Book Cover

I did this book cover illustration last week for a local publisher and thought it turned out pretty good.

illustration friday: Island

I did this little sketch on Monday...thinking I would paint it up and post it for I.F. It doesn't look like I'll have time, so this is all ya get this week. I've been thinking a lot about getting away to someplace warm and tropical lately. Sun and surf really goes a long way to fixing all that troubles me. Since there is no color, here are a couple more little doodles from the sketch pile.

quick color

my work started a blog for the employees...our first topic was horror. This was a quick effort so I could post something. Horror is really not my "cup of tea" so this was a little bit of a stretch

people

Since I've been working in Salt Lake, I've been riding the bus. I usually don't mind the bus, but some times it gets old. One of the good things about the bus is it's a great place to watch people. There are some real "personalities", and sometimes they come out in my doodles.

illustration friday: Detach

Here is a little doodle for illustration friday. I started painting while I was watching the olympics and ended up spending a little more time than I usually do. This one was 3-4 hours in painter. My original idea was going to be someone detaching their head...but that mitght have turned out pretty gross, so with this I left a lot more to your imagination. what do you think?...does this guy really know this trick?

Obama

one of the things I like about having a blog, is occationally you get people that stop by and comment. Lately a couple caricature artists have stopped by and left comments. Caricatre illustration is something I've always liked to look at, but never really tried myself. So I thought I'd give it a try...here is the first effort. I know there are issues with this, and I now realize there is a lot more to this than just exagerating a feature or two...maybe my next try will bring better results. Oh, don't assume that since I picked obama to paint, that I'm some kind of supporter...I'm not impressed with him at all! (wait, I take that back, I am very impressed with how easily he can get people to donate money...) So, now ya know.

Illustration friday: SAIL

Well, here is another for illustration friday, it's nice to have a topic every week... keeps me doing at least a little something. For this topic, I started thinking about sailboats, then ships with sails and pirates, always fun to sneak a pirate in...anyway, this is what I came up with. Hey, there is sails in it, so I didn't completely get off topic.

illustration friday: Poof!

when I read the topic for this week, I thought of magic and somthing disappearing...so I sketched this magician and painted it up in painter. This was a pretty quick effort and I know it could use a little more time, but I got bored with it...so there ya go.

feckle-face

remember in grade school when anyone that was different was teased. I remember a few freckle faced kids who were teased a lot. As adults, freckles sure don't get the attention they used to...I can't even remember the last time I noticed someone because of their freckles. Wierd.

more color?

Here is the sketch I posted a week or so ago...now with a quick color. This is my son Sam. He makes a pretty good character to draw because he is such a "character" in real life.

illustration friday: Canned

have you ever talked to someone who had obviously been in sales all their adult life, then, when it's time for them to close the deal they give you their "look"? The other day I was in a car dealership and saw a few of the older car salesman and wondered at what point does that canned look stop working...at some point doesn't it stop working for most of us? Anyway, here is my attempt to show an ageing sales guy flashing the canned look that always used to "work" for him.

FAST ENOUGH

Here is some color on the sketch from a few posts back...as promised. He may be slow, but he's just fast enough when it really counts.

WASATCH CLASSIC X

Yesterday was a really fun day. It was time again for our utah county vw car show. I entered my 1961 ragtop bug. This is a car I've restored over the last several years. I have entered it in the show before, but I was always up against some very nice show cars. My car is not a true show car...I restored it all myself, painted it in my garage ect. It has some flaws. So this year I entered it into the daily driver catagory...and...I won. I won two tropheys yesterday. One for best daily driver and also a people's choice award. Add in winning a nice prize in the raffle at the end of the show, overall, I'd say yesterday was a very fun day!

super soaker and more!!

I posted a little sketch of my son with his camo shorts and a squirt gun last summer...well he's a year older has another pair of camo shorts (this time blue camo) and he's moved up to much bigger squirt guns! I thought another drawing was in order. The other two doodles were just laying on my desk, so I thought I'd post them too.

