boy King
A quick sketch from a little project I was working on.
City Market
Who doesn't love the city market?
I'm pleased with how this one turned out, Still, its another case of me liking the rough sketches nearly as much as the final.
Another rough sketch of market
Plaza Lights
Ahhh the twinkling Christmas lights of Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. I'm not thrilled with this illustration but it will do. Mentally I still have some stuff to work out with this one. Me and this painting need couples therapy.
Lunch at the fountain
Originally there was a boy walking on the ledge of the fountain in this illustration. After awhile I began to feel like he was paintingbombing (like photobombing but more 14th century). The copy is about the fountain and he was right in front of it breaking up the lines so I removed him. Poor kid. I feel like I ran him off. I should make another illustration showing him sulking away carrying a skateboard and giving me the finger.
Underpainting of KC Cable Car
I love how underpaintings are filled with potential and possibility. Meaning I haven't screwed it up yet.
Westport - rough sketch vs final art
Here's a comparison of the rough sketch for the Westport illustration next to the final, painted version.