Sketching: Washington Park

I wised up this time and sketched from a shady spot.

Even though I am buried in deadlines, we took a quick trip to the newly renovated park downtown across from Music Hall called Washington Park.

It was such a beautiful day. They have a wonderful fountain, playground and dog park.

Here is the dog park. This puppy had the right idea:

I could have stayed all day if I did not have crazy deadlines. The hour there was rejuvenating.

Outing to Loveland Castle

We went to Loveland Castle today with my nephew Joshua. Out in the middle of Symmes Township, this guy spent most of his life building a real castle. The lifestyle must have agreed with him. He died at age 91 and not of old age. He never married, oddly...

Joshua barely made it past the dagger clearance sale.

Cool dragon sculpture

Little entrance gate where I sat and sketched. Note to self: Sketching in the hot sun is a really bad idea. Find a shady spot next time...

Panoramic view

Final Taos Sketchbook Post

Two fighting/playing dogs. The little one reminds me of my in-laws' fox terrier Angie.

This is the final Taos post. As I mentioned earlier, I plan to go to the sketch journal workshop in Ireland next year. Until then, I will have to sketch here and on our trip to Boston and Vermont in August.

Some visiting art teachers suggested painting with wine. Maybe it has to sit out for a long time...

A mother and daughter with matching hats. So cute!

On our way to the Denver airport, we stopped in Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods and ran into a lot of these Scrub Jays. Sadly, the fires got really bad right after we left in CO.

New Pop Smoothie Comic: Cosmos by Seth

This is a teaser... The rest of the comic is at popsmoothie.com

My latest Pop Smoothie web comic: What will Cosmos be like with Seth MacFarlane at the helm?

http://popsmoothie.com/2012/07/09/cosmos-by-seth/

Happy 4th of July in the Year of the Dragon

No, I am not over the Year of the Dragon yet... Many more holidays to go. Here is my quickie sketch to celebrate.

New Pop Smoothie Post: Maryline and a Wizard School in Scotland

Yes, I have finally posted a new comic to Pop Smoothie!

Full comic here:
http://popsmoothie.com/2012/07/02/maryline-and-a-wizard-school-in-scotland/

The idea has been in my head for a while and I had to unleash it on the world.

It is Harry Potter drawn in the style of Madeline...

Taos Sketch Journal Workshop Part 2

Sketches of the Earthships

I put the Earthship sketch first because I loved this site. It is a collection of self-sufficient structures that grow their own food, make their own energy and recycle their own waste. They build them from recycled materials. I have heard that the UC Architecture department has a program has done programs in Taos before, but I could not find a link.

I am pretty sure these structure inspired the home of Luke's aunt and uncle on Tatooine...

This is a panoramic of one of the structures...

On the solstice, we watched the sun set over the gorge from another angle.

The ice cream bus, sadly not open for our visit...

This is Taos Gorge. The little river at the bottom is the Rio Grande. It is certainly dwarfed here. It looks like the earth just opened up in a catastrophic event.

Finally, the San Francisco church. St. Francis is really big in this area. This is the mission church made famous by the painting by Georgia O'Keeffe.

This is the San Francisco Mission Church which was made famous by Georgia O'Keeffe's painting of the back of it... I am sorry I gave Georgia man hands in my sketch.

The famous Georgia O'Keeffe side, different angle... We watched the sun rise over the church.

Finishing this post with a magpie. They were everywhere! 

 

Book Trailer: A Warm Winter Tail

I am really excited about this one. (OK, I like both, or rather all 8 books coming out this fall, but this one is so lovely.) Thanks to Theresa Franke for recording her children Gwen and Max for the track. It makes it over-the-top adorable. Theresa is also an amazing artist. Check out her work: https://www.facebook.com/TheresaFrankeIllustration

I should get a copy of the book in a couple weeks; looking forward to seeing the printed version. Of course there will also soon be a Sylvan Dell App. Stay tuned!

Taos Sketch Journal Workshop Part 1

Except it is not quite Taos yet. We went to Santa Fe First. Here are some sketchbook pages. They had a coupe cats, prairie dogs and chickens at the store in addition to many other wares. We also we to the first of a couple St. Francis churches.

We spend a day going down Canyon Road where there are A LOT of galleries. We saw a lot of cool work but Geoffrey Gorman's was probably my favorite.

Inspired by a boat we saw hanging in Jackelope.

Children's Chapel

We also went to Chimayo, an interesting church complex with a lot of cool stuff to draw. It is known for its holy dirt which people take away in bag and is said to have the powers to heal. Troy is still mad I did not get him some.

Horse on the Grounds

These Mary statues (there were several) were so interesting. They had big eyes and hands...

