I’ve been focusing on the script and thumbnails, but sometimes I just have to take a page further and get a glimpse of what it’s all gonna look like… to keep my morale up.

The lovely and lively Comics Reporter blog gave me a nice mention! Thanks to whoever was responsible.

In looking back at the illustrations for the previous books I felt that I had a tendency to create claustrophobic spaces. I think I’ve always had this inclination, in all the various styles and applications of my artwork, to both fill up all the space with stuff and also to not vary the tonal range as much as I could, resulting in a flattening of space despite my best attempts at dynamic perspective in my compositions. I really had to force myself to keep the background of this image as light as it ended up. The compulsion to darken the outlines was nearly impossible to resist but I’m really glad I did. Can I do this more often in the future? I hope so.

The clean sketch was approved; the only change I had to make was putting Elliot in costume as described in the text.

I was especially pleased that they let me keep the creepy mini-demons oozing from his pores at the top.

This is a color version of a drawing I did about a year ago. I’m looking into getting Giclee  prints made of this and several other similar pieces.

Would anyone out there be interested in something like this?

Well, not really. I’ve been frantically busy…but most of it has been work I’m getting little or no $ for. Anyway, I HAVE been lazy when it comes to this blog, and since finishing the work for my show with Julie, I haven’t made any more garbage bag paintings. Hopefully I will soon. In the meantime, here’s another illustration from Elliot & The Goblin War:

I had intended to sketch out a variety of goblins for a chapter book I’m currently illustrating, but my mind began to wander…then it squirted out of my head.

Today I’m finishing up the final color art for a book about a boy who finds himself in the midst of a goblin war. I will also be doing black and white interior illustrations. Here is the cover sketch, more to come as the project progresses:

It only took me six months to reconfigure and relaunch my blog. I’m so proud of myself. I will be posting new work several times a week so please visit when you can. Here is my drawing for the new year of 2010:

I had to take a couple days off to go to my grandmother’s funeral (see below). It was great to see my folks and all my cousins from that side of my family. Everybody’s getting wrinkly, myself included. We’re all hopeful that we have inherited some of grandma Jean’s longevity so that we can be wrinkly for a long time.

This drawing was started last weekend and has nothing to do with my grandmother or my family.