Just uploading another set of random sketches from my sketchbook.

A few more random sketches from my sketchbook. 

I haven't updated the blog in a while due to a very hectic work schedule so I thought I'd take some time today and upload samples from my current sketchbook. These were all created with a Hi-tec C ink pen and a water brush for shading. 

Another random sketch. 

 (ink and wash)

Updating the OS on my mac and thought I'd grab the sketchbook while I waited. This little guy wound up on the page. One of my favorite picture books is Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel. What's better than amphibians wearing suits?

(ink and wash)

A quick sketch of an old barn. (ink and wash)

Finally getting back to updating my blog and thought I would start by posting a couple of sketches of experiments with a hybrid illustration technique combining digital and analog media. 

Here's my #Twoodle post for the week. The words I chose were Fennec Fox, Pumpkin and Mug. I'll color this later if I have time. 

Medium : Graphite Wash Pencil

Morning Warm Up Sketches

Quick sketches of a bird character for an upcoming book idea. Going for a more graphic style on these.

Just a few random morning warmup sketches...

Medium : Graphite Wash Pencil

Warmup Sketches

I just found out about a fun weekly art challenge in the Twitterverse called @Twoodles! It's a mix of Twitter and Doodles and was created by an awesome illustrator by the name of Alicia Padrón. I got a bit overzealous for my first Twoodle and chose more than 2 words. Mine were: Worm, Scarf, Bowler, Hot Air Balloon and Witch. Here's what I came up with.

 #Twoodle Words: Worm, Scarf, Bowler, Hot Air Balloon, Witch

Wooohooo! I am today's featured illustrator on the Children's Illustrators On Fire blog! This is an amazing site for inspiration and resources for anyone who has a love of children's literature! Head over to the blog to read the post. I'm very appreciative to be part of such a wonderful site! 

Welcome to my recently renovated portfolio site and blog. I'll be uploading various works in progress and creative sketches along with links to helpful tutorials, tips and techniques as I run across them. I'm always open to feedback so if you have any thoughts about my work, I'd love to hear from you! Thanks!

Just doing a few warm up sketches with fountain pens, ink and water color. Scanned this one in and added a little more color and texture in Photoshop. I'm toying around with the idea of animating this jolly ol' elf. Might make a cool Christmas card. :)

In an effort to return to regular blog posts, I thought I would post a few photos from my sketchbook. A few days ago, I stumbled across a new sketching technique using a grey prismacolor marker and a ballpoint pen. The markers (both warm and cool grey 30%) are used first to block out the rough shapes in an order to find the clearest silhouette. Then the ballpoint pen is used to refine the shape and add details. Finally, another pass using the marker will blend some of the ink from the pen and provide shading and form. This is a great way to work out my ideas as rough sketches!

I recently completed a series of illustrations for a book being published by Friesen Press called In The Doghouse. It's a charming story about a boy and his best friend. Shown below are a few images from the project including initial character studies and the sketch and paintings for a few of the illustrations.

Just experimenting with shading in the Paper app. The limited color palette can give you a wider range of colors when mixed properly. These were done with the brush, and the 2 pen tools.​

​Samples from my multitude of sketchbooks.

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​mmmmm coffee

There's a new app on the iPad that I'm totally digging! It's called Paper and is made by a company called 53. Interesting name - awesome app! Anyway, I'm trying to sketch daily and will be posting my sketches here. Enjoy.​

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​Wildlife seen over the weekend at the beach.

Just playing around with a new set of Photoshop brushes. I'm not sure who this little guy is but he looks like he could get into some serious trouble!

I wanted to post the news here first! For my latest creative project, I was fortunate to illustrate a wonderful children's book about learning responsibility. The book stars two lovable characters named Rock and Rhino and is the first in a series of 12 books that teaches children the importance of manners. More importantly it show's children how to be "ROCKSTARS" and not "Whiney Rhineys!” Look for the book at your local book store or check it out online:

• Rock & Rhino Learn Responsiblity
• Friesen Press
• Amazon

I also wanted to post a couple of images showcasing my work in the book. Click on the thumbnails below for larger samples.

For those of you interested in the technical aspects of the work, the illustrations shown are a hybrid. The began as pencil sketches that were scanned into the computer and then painted digitally using Photoshop. I love painting with traditional media including water color and acrylics and find it to be an fun experience to replicate those techniques digitally.