New work for HMH

Here's a couple of new spots for another science book being published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I just completed about 20 or so with more to come. I'm getting ready to start on another textbook/workbook project with Cambridge University Press in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned for new updates. I'm getting into the busy time of the year. Tis the season to work long hours. Fa la la la la ......

Some Caricature work

Every once in a while I get asked to do some caricatures for clients. Typically it's for a website or brochure where the they use the images with a fun bio. My style doesn't really work great for caricature because most of my people all look the same to me.

This batch was kind of hard because they were all young guys, in good shape with short dark hair. It makes my job easier when everyone has at least one distinguishing characteristic, glasses, mustache, red hair, bald. Anything. So to help out on this one, we went with hobbies and interests.

Tis the season for Xmas Cards

Just finished up a Xmas card for a client. I usually get a few requests like this around this time of the year. It's fun to do a simple one-off gag illustration now and then. I have a handful of new spots I'm working on for some other clients as well. Gotta start making some Xmas money to buy all those Xmas presents.

Wanted Posters

I just drew up a quick sketch for an old client. They want to do a rewards for referrals campaign with an old-style wanted poster look.

This is right up my alley. I get to draw a bunch of wild-west meets high-tech looking characters. Not sure how much they'll let me make them look like the classic bad guys of the old west, but I'm going to try. This first one is really tame just to set the base line. I'd like to do some handle-bar mustachioed card cheats, ornery bandidos and dastardly-looking gun-fighters. But, I don't think I'll get that much latitude... I mean, they're actually looking to hire these people. Maybe I can squeeze in an evil CEO. Everybody needs one of those.

I'm waiting to hear if they want to go with the sepia-tone look, or full color characters. I'm not sure myself. Anybody want to cast a vote?

December came early this year

Here's another calendar spread for Lifeway. I like doing these, and so far I haven't done the same month twice, but I'm running out of months...

B/W Spots for Georgia Pacific

Here's a couple quick spots for a small project for Georgia Pacific.

October Calendar Art

Here's another calendar for Lifeway.

Couple more PickUp Sticks spots

Here's a couple more of the spot illustrations for PickUp Sticks. It's always strange doing spot illustrations, you rarely know how they're going to be used. If you're lucky you get some information about the size and a brief description of what to draw, but you don't have a color pallet or a very clear idea of the context. The best you can hope for is that there's a good designer on the other end who will be able to tie it all together.

I can't wait to see the final product.

Turf Mutt Scenes

Here's a couple of quick preliminary scenes from the upcoming Turf Mutt online game. The app is in final production, but should be out later this month. I'll post a link on the blog as soon as it's finished. Help Turf Mutt dodge some evil environmental forces to get to his Green Paradise, and in the process learn about green spaces and how you can do your part.

http://www.turfmutt.com/

Turf Mutt is out to save the planet, one yard at a time!

Look at me... I'm Tweeting!

Yea, this is about as close as I've come to tweeting or twittering or whatever. Just more art for the PickUp Sticks project I finished last week. I've been digging my way out from under a bunch of deadlines and I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jamestoons: is standing in line at 7-11 with a big-ol coffee, yum! -- "tweet"

Now on to the "Turf Mutt" project.

More PickUp Sticks

Rated #1 game in the Galaxy, 17 trillionth-year-in-a-row!

Zamphfods and Galloozniks just can't get enough of PickUp Sticks. It's the only thing that keeps them from destroying the Earth. We're the only planet with wood, and the technology to make large multi-colored toothpicks!

Dog Bark

One more for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Bumble Bee

Just finished up a couple new spot illustrations for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's new science book. This is one of them.

PickUp Sticks

Here's a quick look at some of the art I'm working on for Klutz.

We're reworking an old favorite, "PickUp Sticks". You all played this fun-filled and challenging game when you were a young'n. You remember, back when Big-Wheels ruled the road and Lawn Jarts, Easy-Bake Ovens and those insane 5 oz. resin ball numb-chucks were all just a quick station-wagon ride away from the emergency room.

I'm predicting "PickUp Sticks" will be on everybody's short list this holiday season. They make a great gift for angry frustrated siblings and can double as shish-ka-bob skewers in a pinch. Hmm, shish-ka-bob is a really cool word. Hows come we don't have a superhero named Shish-ka-bob?

Scotty & LuLu

Just finished up a quick caricature of Scotty & LuLu. Two talented children's entertainers over in the UK. This is phase one of the project. We're going to be developing some fun, educational, interactive iphone apps for children in partnership with an ad and marketing agency in Hong Kong.

Scotty & LuLu will provide the audio, Hong Kong will build the animation and programming, and that leaves me with the easy part. So stay tuned. Scotty & LuLu will be coming soon to an iphone near you!

Emergency Artwork

Here are a couple of B/W spot illustrations for a new project I just finished up last night around midnight. Nothing like a deadline to motivate a little loss of sleep. There were about 20 of these little spots that I worked on for Weekly Reader. They're part of an educational poster and learning exercise to teach kids about when it's appropriate to dial 911.

Kind of like... it's really not OK to dial 911 just because it's 10:30, your deadline is about to expire and you've run out of coffee. The very least the 911 operator could have done was tell me the location of the nearest 7-11. They really ought to train these people better.

National Dairy Month

Here's the latest calendar spread for the Adventure Children's magazine. June is national Dairy Month, and I needed some practice drawing cows. The original sketch had some really fun looking udders, but the client asked me to remove them. Udderly ridiculous.

I'll have some more fun stuff next week, I'm working on about 4 projects at once; 9-11 emergency for Weekly Reader, a new Klutz book project, Characters for a revised Gingerbread man story, and a really cool new iphone app. Stay tuned for updates.

Chuck your Recyclables

Here's a new character I worked on for a national recycling program. Stay tuned for the details...

May Calendar

Here's the latest calendar spread for May 2010.

Late Christmas Present

I just got the Velvet Christmas Art book from Klutz today. I'm really stoked to see how great it turned out. But it's Klutz, so that's what you expect.

Working on some new stuff. will post up soon. Happy New Year.