Hans My Hedgehog

This guy is based on the Grimm's fairy tale "Hans My Hedgehog". The original is for sale in my Etsy shop here, and a mounted print is also available here.

Dreamnight at the Zoo

I recently did this illustration which was used in promotional materials for "Dreamnight" at the Memphis Zoo. The event is a special night at the zoo for families of kids at St. Jude and Le Bonheur children's hospitals. (graphic design by Laura Horn)

Digital doodles

These are just some experiments I've been messing around with. Some are ink drawings that were scanned and colored in Photoshop, some were done entirely in Photoshop.

These are pencil sketchbook drawings that I added a little color to digitally.

Project Sketchbook 2012

My submission for this year's Project Sketchbook. I participated back in 2010 also, see that book here.

I was using ink, cheap craft paint, and colored pencils. The paper didn't take wet media very well, so I coated the pages with matte medium first.

Click for larger images!

New Year, New-ish commissions

Happy belated New Year! I'm finally getting around to posting some commissions from the latter half of 2011.

The commissioner's (I like to say "commissioner" rather than "client" because it makes me feel like Batman) specifications for this piece were that it involve rabbits and have a fairytale-ish tone. I decided to take inspiration from the many rabbit/moon folktales.

The "S+D" couple used the color version on their wedding invitations and such.

Intended as a companion piece to another of mine  (Butcher Boy, first plaque pictured) that they already own.

I enjoy doing personal commissions. If any of you folks out there want something special, drop me a line!

2011 was a fairly busy and productive year for me, with lots of new experiences gained along the way. I'm still bummed that I fell off the Housing Project  wagon in September after making it all the way to 257. I'm wondering if I should just keep going to 365 anyhow, even though that violates the original "house a day" concept. Hmm. 

Cheers to a happy, healthy, and creative 2012! My resolution is to be less like this, and more like an artistic powerhouse. 

Good luck with your own resolutions, everyone!

Update of Wonders

I recently finished this project for the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. The illustrations are being used  in the children's activities room, "The Room of Wonders, which is part of the current "From Houdini to Hugo" exhibit featuring the work of Brian Selznick. The exhibit is awesome, I encourage anyone interested in illustration to go check it out.

 I was asked to create three 3'x6' illustrations centered around the theme of "Wonder"(and the hand lettered title image). They basically left the content up to me, so it was really fun to work on these. The areas where the faces would be were cut out so the kids could look through the holes and see themselves in the picture.

I only had about a week and a half to do everything, which forced me to decide on the subject matter quickly. I was kind of glad for that, otherwise I probably would have spent an absurd amount of time second guessing whether whatever I drew sufficiently embodied "wonder".

I did the line drawings with physical ink and brush, then colored them digitally.

Here is Shane, experiencing the Wonder.

Blurry photo of the title on the wall. Signs and Designs did the printing, everything turned out looking great.

  They were set up inside a box, with the viewer facing a mirror and the illustration with cut-outs opposite that. Bad photo, but hopefully you get the idea.

Kingdom Come

A while ago I did some art for Tom Maxwell's Kingdom Come, the album is now available for purchase and you can check it out here!

"This Poster is Gay" show

From the press release:
"This Poster is GAY | Posters & Prints Inspired by the Desire for LGBT Equality

When : Friday, June 24 | 5pm - 10pm
Where : Harvest, 348 North Main, Memphis TN

"This Poster Is Gay" is a show of posters and prints created by LGBT & LGBT friendly artists with the goal of expressing their views on equality by using their talent and creativity. Everyone is welcome so visit Harvest in the North Main District of Downtown Memphis on June 24th, 2011 to enjoy the exhibit. You don't have to be LGBT to hope for a day when their will be equal rights for LGBT people of this fine city. 50% of the item's sale will benefit the artist with the remaining 50% to be donated to the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center. The benefit will be hosted by Harvest Creative on North Main, who are known for their brave design as well as their courage with social issues.

Preview of some of the posters/prints to be available to view and purchase at the show:

http://memphislovesgays.info/blog/this-poster-is-gay-062411"


The opening was on June 24 (and it went really well!), but you can still drop by Harvest to check it out, or order posters online here.

Polish Book Cover Contest

This was my entry for yet another great contest on 50 Watts (formerly "A Journey Round My Skull"). The Idea was to "Design the Polish edition of your favorite book", full details here. There were so many fantastic entries, the judges must have had a tremendously difficult time deciding (at least I know I would have)! See the results here.

Also, check out what I did for the two previous contests here and here.

"The Ghost in the Courthouse Statue" serialized story

"The Ghost in the Courthouse Statue", a story written by Bill Bailey, is being serialized in the Commercial Appeal accompanied by my illustrations. There is a new chapter every Sunday and Wednesday through May 11. The author will be speaking at a free event at the Memphis Central library April 28 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, I'll also be there to show some of my original paintings from the series and meet folks. Come on by and say hi!

"The Ghost in the Courthouse Statue" serial

I've been working on some illustrations for a story that will be serialized in the Commercial Appeal. Catch it every Sunday and Wednesday starting March 20th!

Ramshackle Wilderness part 3

Sketches for the final installment of my opossum story, read part 1 and part 2!

























































I plan to make final versions of the art eventually, perhaps with ink and digital color, watercolor, or something else... I haven't decided. Let me know what you think!

Hazards of Love

(click for larger view!)
This was for a commission I completed last month. The fellow who commissioned it requested I create a piece based on the the Decemberists album "The Hazards of Love". From that I put together a series of mounted prints of the art, which he gave out as Christmas gifts. The album tells a continuous story, here's a summary if you are interested.
This was a fun project to work on. The subject matter was fairly good fit for me (forests, vengeful fairy queen, music, infanticide... what could be better?). As I have mentioned before, I do love commissions. So if you want something special just drop me a line!
The original is still available for sale, btw. The dimensions are 12-something inches by some other measurement. It's all the way in the other room and I don't feel like getting out from under this warm blanket to measure it. I can, however, assure you that it is larger than a breadbox.






















One of the mounted prints, available in my Etsy shop! Most likely would fit inside your average breadbox.






















Initial sketch






















Sloppy color study






















Wood+ink sans stain

First post of 2011, Happy New Year everyone!