From a book cover titled "Elements of a Kill" by Christopher Lane.
I've never figured out why I was chosen to illustrate this series of mysteries that are all set in the "Frozen North". I grew up in Alabama and Georgia, where it might snow every third year or so...not exactly Inupiat territory. In fact the closest thing I've ever seen to a Polar Bear in the wild was an albino squirrel who lived in the woods behind our house a few years ago.
By the way, the odd looking thing in the water in the foreground is an authentic Inupiat ceremonial mask (it's supposed to represent the spiritual aspects of death and rebirth, I think).
acrylics on Strathmore illustration boardThis is the actual cover with type and all.
Apologies for this reprise, with alterations, of a previous post.
Pencil, acrylics, watercolor, oil wash, colored pencils, Photoshop
The Masters Tournament in Augusta exemplifies the color green. It ended today, and although Tiger Woods finished tied for second, he always looks darn good in green. Congratulations to Zach Johnson, who is wearing the fabled green jacket for the first time.
A reprise of a previous IF post, but with a few tweaks. The theme is perfect for this week where I teach...it's the last week of the quarter and all the students are running on Red Bull, coffee and any other chemicals that will help them stay awake and finish all their projects on time.
Another old book cover. I know, too literal, too old school, but hey, it's a crash. And it's all I got. Sosumi. I thought about drawing Anna Nicole Smith, but that was also too literal. And just too sad on so many levels.
Click here for a larger view.
This is a detail from a Nero Wolfe book jacket I did called "Some Buried Caesar". I don't have time for a new IF piece this time, and it's the only thing I could find that had enough red in it for this week's theme.Acrylics on Strathmore 240 illustration board.
A quick doodle of three 80's Pop icons as if in their 80's. Sadly, MJ didn't need much work to make him look decrepit.Click here to see a larger view.
If this were me, HELP!!! isn't the only thing I'd be screaming, and a few involuntary bodily functions would likely be streaming. Dangling by one's fingertips hundreds of feet above a rocky, instant death. What fun!
Chalk pastels on sanded pastel paper.
This is an image I made for a book cover titled "The Heart of the Dove". It is a composite of a photograph of a piece of damask fabric and a dove I modeled in Strata 3D. Plus a LOT of Photoshop to make it look at least a little convincing. I was never that happy with the result, but it makes a logical entry for this week's theme.
Long time no IF entries. I HATE when that happens. Just too dang busy to breathe these days. And way too busy to create something new for this topic, which has a ton of fun possibilities. But, I chose an image that isn't fun, but is appropriate for the Halloween time of year. It was done as a book cover called "Happy Birthday Murders". Hope you find the smoke to be deliciously deadly.
A spread from my one and only foray into children's book illustration; a sing-along version of Mary Had a Little Lamb. The original idea was for Mary to be a border collie and all the other characters to be animals as well, and since I love doing animals, I took the commission. After I was well into the sketches for the book, the publisher called and said that a focus group felt that a dog as the lead character might frighten the children who are the target audience for these books. Mary and all the other characters had to be human children (of specific ages and ethnicities). I was more than a little disappointed and lobbied for the border collie version, but in the end the brilliant focus group prevailed over the idiot artist. That's why I now stick to doing books for mature audiences; no focus group has ever overruled my artwork (yet!).
Click here for a larger version.
Airbrushed acrylics on illustration board.
This was for a book cover that is part of a series; the author is an ex-priest and the novels are mysteries that involve a "sleuth" priest who uncovers all manner of foul play within the Catholic church. For these covers I try to use religious icons as appropriate imagery and render them as stained glass. I grew up in the Catholic church and always loved the stained glass work in the cathedrals and churches I have been in. The original cover art lacked the spilling blood, but I think it looks better and feels more "sacrificial" with it.Photoshop
I like to ask my students to identify the product that's being advertised in this piece I did several years ago.
Give up? Windshield wiper blades! Duh! Everybody knows that Noah and the gang never would have made it if they hadn't tricked out the Ark with the very best wiper blades.
Here's the happy ending...
Acrylics on Illustration board
No time for an original for IF, so here's my cake, marking a not-so-joyful occasion. It was done as a book cover for "Happy Birthday Murder" by Lee Harris, for Random House/Ballantine publishers.
Photoshop
I feel uncomfortable with this post and this topic. I wish I had time to do a witty, funny take on this theme, but here's what I've got... a 20 minute sketch from a life drawing session of a very nice woman who could afford to lose a few pounds. Not funny, not witty. Just real.
