Howler Monkey hiatus!

Finally, after my month long affair with the howler monkey, I am finished with the final art (minus the cover)! WOoo Hoooo! Now to relax for a little Christmas R&R with the family in Oklahoma. Here is a super-special secret sneak peak at the art.

Now only one more YEAR until the book comes out...

Pardon Me!

In my opinion you should look both ways before crossing a school of fish! Or you may get all tangled up.

Peaceable Kingdom

For this weeks illo friday, my version of the "Peaceable Kingdom". There may be some pretending going on in there... Still tweaking here and there before I paint it.

Wise

Yes we did!

image by MAFmove from designforobama.org

HALLOWEEEEEN!!

Of course, a special spooky holiday Halloween post. First, my spookiest painting, for Illustration Friday's "vacant" theme.

Also, my 'art group' carved pumpkins this week so I thought I'd show off the handy-work. First is my little owl pumpkin, all lit up at night.

And there is all of us, Jessica on the left with her knobbed-nose Pirate, Lisa with her adorable little Vampire Bat (it actually had little pumpkin wings!), Joni with her Pirate (love the earring!), and me with my owl. Lots of fun!

Repair

In need of repair,
the man who is the moon asks,
"Would you mind tipping my hat,
I just can't seem to get a grasp.
Being of oblong stature just isn't
conducive to a hats charms.
So please do be kind
and help a moon man with no arms!"

Packed!

These guys are PACKED!! An oldie, but a goodie. This one dates all the way back to art school!

Super-Fantastical Excit-e-static!

Next week I'll be on the east coast, visiting the autumn leaves and I've just discovered the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is close, so look out Amherst, Mass.! SO excited! These types of museums are far and few between, so I'm all over this! Woo Hoo!

Clique

For Illustration Friday, 'clique'. I didn't get around to painting it yet, but I still might one day.

Apparently, squirrels are solitary animals, so they were never assigned a group name (lounge of lizards, herd of buffalo, murder of crows, etc.). Which in a way is a good thing, because I only have to get angry at the one squirrel that keeps digging holes in all my plants every fall and spring!! Darn tootin'!

Done!

... but still not installed. Next week I should have pictures of the mural installed. But here it is all finished, resting in my carport.

He's a Howler!

As you may know (and if you don't, here you go!) I'm working on a picture book about monkeys for Charlesbridge publishing. The book is called "He's a Howler" and is authored by the prolific April Pulley Sayre. It is due out spring of 2010, but here is a super special sneak peak (I haven't even starting painting yet, just sketches!). Keep on the lookout for updates!

Mural... in progress

So I'm still wondering what in the world I did when I signed up to do an 8x8 foot mural. It has been such a different experience for me, a challenge but a in a good way. Downtown Redwood City will have 8x8 foot murals displayed for the month of September and maybe October, starting on September 19th. Several artists are doing murals to go into empty storefronts. Here are some progress photos.

This project has been a huge undertaking, but very rewarding (although, I'll wait to claim success until it's installed and I see it from more than two feet away!). It has really been a good exercise not only for my body (very strenuous painting work!) but also for my mind. It requires a large idea and has given me room to really loose myself in the creation aspect. I will say, I feel a deeper understanding and closeness to God's creation of the universe. As corny as that sounds, it really has given me a different kind of respect for "creative/creation-ness".

While I have painted large before, nothing on this scale. It is something completely new for me, yet very familiar. It requires discipline in adhering to the forms and colors I've laid out, yet I feel very free and liberated to let the creation process unfold organically. New ideas are coming forth as I create and the act of creating itself is leading me in new directions: bringing new ideas to light.

I know many of you would not call yourselves "artists" in the traditional sense, but I strongly urge you to create something in your life. The act of creation brings me a new respect for and deeper understanding of the spirit of our Creator.

Anyway, thanks for humoring me and hopefully you'll get a chance to see the mural finished! I'll keep updating as it comes along and gets installed.

Detach

Just in time! I always get my illos done just in time, right before the new illustration friday topic. Better late than never. Here is my entry for "detach". I had to take a little break while working on the monkey book, so thanks Illustration Friday for the distraction! Almost done with the sketches, then I'll have time to work on some personal stuff until I start the final art around October. So keep on the lookout for new work...!

Also, redesigned the blog. It just seemed so stale before, so I thought I'd add some color!

Poof!

No time to do any new pictures since I'm trying feverishly to get my sketches done on the book by September. So here are a couple oldies. POOF!

first tomato!

The first tomato off my Roma plant. The first tomato I've ever grown, homegrown and organic yumness! Just look at that little red sucker!

A foggy situation.

