Ratty

  For an upcoming  feature on water voles for Ranger Rick magazine,  I was asked to portray "Ratty" or "Rat", one of the characters in The Wind in the Willows.
  I loved that book as a child, and hope to revisit it.
  I looked at many wonderful illustrations, including EH Shepard, Robert Ingpen,  and Inga Moore ( her version is my favorite, although I do not own it; must get).
  Then there is this comprehensive ''best-illustrated'' reference book.
  For those who have not read this classic,  Mole decides go out to the river, and meets Ratty (a water vole), who at this time of year spends all his days in, on and close by the river. Ratty takes Mole for a ride in his rowing boat. They get along well and spend many more days boating, with Ratty teaching Mole the ways of the river.
  Water voles used to be common over all of Great Britain, but  in the 90's began to disappear. People brought American minks to Great Britain to raise them for their fur. Many escaped and were so good at hunting voles for prey, the numbers of voles dropped fast.  More of their habitat was ruined when livestock trampled their banks and ate the plants that the voles needed. Conservation groups are working hard to reestablish their numbers, and hopefully they will not only live on  in the pages of a book!

Look out, Ratty! Rapids ahead!

 I love being able to merge illustration with an actual photo. Great fun!

 Hi; I'm  Ratty, your river guide.

Goodbye, little voles!

No Words

   Last month I illustrated a small wordless book for Scholastic, that teaches words starting with certain letters of the alphabet; in this case Y and Z. Each story was told in two images.

   Enough said.

 

Packy Derm

  Elephants never forget ... to blog. September was an incredibly busy month with work, and I'm playing catch up. Recently I finished illustrating two readers for Scholastic, one immediately after another. ( Phew!) This one features an elephant who is getting dressed and carrying his stuff to an unknown destination. He does not forget his mittens! I call him Packy Derm, but the actual title is "Packing Up".
  Each of the 16 pages says "I have my ______." ( hat, jacket, iguana, etc.)  To expedite the process I copied and pasted many of the background elements, such as the house, trees, stepping stones, flowers and leaves, changing their sizes, shapes and positions as needed.  I  had a library of leaves from previous work which I could recycle.
   It is not until the final page that the reader realizes he is loading his car with his belongings
(although the title is a clue to  that). The cat co-stars as she watches his every move from a different vantage point each time. 

 first step

I began by drawing each pose traditionally with pencil on grey pastel paper which made it easy to  establish highlights, values and details. I added the pinks and a few colors, then went on to silhouette the figure, copied and pasted the ties and hats, and added the rest of the color in Photoshop. I placed the isolated figures in their scenery, adjusting each environment as I went along, based on the layouts of  my initial sketches.

I have my vest.

I have my jacket.

I have my bicycle.

I have my jam.

I have my iguana.

I have my cat.

 I have my car.

Vroom.....Bye bye for now!

Dig In

Groundhogs Day is coming early this year, and it's followed closely by spring planting.  My latest cover for High Five's June issue provided me with some good clean colorful fun in the dirt. If you can find the hidden H, you win a nasturtium. Can you dig it?

sketch

Halloween is Hiding

 

sketch

  A short wandering today led me into my favorite indie bookstore, Mac's Backs... and BOO!-- I was surprised by a solitary copy of Hidden Pictures smack dab among the magazines.  It was spooky fun doing this illustration a few months ago. Look for it at your local bookstore if you know some kids that are fans of puzzles. Tell them not to be afraid as they look for the scary hidden objects:
   A cane, a drumstick, a fan, a comb, a bowling pin, a zipper, an envelope, a wristwatch, and a bone.   Just kidding, there's no bone.

Build dams, not walls.

A new cover for the October issue of High Five.  Art director: Kelley Cunningham.  

detail

Hey...That's not FAIR! (said the boy to the bear)

  Artists are blessed and cursed in the extreme sometimes, but I think the important thing about living in that duality is the word AND. The last few months have tested my sanity on a personal level.  I'm usually busy, but  I can't remember ever being really busy and also dealing with a traumatic thing like a molar extraction ( not an easy one).
  But now that two books are finished, one on the heels of another, I can say a few things are becoming clear :  One: The ability to focus on art is a gift; it channels the mind/body into another world and in that sense is a meditation that can transcend pain.  Two: I was very  fortunate to have had cool clients and art directors who worked with me on the scheduling so that I did not have to abandon the work  entirely because of a villainous tooth making an entrance into the story.
   Sketches to come later for  the tooth character, but for now, here's a few of my favorites featuring the unfair bear.  Despite his role as a cheating jerk to the boy, he also became  the hero I needed.   For McGraw Hill, in their pre-K Social- Emotional program. Thanks for being incredibly supportive, Janet!