Finally, on our way to Taos, we stopped for a soak at Ojo Caliente. They have a variety of mineral tubs like iron and soda. It also claims to have healing properties. So by that time, we were set for a good workshop...

There were a couple swallow nests with babies on the porch outside the restaurant. I did this little ink sketch of them

Sensing Their Prey Coming This Fall!

From Smelling Prey: Available September 2012 through Magic Wagon, a division of the ABDO Group (www.abdopublishing.com) or your educational wholesaler.

From Extreme Senses-Abdo Group

 This has been an ongoing project for a while. The project was 6 books and 84 paintings, so this is just a taste. I will be sharing a lot more in the coming months.

It was a wonderful project and the ABDO folks were amazing to work with, I can hardly wait to see the books in print.

They are on the Barnes and Noble site for pre-order: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?series_id=792947

From Hearing Prey-ABDO Group

Rough Cat Studies

Boris and Spike

Boris and a little Miffy Sketch

In preparing for our journal workshop, many of the books about making journals have lovely cat studies so I decided to do some of my cats. 

Yes, Boris really looks like this. He is almost 17 and has been shaved because his fur gets severely matted. It gives him an odd appearance. He has a huge head and a little old man body underneath. Great for sketching cat anatomy...You can see every bone and muscle.

Preparing for Taos

Journal alone

My Main Journal Cover

Breaking in the new sketchbook with Spike...

Vanessa's Lovely Color Study

This is my current journal. I decorated it as part of the class...

As many know, I am going to Taos this month for a sketch journal workshop through the Art Academy. As part of the prep, we are preparing our journals and learning how to get the most out of the least amount of art supplies on the go.

I wish I had this cute little watercolor set when I was in Greece! I have long liked many of the pigments Winsor Newton has for acrylic (I use a hodgepodge of Golden, Liquitex and Winsor Newton for my acrylic work. I go for favorite pigments over brand loyalty), but their watercolors are really nice and smooth.

Great Commencment Speech by Laurie Anderson at SVA

I just saw this posted on Boing Boing's site and and to repost it. It is a wonderful speech and Laurie Anderson is an amazing speaker. In a way, she says a lot of the things that are said in the Neil Gaiman speech that went viral a couple weeks ago. (I posted it on the Cincinnati Illustrators Blog)

One thing they do not mention in either speech however (and perhaps that would not be the appropriate venue for such commentary) is the crippling amount of student loans that art students have these days (and students in general). It is almost impossible to start a decent art career $40,000 to $100,000 in student loan debt.

Usually as one gets older and further along in their art career, the younger generation is nipping at their heels (as it should be). Now these kids are completely hobbled by this incapacitating debt and it is a shame...

I feel really lucky to have gone to school when I did and it was still affordable. It seems like a number of forces have made that no longer the case and that needs to change.

I am not sure of the solution, but my heart goes out to those just starting out.

Spike meets the Catnip Plant

I bought a catnip plant for the catio and hilarity ensued... I need to re-pot it if it lasts long enough...

 Of course while Spike is goofing off, Miffy is the epitome of helpfulness... She is obsessed with my light table.

Today's Warm Up Sketch

Lots to get done today; but first, a bit of fun...

"Why the Possum has a Large Grin" Book Trailer at Last!!

I am so delighted to finally work with an author/musician. It made the trailer so fun! Yes, it is clear I watched way to many Warner Brothers cartoons as a kid...

I love this book; I hope people who read it enjoy it as much as I enjoyed illustrating it! (Out in Fall, 2012)

Finally Updated Pop Smoothie

You can finally read the exciting conclusion here to Dance Mom Wars!

Hopefully, I will be updating regularly now...

On the non-comic front, I have a ton of new art to show, introducing it slowly to avoid overload...

Another peek: A Warm Winter Tail

I am just starting on the book trailer for A Warm Winter Tail. Stay tuned! Although no explanation is probably needed, this is the squirrel spread...

A Little Doodle

A little doodle I did while my computer was restarting... (Yeah, I am getting a new one as soon as I finish this book, got to get ready for CS6...)

Wild Life of Elk Finalist for 2012 Benjamin Franklin Award

Good news everyone!
 

The Wild Life of Elk, has been named as one of three finalists in the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Awards competition, in the category: Young Reader: Nonfiction (8-12 Years)!

Wish us luck! 

http://www.ibpa-online.org/pubresources/benfrank2012_finalist.aspx 

 

Why the Possum has a Large Grin

Here is a sneak peek of the book I illustrated and written by Johnette Downing. It is about a naive deer and not so nice possum and hilarity ensues.

Out in the fall!

Here is an interior sketch peek:

The Silliness Continues...One last Year of the Dragon Sketch

Could not resist this as my warm up sketch... Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Happy Easter!