So, I know you've heard the stories of Captain Morgan, William Kidd, Anne Bonny, and of course the infamous Blackbeard. The pirates of the Caribbean. But did you know the story of Captain Noah and his infamous Ark? Scholars are still a little foggy with the details, but I can assure you that Noah has been around the world and had his fair share of animal pirate booty! Legend says he had 2 of every animal aboard his rigger, and that the infamous Ark has not been found to this day!

Jack Stacks, or, hoarding

Awhile back I started working on a book about Jack, who collects and stacks stuff. In the end he learns the old adage, 'tis better to give than receive. This drawing is one of the pages. I guess it was partly a 'self-help' action, to write about someone with too much stuff so I could identify. Anyway, it got shelved and now I'm working on one of the many other ideas I have for books. Maybe I'll revisit this one day...

In the beginning...

Here is my newest painting about Adam and Eve, titled, "The Story of Us". I'm working on a couple other bible stories also. There is so much rich imagery in the bible so I thought I'd flesh out a few in my own way. Next up is Samson fighting the lion.

Also I thought this could work for Illustration Friday this week, punchline. I've been trying to think of a punchline for this and here is what I came up with: "I don't feel like making dinner tonight, maybe just fruit will do..." Kind of cheesy I know. Let me know if you think of other punchlines for this, I'd love to hear what you come up with!

A Day in the Life...

I was tagged by "Lil Kim" with "a day in the life" meme. Hers was great and it sounds fun, so here goes (I tried to wait until I had a more exciting day than "eat breakfast, go to work, watch american idol, sleep!):

Thursday, May 22, 2008...

* Get up about 7 and stumble around for awhile, make coffee, eat some cereal.

* Then it's onto email, blogs, general electrono-socialization and keeping up on the state of the world. A little facebook, poke a few people, chat, etc.



* Onto more seriousness, check email and time to print some cards for an Etsy order from the Woody Mart, as well as a print for someone. Maybe it's like 9:30-10 now... not really sure.

Etsy Buy Handmade WoodyMart

* Two cups of coffee in me and I'm starting to wake up, so I put on some "This American Life" podcast, then a Rob Bell podcast talk while printing and a little studio cleaning.

* Around 11 am I start a painting of Ted Kennedy I drew the other day for my portfolio, I figure it's good to have some portraits in there and he's been in the news lately. Very fun character to draw! Music: Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (the new album is awesome, hooray for pop music!)

* Finish a couple small paintings started earlier this week, while doing layers on Ted.




* Let the cat out while I grab some lunch, around 12:45. Water plants, and back to work.

* Finish Ted. Listening to Kaki King - Until We Felt Red.



* Quick cat nap at 3:30 (me and the cats!)

* Up and working on one of my stories for a picture book about the moon. No music, writing and "early" creative idea work needs silence!

* Jessica comes home (maybe around 5-5:30), tired, so we take a rest, talk, I do the dishes (much neglected!), and we finally make some home made mac and cheese! Can't beat that!

* After dinner and a little "Reaper"(see below), I pull my butt off the couch and ride the stationary bike as well as lift some weights.



* Now it must be like 8:30pm or so, I open some wine (Boeger 2006 Barbera) and take the laptop outside to write some more (this time, editing some of "The Fabulous Forest Band"). It's been windy all day so it's a little chilly, a clear night, perfect for writing! Finally, around 10:30 I call it quits, head in, finish this post and crawl in bed next to my already dead to the world wife and cuddly cats.

Good nighhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gift!



P.S. I'm supposed to tag a few people as well, so I'd like to see a day in the life of
Mike Baker
Joni Stringfield
Lisa Victoria
Laura Zarrin
and Kathleen Rietz

Illustration Friday - Wide

One way Harry the Octopus found friends was to draw them in with his tropical island. Before you land yourself upon a nice acquaintance, take a wider view and see what's underneath!

I am working on another piece for "Wide", but I thought this one might fit as well. So here is a teaser.

Spring cleaning surprise!

A piece I did for the SCBWI illustrator contest (for which I won Honorable Mention last time!). Here is the idea:

"In a spring cleaning frenzy, the star of your story finally reaches the last closet. It hasn't been opened in a long, long time, and when the door is thrown wide...
WHAT'S INSIDE?"

...and of course what's inside my closet? ANIMALS!! (and free bananas) I can't decide on a title, it's between-

"Surprise closet clean-up"
"Want a banana?"
"Secret closet creatures"

So we'll see how I do in the contest, there could be lots of really cool entries for this one! Good topic!

Primitive escape!

A piece I did for my portfolio that I thought could work for Illustration Friday. There isn't a story behind this yet, but I'm working on a companion piece so it's developing slowly... For now, here is the "primitive" escape!

Also, I won honorable mention in the SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators) illustration contest titled "Finish Line" this month. See the winners (my last blog post is my entry) here.