Slow draw McGraw

I sure haven't had (made) much time to draw lately. I got to work early and found a little time this week so I sat down to doodle...out came this turtle. I didn't realize it when I first drew him, but I think I must have been very influenced watching Kung Fu Panda...anyway, I started to paint this up, cuz I kind of liked the way it was headed. Stay tuned for a color version.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE!

I almost forgot how to use this blog...it's been so long. You'd think I'd have a massive post, but no. I've started some projects at home that have got me pretty distracted. For now, just a little doodle. Hope to post more soon.

grumpy pirate

Nothing can cheer you up like sketching grumpy faces...there is just something fun about drawing grumpy....especially grumpy pirates! Just a couple sketches so we can stop looking at that ugly green thing down there.....should have never posted that....sorry.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

Nothin' too special...just a quick doodle from this morning. I got board with it before I got too far, but decided to post it anyway....happy st. patty's everyone.

Just some more from the desk drawer

seems time goes too fast these days...is it really March '08 already? Here are some more pencil doodles from the desk drawer. No real ryme or reason for these...I was going to post the "choose" sketch for an illustration friday topic a few weeks back, but didn't really like it enough to paint up...so it never got finished.

Wow time flies!!

I can't believe it's Feb '08 already...where does the time go? I didn't post once in Jan...I guess I assumed people have stopped comming by for a look...thanks for the wake up call Jamie. Here are a few from the office drawer...nothing special, but he at least it's something to post...enjoy.

"Party Pooper"

thought I'd try to end the year on a positive note...with something that I gave a little more effort. Lately I just haven't had enough time to spend painting anything...so this will have to do.

Happy New year everyone...I hope you don't have any "poopers" at your new years parties!

Hope all our dreams come true in 2008!!

Illustration Friday: Little Things

here is a quick pencil sketch with a little color thrown on in the computer...these quick little things are all I seem to have time for these days.

When I was young I lived in Alabama for a year when my dad was stationed there for some schooling. I remember catching fireflies for the first time...I would imagine they were little faries flying all around at night. Anyway when I saw this weeks IF topic my mind wondered back to those days of catching little fireflies...

Illustration Friday: Superstition

People are funny. I think most people are a little superstitous...nothing works better for me than the old "triple-cross". Feel kind of silly whippin the trible out in a public situation, but hey, whatever works right?

sketch dump for a friday.

been a long time since I posted a bunch of doodles...these are just random things that have come out over this week. They are made for (and maybe good for) nothing and would otherwise never see the light of day...but here ya go

Illustration Friday: Hats

here is a quick little sketch that says a lot more about me than one might guess. As I thought about this weeks I.F. topic this morning, I started thinking about all the "hats" we wear at different times throughout our lives. This little doodle shows just some of the hats I've worn (and enjoyed wearing) thus far. Can anyone identify that strange hat second fromt he top?

this year's costumes

This year Nancy outdid herself yet again. This first costume is a brown hoodie with painted golf T's hot glued all over the back and hood. Sam made a fantastic porcupine, and got a LOT of positive comments as he wore his original costume around tonight This is Mitch in a very fine traditional Korean han bok doing his version of kung fu master.
Blake was pretty as always...Nancy made most of this costume too!
This last costume was really easy for Nancy...but it was exactly what Julia wanted. We bought it at Disneyland using my employee discount....nice;-)

More trick or treaters....get the candy bowl!

I've been having fun lately drawing "kid mosters". Here are a few more.

stuck on a theme?

been having a good time doodling little trick or treaters the last few days. Didn't have a ton of things to do on this Saturday morning, (rainy outside today) so I thought I'd paint this one up too. I tried to leave this one and not overpaint it to death like the last on. Wish I didn't have that natural tendency to overwork things...oh well, let me know what you think....have a good one!

FINIALLY....some color!