... and the winner is...The Girl Squirrel!

 

 Some selections from The Contest.

  I recently had the pleasure of completing illustrations for a 16 page book for Dinardo Design and Heinemann Publishing.  Naturally I was so pleased to have a hand in a book that shows a girl winning. The boys, Chip and Flip, learn in the end that they were outsmarted by a girl whom they had laughed at as not capable, and vow to let Tulip go first the next time they have a contest. I really had fun with the limited palette and expressions in this animal fantasy fiction. I'm hoping to illustrate more girl-centric stories in the future.
  Can you guess how she carried the most nuts?
 

Arf! Arf! Pupperoni and Muttzarella

 

Original art created with pastels, prismacolors and photoshop.

detail

   A piece for a riddles page in Ranger Rick magazine for their May issue.  I really got hungry doing this.  I think Pupperoni and Muttzarella are good names for them, actually. The background is loosely based on our Little Italy here in Cleveland.  Lettering by Jim Paillot.  I'm getting hungry again.  Ciao bella!

How Romantic!

  A few weeks ago I was asked to illustrate another Hidden Pictures cover for a special newsstand edition. A few of these are really challenging.  Even some of my big kid friends were stumped trying to find all of the following:  a saltshaker, a ladder, a hairbrush, a spool of thread, a lime, an artist's brush, a cinnamon bun, and a horseshoe.
 The art director suggested the contrast of big and little, and I love that dynamic.  Love.
 Did I say this as a Valentine's issue? Yes, it's the day after Halloween and Christmas is over already.

 I concentrated some on the strolling kitties a bit while sketching.  I thought a question mark hidden in her tail would be fun but it turned out the editors were not too fond of that idea. But they loved the rest of it.

The cover will look something like this.

  Did I say love?
 On the heels of this one I was asked to contribute again to Ranger Rick magazine with a spot  regarding the mating and dating habits of albatrosses.  The color palette turned out to be very similar, which I think shows how one piece can influence the next, even though it happens subconsciously. Or maybe it is because the theme of Love just demands pink.
  I collaged a photo of the Eiffel tower in, initially because the one I drew was looking wobbly and inadequate. After I did I was pleasantly surprised with the juxtaposition of elements and the blend of cartoon and photo. Bon Voyage!

Penguins and Pancakes

    Continuing on my current theme of premature winter images, I illustrated this Reader Riddles for Ranger Rick magazine. (Alliteration accidental).  They are a  great award-winning magazine for kids of all ages who love animals published by the National Wildlife Federation.  I learn so much myself with each issue. And this time I learned something while researching for the art. Did you know penguins are only found in the Antarctic, and polar bears are only found in the Arctic?  They can never hang out together. I also  learned I could get very hungry for pancakes.
  The lettering is by Jim Paillot.
  This is for their December issue, but it could also provide inspiration on one of the hottest nights of the summer, like tonight.  I 'll take my pancakes cold, thank you, with a scoop of vanilla ice.

                                               

Follow your Smart Little Nose

  I almost forgot to post this cover illustration from a few months back. There's often a lag between the time I create the work and get a sample of the printed piece.  Sometimes it's like a surprise in the mail. It's so nice to get a physical sample of the work; especially when there are real mazes inside.. lots of them! Everyone wants  to wander around and try to find their way back home sometimes.  I want to be the prairie dog with the hot tub. I want to be him really, really bad. You have no idea how much.  I also want a baby grand, and I'd like more time to read. I guess I've given these dogs the chance to live the life I've always wanted.  They'll have to work for it, but they'll thank me someday.

Wing It

There are only 18 days until spring, although here in Ohio we don't believe it. There may be some hope after all, as the sun is shining today, and the cats are jockeying for position to claim the one and only sunspot. I really want to believe spring will come, I really do. The baby birds must be chirping somewhere.

  It's always a pleasure to work with Hal Leonard. This art will be used on a cover of a musical for kids. I liked creating the title lettering as well. I find it really satisfying to be able to work on the integration of the type and illustration.  

  I felt like using traditional media: pastels on sanded pastel paper. Photoshop was employed for some touch-up and the placing and dropshadow of the title.