A Heavy Scene

Someone is about to feel the weight of this race's unconventional winner.

Leap!

Here is my leaper for Illustration Friday. A leap over a fellow leaper, during the leap year!

New work and interview

Just for fun, one of two bird paintings I did recently.



If anyone out there has not heard of Etsy, you need to get yourself over to Etsy.com and check out some hand made stuff. Etsy is a community of people with individual stores selling hand made items such as jewelry, prints, art, clothing, knitted items, and so on. TONS of really cool stuff!

My store is the Woody Mart. I'm selling prints, original paintings, magnets, and cards. Recently I was interviewed by the talented Melanie about my art and my Etsy store. You can read the interview here at her blog. Here is my little Etsy "Woody Mart" ad.

Etsy Buy Handmade WoodyMart

Also, here is a new painting for last weeks painting-a-week (I know I haven't posted every weeks paintings, but I'm still on track!). It's a sort of "pre" idea painting for a picture book I'm working on about the moon. Enjoy!

Tiger painting

New for this week, it's the tiger! This would make a nice blanket. It is painted with acrylic and caran d'ache over a moroccan pattern. It was actually painted to fit into a mat that I created to look like old stone with a sort of Thai pattern opening. Sounds confusing, I know, but I'll take a picture of it all, if/when I get it framed.

I am happy to report that I have kept on task with the painting a week, 6 weeks in. So I should have plenty of original art to sell at the summer art fairs and such. Also, don't forget to check out my Etsy store, the WoodyMart to see the new paintings for sale as well as prints and cards.

Tales and Legends

Announcing "Lord Reginald Willoughby", for this weeks tales and legends at Illustration Friday. He was the first to set sail for and map out the untamed and exotic jungles of Borneo. It was among this wild and enchanted land that Lord Reginald discovered the ancient Golden elephant. Soon after it's discovery he disappeared, and was never heard from again. Lord Reginald's legend still lives on in the hearts and bravery of all explorers.

Last weeks painting also fits under the "tales and legends" theme, actually, a lot of my work does. Here is the Dream maker from last week.

Lord Regi also counts as my painting for this week in my quest to paint a picture every week this year. So far so good!... Don't forget, you can buy most of my weekly paintings over at my Etsy sotre, theWoodyMart for less than $50!

Painting a week, #3

Yep, so far I'm on track with doing a painting a week. This week, like last week, I was able to do two! This one is a sketch/painting, really, just an idea experiment if you will. The palm tree was just me trying to work out some colors and drawing a palm tree that I'm happy with (they're hard!). It will be for sale at the "WoodyMart" over on Etsy, as well as most of my weekly paintings. So get yourself an original Woody painting for less than 50 bucks! You heard right, the weekly paintings are selling for less than $50!

Except for the moon man. He is the other painting I've finished this week, but to be fair, I've been working on this one for about 3 weeks (most of the time the idea percolates until I'm satisfied with the composition). He's sort of a re-visiting of a painting I did in art school. I wanted to try my new technique/style and had this drawing of a horse that I liked. Anyhoo, here he is...

Caldecott Medal Winner

So they announced the Caldecott and Newbery awards from the ALA (American Library Association) yesterday and I'm happy to say I've read the Caldecott winner! "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick won the Caldecott award (for the most distinguished picture book/illustrator of the year).

It is actually a quite hefty book, not really a picture book, not really a novel, not even a graphic novel in it's commonly thought of form. It's a story that involves the pictures and uses them as part of the story, and what lovely drawings they are! I highly suggest anyone who has not read this, to go read it, and if you haven't heard of it, at least check it out. Amazon has a little extra bonus with a letter from Brian Selznick and a bonus drawing that didn't make it into the book.

It is a great story and so different, it's nice to see something fresh being done in the mainstream. And now back to reading my other favorite new book, "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan (...said as my drool hits the pages full of amazingly crazy drawings).

Week 2 painting(s)

I actually did two paintings for week two in my painting-a-week challenge to myself, and I've already done one for week three. So here are the week two paintings. I'll post week three's this weekend.

I'm also selling some of them through my Etsy store: the WoodyMart. So check it out if you see any you like. There are also other Woody goodies (prints, cards) in the Etsy store. Just check under "original paintings" to see the weeklies (and some of my ATC's/ACEO's).

So take that Mike Baker, already got a head start! Please do give me a hard time if I slack off!

100% focused

You've got to be 100% focused to charm a snake. I have also been roughly 90% focused this year so far, but I'm 100% focused on meeting my goals/new year's resolutions. One of them is to do a painting a week (and sometimes more if possible!). So to that end, here is the first weeks painting:



Check back each week as I add new paintings, sometimes finished paintings, sometimes small paintings to work out ideas fro larger ones.