Continuing on with a work-in-progress of one of my current story book projects, 'The Legend of the Jersey Devil.' 

Last time I shared a few of the character design sketches and preliminary color of the final design. This week I want to share a few thumbnails.

For those who aren't familiar with this step, the idea of thumbnails is to take the entire book and lay down some general ideas for image placement in an effort to get a feel for how the story will flow visually. There's no attempt at any real accuracy or finality, merely a preliminary take on timing, page-turns, layout and feeling. Basically, these are the equivalent of movie storyboards

The design team handed over manuscript and told me to go to town with my ideas. It's pretty intimidating having such open-ended freedom to chooses how to frame the story. I mean, you pretty much can do ANYTHING. I've been given book projects in the past with very specific directions from the design teams outlining what they wanted included in the layouts. Which is fine. But 'Jersey Devil' is one of only a handful of projects where I've been given carte blanche to go in whichever direction I felt appropriate.

So I pretty much sat staring at my computer for a few hours in complete horror as I contemplated how I could really screw this up. Once the initial horror wore off, images started suggesting themselves as I began to thinking in terms of movie framing and angles. Suddenly things started clicking.

Thumbnails can be wonderfully perfect as simple stick figures and nothing more. But given the atmospheric nature of this story, I felt something a bit more involved would be appropriate. I needed to get an idea of how many dark images there might be so I could figure out how to best break them up and keep them from dominating the design. Which is why I thought pages with inset images would help give some visual breaks.

I sent the thumbnails off the the designers and they came back to me with suggestions for changes or further development. As an illustrator it's easy to fall in love with your images. And it's easy to take personal offense at any suggested changes. But it's necessary to keep a healthy distance between yourself and your images because there are a lot of factors involved in the give and take of making a book. There's very little room for prima donnas in this work.

So now I'm working on revisions. The next step will be more detailed sketches which take us closer to final art.

Below are a few teaser sketches for a project I'm currently working on: 'MaxNificent!' The cover art was posted earlier this week.

Sketches are all approved. Now I need to get to working on the colors.

See?!? I can draw more than odd fairy tale creatures.

This is the cover art for a book I'm working on a the moment about a Pyrenees dog named Max. I'll post more images as I complete them.

And nary an ogre or goblin to be found...

The publisher is Sleeping Bear Press. The book is 'The Legend of the Jersey Devil.' The deadline is January 2013. Time to get cracking.

The basic story outline gives the origins of the main character (in the early 1700's) and the chaos that ensued upon his arrival. It also moves forward in time to the sightings in 1909 and then to modern day. Its very much a historically-based fictionalized account of the Jersey Devil (which is a pretty funny way to describe a folk-tale).

The great thing about this project is the freedom the production team has given me to get the ball rolling. Basically they explained the project to me, handed me the manuscript and set me free to begin work designing the look of the Jersey Devil with only one requirement: he has to look mischievous-scary, not disturbing-scary.

Before we go on, if you haven't read anything about the Jersey Devil, here's a decent summary of the basic 'facts'. Go ahead. Check it out. I'll still be here...

You see that image from the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin? Awkward looking bugger, huh?

So the first job is to drum up a design that includes all the basics without simply following that iconic image. Requirements: the boney head of a horse; long scaly body; large bat wings; forked tail; claws for hands; hooves of a goat. Other requirements: needs to have a personality and a certain visual appeal.

No pressure.

So here are a few of my submissions...

'A' was my first take. They wanted some personality and a mischievous look about him and I think that one caught something. But I then went on and did a few variations. 'B' was OK. Not great. 'C' I decided to be a little more literal about the boney horse head and incorporate more pronounced skeletal features like the jaws and nostril cavity. I really liked how that one came out. After a few rounds, they ultimately picked 'A'.

They then asked to see a color rough...

Neutral coloring seemed the right way to go so JD can blend into the Pine Barren backgrounds and melt into the darkness easier.

