I will always and forever jump at the chance to celebrate my Irish heritage! This year, as with most years, it is an opportunity to consume all the colcannon and apple cake with custard that we can, while listening to all of our favorite Irish folk songs!
What do you do to celebrate?
…or, rather, it has gone live.
If you are interested in a copy of the much anticipated Showdown Symphony, by Kevin Klein, illustrated by yours truly, take a quick jaunt on over to our Kickstarter page and pick up a copy!
This is such a lovely story! I can’t wait to share it with everyone on February 21st!
At long last I have the chance to reveal the cover for my new book “Showdown Symphony”, written by the incredible Kevin Klein. This energetic trickster tale is set to music (a symphony composed specifically for this book) that will come with the book. Look for it on Kickstarter in less than 3 weeks!
Launches February 21st 2023!
This summer I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with Author Kevin Klein on an incredible children’s book project. I am so excited to see it coming together!
I have recently had the incredible opportunity to work again with my good friends at Covenant Communications. We will be releasing a special tenth anniversary double box set edition of Sarah M. Eden’s two most popular series’; The Jonquil brothers series and The Lancaster siblings series sometime this fall. I am so excited that I got to contribute my illustrations to these lovely books! It will be unforgettable!
I am excited at the progress I have been able to make with this book dummy! after a few more drafts I will begin polishing and refining it!
Life has been quite the adventure lately, between the happenings world-wide and our daughter being born in May! With all that was going on I was not able to participate as actively in Inktober this year as I would have liked, but here are some of my favorite drawings nonetheless! I am quite pleased with how they turned out!
Inspiration for a book I am working on, with the working title; “There’s a Monster in My Bath”
What a fun little sketch to paint!
It was my first time using gouache, and I have to say, I am sold! I love the vibrant colors and the lovely matte texture that is possible with these paints. It works quite well with colored pencils too, though I have learned that a heavily textured, cold-press watercolor paper is not the way to go when drawing over paintings with such soft pencils!
As for the story behind the drawing, while I was brainstorming ideas for February’s Month of Love Challenge, I thought I would approach the concept of love from a different angle. Though I will always and forever be a sucker for a sweet little romance, now that I am expecting our first child I have gained a tremendous appreciation for other sweet things, such as pears, caramel apples, and fat juicy cherries! You might say that this little mouse is a visual representation of my newfound, and I might add, ravenous appetite.
Bon Appetit!
I decided to revisit an old sketch on a whim recently; In the process, I was able to learn quite a lot about my work-flow and how to improve it. As a bonus, I thoroughly enjoyed bringing this little character to life! Stay tuned for the full painting next week!
Stay Tuned…
You can find it in stores or online, just search for The Traveler and the Heavy Burden on Amazon or Deseret Book!
My Books Arrived!
I enjoyed working on this book in my free moments during Joe’s and my trip to New Orleans in May! As it turns out it’s not so easy to draw on a plane, especially when flying through turbulent weather! Nevertheless, I was able to make great strides, and developed a healthy dose of empathy for the main character as I dragged my full-to-bursting luggage through security on our way back home.
The Gate
Little did I know that the work I would be doing this summer would speak to me in such a personal way. The author’s beautiful words inspired me as I strove to portray the challenging journey of the burdened traveler.
Closeup of Page 2
Flipping through my notes, to make sure I got it all!
Enjoy a little sneak peak of the first illustration for The Traveler and the Heavy Burden!
Over the years I’ve learned the importance of hanging on to the papers I use during the transfer process, you never know when you will need to refer back to those initial sketches preserved within.
First Look at the Finished Illustration
My Transfer Sheet
For the past several months I have had the opportunity to work on a beautiful book called The Traveler and the Heavy Burden, by Deborah Pace Rowley, with my art director at Covenant Communications. I have absolutely loved seeing it come together, I am thrilled to say that it is very close to being completed!
Keep an eye out for it’s release in mid-September!
Enjoy my three personal favorite sketches from Inktober 2018
“Poison”
“Spell”
“Chicken”
