So this is a story idea I put together about 8 years ago and it was my first serious attempt at getting an agent. It wasn’t accepted, but I got some good feedback that lead me to a revised version where Lloyd and Floyd were kids and the trains were toys. That version did get me an agent! That said, I always liked the characters as portrayed in this version - middle aged men behaving like kids. Probably because that describes me pretty well. Anyways I decided to make an animation out of the original dummy sketches (and some later sketches too). I like to think I’ve learned a thing or two since making the original dummy. You’ll notice the pacing is a bit herky jerky, the story leaves some questions, and its hard telling what type of book I was trying to make - but I still have a soft spot for it.
Train Inspector
Here’s an old idea made into an animation. The original premise was that the reader was supposed to inspect the train page by page to make sure everything was okay. Of course everything was not okay, each page stuff gets progressively more strange. I think this idea still has merit and could be better executed if the inspector was a character and there was an actual plot arc with stakes….that said. I love that this has none of that. So give it a watch and see if the train looks okay to you. Forgive me if the old-timey music is too much! I was trying to figure out what way to go with it.
The Station
An old sketch of a train station from a story that I put on ice many moons ago. I’m itching to get these characters back in action when the time is right!
Katy Days 2015. I'm back!
Its Katy Days time! Katy Days is a festival celebrating the railroad heritage of the town of Parsons, Kansas (where I was raised). The town was founded by the MKT railroad (the Katy) and since its founding trains have continued to play a big role in that town. Everybody there knows a railroader. Or 10.
Last year I skipped being a demo painter at Katy Days because I was feeling swamped with work. I was about to skip again this year for the same reason, but I had some time in between projects to whip something up. The paintings that resulted are modeled after the old black and white images of locomotives that I used to love to look at as a kid. There was something about those engines in black and white that really gave them personality. Anyways. These are the ones I came up with in a pinch.
While there I will be selling many other train paintings as well as art featuring regional people and themes. I'm going to be selling them cheap because I need to make some room! So those folks in my beloved PK come out and get some cheap original art! And oh yes, I will be doing a paintings demonstration too.
Acrylic Black and White, 22" x 22"
Acrylic Black and White, 48" x 24". I had to throw in the water tower for good measure. When I was a kid I was convinced that thing was going to collapse and flood the town.
Sketch to color composition to final art
Here's an image sequence showing the progress of an illustration from b/w sketch to color composition to final art. If you look close you can see that some things were changed along the way, which is why taking these steps can be really useful.
My Brain At Work
Here's a snapshot of how my brain sometimes works. This is a real series of thoughts I had while walking and talking.
A bit more
I'm thoroughly engrossed in this project. Its a challenge to pick out sketches to share that aren't too revealing. There are ones I really really want to show, but not yet. So again, another rough sketch with no context.
