Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I made this on Xtranormal.com



Have you ever been in this situation??? It's always awkward. It would be flattering if these people knew my work but most don't. Anyway, I had fun typing this in on xtranormal.com. You can waste a lot of time there - I better get back to work.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Happy Holidays!




I couldn't wait to do a Seasonal piece this year. I finished this one (created in photoshop) last month but figured I'd wait till after Thanksgiving to post it. I'm sending this out as a post card so if you're an art buyer and want to be on my list send me your contact info and I'll shoot you one pronto!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Find time to work on Hansel and Gretel


If you've already started working on a Hansel and Gretel piece congratulations! If you don't know what I'm talking about check a few posts down - I'm going to post image creations from anyone who wants to take on this challenge. I've already received a really nice piece from Von Brimhall - Way to go man!

Here is a cute piece from Carl Offterdinger way back in the 1800's.

To my class: In between turkey naps find time to work on your assignments - you'll thank yourself later.

Project due date: Dec 8th when I'll post all of the images I receive in jpeg form right here on my blog with a short critique.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

My first acrylic painting in 7 months


This is a demo I did for my picturebook class at UVU. I was happy that I was still able to do it. I have to admit that I was a little nervous but I couldn't let my students know it.

Also - we're starting our Hansel and Gretel assignment tomorrow - Monday the 15th. Several people are going to do the project but do not want me to post the results online. That's absolutlely fine - I'll only post the images that you want me to post.
Good luck on it - My hope is that you can add another great image to your portfolio!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Want to do this assignment?


This is an illustration from Hansel and Gretel by scott gustafson. (Scott I hope you don't mind that I used your image.) We are going to be illustrating one scene from this story next week in my picturebook class at UVU. My students will begin this assignment on November 16 and their due date is Dec 8th. I've always wanted to try this so here goes:

I'm planning to post my students work right here on my blog and I'd like to post work from anyone out there who would like to participate along with us. The goal is to motivate my students as well as anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and get busy with us. I'll also give a short critique on these pieces and any of you can weigh in with your opinions as well. I think this will be a blast!

So here are the rules:
Original work only of course
size is 8.5" x 11" wide or horizontal (work larger if you like)
color or black and white
any medium
email me a jpeg of your finished piece - I'll only post jpegs

Content:
You may choose any scene from the story. It can be dark and scary if you want - the original Brothers Grimm tale is quite ominous. You may also choose to lighten it up - fracture it if you want - this is your chance to do something really fun! The only content rule is that it must contain at least one character from the story. I often advise my students to pick a scene that is easily identifiable (as a Hansel and Gretel image) so they can get an editor or art director emotionally involved with their work.

So that's it - you have an extra week to get going on it!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Re-Painting


I just wasn't satisfied with the last finish on this piece - It felt over rendered in some ways and I think it lacked texture and the silhouette from the original sketch. I'm still finding myself in photoshop. I like the second version much better because you can still see some of the under-painting - a look I had in my traditional work.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

A new book project


This is a sample image for a book I just finished writing and illustrating. I don't have a publisher yet but will be sending it out soon. I was so happy with how this image turned out and I had to share it on my blog. The rest of the book is in full dummy mode (PDF) and hopefully I can get someone interested in putting some money behind it. I love telling stories through fun visuals and text - watching kids as they listen and look at my pictures is where it's at. So far I've gotten a good response on this one....fingers crossed!


Oh, also this is the first image that I started and finished in photoshop - prior to this piece I had always scanned my pencil sketches and then finished in photoshop. It has taken about 7 - 8 months to become familiar enough with my wacom tablet to pull this off. It still feels a little foreign but it's getting much easier.