The production team came back with one minor change request: the snout was too much like a dragon and not enough like a horse. So I made a few adjustments...

And there he is. Everyone seemed pleased with the results.

The next step is to break down the manuscript into thumbnail in an effort to establish a good flow and try to capture some good spooky atmosphere.

Stay tuned...

Yes! I'm aware it's been three months since my last entry. Please forgive me.

Earlier in the year I agreed to participate in several large client projects, all with overlapping deadlines and production schedules. Result? Very little time to breathe, much less blog. Again, I ask your forgiveness.

One of the projects I've taken on is from Sleeping Bear Press and they've been kind enough to give me permission to share production updates as the project develops toward the end of the year. And the cool thing is it's just the kind of project I love-- a spooky, atmospheric story based on one of America's great urban legends.

On Monday I'll post the first of what will be regular updates on production as the book goes through character design, thumbnails, sketches and such. Production deadline is in January so this will go through the end of the year so I hope to keep you interested enough to follow along as the book slowly coalesces.

The title of the book: 'The Legend of the Jersey Devil'

I was looking through some folk-tale books today and came across some Irish tales of leprechauns. I really hate the contemparary Lucky Charms white washed leprechaun that gets paraded around on St. Patrick's Day.

This one started out with a simple semi-circle in the woman's face... kinda went with it.

In honor of the withering reviews of 'The Raven,' I figured this was as good a time as any to draw Edgar Allan Poe. What the hell was up with men's hair back then?!?

 I think my version of 'The Frog Prince' would have a much brattier version of the king's daughter. If that's possible...

 This last week I drew a fair number of fowl for client projects so I guess they're still in my system. Not sure where the dude came from...

I used the Pinterest page of my friend Jago Silver for today's warm-up.

I like how the dude came out. Lots of fun lines. But the girl was really difficult. Lots of hesitation and very tentative lines. And it shows.

I know you were probably expecting something autumny or pastoral. This one started out with the old man at the bottom and something started suggesting a story bathed in gold and reds and involving tricksters and carnivals.

Very random, I know. Sorry.

Hands have never been a strong point for me. And I honestly don't know an artist who won't list hands as one of the most difficult parts of the human body to draw.

Any chance to work on the structure of the hand is time well spent. Especially for me. Coming from a cartooning background, I constantly fight the tendency to simplify everything. I've been using Stephen Silver's Posebook ipad app as well as my own hands as models.

If you go to Instructional Downloads on my links page, you can find some great resources for drawing hands and general anatomy for artists.

Thought I would use Stephen Silver's Posebook app for today's warm-up sketch.

It just occured to me that I made him look a little like Geraldo Rivera...

Messing around with some craft paper texture so I can add highlights to the sketches.

Brought to you after consoling our Border Collie during last night's thunder storm...

There are times when I imagine what it would be like to return to high school days. But only if I could return with all the experience I've accumulated since then. All the drama. All the anguish. All the tentative steps toward adulthood. All the tests. The weird caste system and social structures that somehow manage to establish themselves inside what is for all practical purposes a nation-state in and of itself. It's at that point I realize going back holds no appeal.

Besides, we didn't have iPhones then.

Started off as a little bit of Friar Tuck and it meandered into this...

I figure since I work in the children's publishing field I should probably draw some kids.

Mild steampunk...

The daily warm-ups started off as just a way to loosen up before hitting my regular work. No more than random images scribbled down as a means of warming the pistons.

However, the last few seem to be generating their own little stories in my head. And the characters are just presenting themselves for introduction.

No. Not monsters...

This warm-up one started out after seeing something that will cute your socks off.

I saw a great picture of a grizzly bear this morning and decided to use it as a starting point for today's warm-up. This collection is decidedly a bit more generic than usual. Some days you're on, some days you're off...

Figured it was time to do some creature sketches. 

Today's warm-up. Inspired by all those who seem to find their way into power.

Yes, it's been a cynical start to the day...