Just in case you don’t follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or any of the other social media platforms I frequent, here’s what you missed (in no particular order).

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“How To” Library series published by The Child’s World.   I thought it might be fun show you a little behind the scenes look at a few of the children’s book illustrations I did  for this series of “How To” library books. You might have noticed that one of the sketches still shows the colored […]

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This is an interview I did with the amazing Mark Mitchell of Marks & Splashes Learning a while back. Mark is such a nice guy I had a blast talking with him. Thanks to my Facebook Friend Wendy Martin for instroducing us. Much appreciated Wendy! You can find more on Wendy’s online course here – Earn your Raccoon Badge!

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Digital Watercolor

I’ve been trying some new stuff for the last month or so here at the studio and I think it’s about time to let the cat out of the bag. For many years I worked traditionally, mostly with watercolor and airbrush. I don’t really miss the airbrush, that thing was a crazy amount of work and to be honest Photoshop just does a better job. The watercolor though, that’s a whole different story. I love the spontaneity of working in watercolor but trying to capture that look and feel digitally has been a challenge. I could never really get the subtle variations I wanted so it inevitably wound up on the back burner saved for another time. I supposed I could have just dragged out my old set of Winsor Newtons and scanned them but I really wanted to see if I could make this happen digitally. Here’s a little peak at what I’ve been up to. I’m pretty happy with the direction things are headed. Hopefully, as I get used to the brushes and how to mimic the translucency that make watercolor so special, things will only get better.

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Been working on some new stuff lately here’s a little sneak peak at my latest illustration project. More soon!

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Since it’s super-crazy busy here at the studio this week I’ve decided to take this opportunity to just post a little bit of art. These are various pieces I’ve done over the years, some recent some a little older, all dedicated to Monster Week. There are few things as fun for me as drawing monsters and as you can see I had a lot of fun doing these. Hope you enjoy!

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UPDATE: COPYRIGHT LAW

I’ve noticed the video I posted earlier this week pertaining to new potential copyright laws and the changes that might incur has stirred up a bit of controversy.

http://bobostrom.com/copyright/

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I had planned to put up something different today but instead because this issue is so important I’m bumping my regularly scheduled post to run this video interview. I would like to give a special thanks to artist Will Terry for allowing me to show his interview on the site today. Also thanks to Brad Holland for all his valuable information. Unfortunately as you’ll see I’m a little late getting on board but there is still time to act.

Copyright Laws

Our copyright laws here in the United States may be changing soon and if you don’t think these issues will have an effect on you or your business, think again. These are sweeping changes that will eliminate many of the protections we as artists have come to rely on. Unfortunately there is not a lot of internet coverage on this important issue right now. You won’t find it in the news and you won’t hear people talking about it. Many artists are completely unaware that something this important is even being discussed.

Last week artist Will Terry posted an interview he did with the legendary Brad Holland. Brad and Will do an excellent job covering the topics and spelling out just how damaging these new laws may be if passed. If you are an artist or know someone who is, please take time to watch this video and see how these new laws could change the way you do business for years to come. There are only a couple of days left to let your voice be heard. If you’d like to get involved please share this video and follow the links posted below. The deadline for letting your voice be heard is this Thursday July 25th.

More Info -How to get involved:

Submit your letter here!
http://copyright.gov/policy/visualwor…

Sample letters from other artists: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Ar…

Illustrators’ Partnership Blog: http://ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com

IPA Artists Alert
http://conta.cc/1KvRTCR

To sign-up for IPA Artists Alert
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/ma…

Copyright Office page where comments must be submitted online:
http://copyright.gov/policy/visualwor…

4 articles written about this:

Trojan Horse: Orphan Works and the War on Authors
by Brad Holland
http://www.jbiocommunication.org/free…

Orphan Works Legislation—A Bad Deal for Artists
by Bruce Lehman, Esq.
http://www.jbiocommunication.org/free…

Perfect and Strengthen Your Copyrights
by Cynthia Turner
http://www.jbiocommunication.org/free…

Artists’ Rights are Human Rights
By Chris Castle
http://www.jbiocommunication.org/free…

VIDEO: An Evening with Bruce Lehman
Webcast presentation from Society of Illustrators (SI)
New York – February 21, 2008
Sponsored by ASIP And SI
Q & A about illustrators’ reprographic rights and their right to remuneration.
http://www.asip-repro.org/resources.html

Orphan Works Roundtable
Conducted by the Small Business Administration
Salmagundi Art Club, New York, NY
Initiated by the Illustrators’ Partnership of America, the Artists Rights Society and the Advertising Photographers of America, and conducted by Tom Sullivan, Director of the Office of Advocacy of the US Small Business Administration. This was the first effort to assess the economic impact of the Orphan Works Acts H.R. 5889 and S. 2913 on creators and small businesses. Seventeen distinguished panelists spoke, all freelance working artists and stakeholders who would be directly impacted by this proposed legislation. Six 3’x4’ exhibit panels demonstrated orphan work infringements.
Presenter Bio
Reactions
Quote
Video: https://vimeo.com/channels/artistsrights
Presenters submitted written statements to IPA after the meeting. We compiled these into notebooks and distributed 14 notebooks of SBA Orphan Works Roundtable statements to key members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees.

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Well another shark week has come and gone. I sure hope everyone had a good one and Sharkaclaus brought you lots of gifts this year. If he didn’t don’t worry Bob Ostrom Studio has you covered. Here is a little recap of all my posts from Shark Week 2015 plus a few extra goodies thrown in just for fun. Enjoy!

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Most people point their cameras up when there taking photos. Lately I’ve been pointing mine down. I find the best textures live on or near the ground. I’m sure my neighbors think I’ve lost it when they see me taking pictures of my driveway but I don’t care because I know it’s going to make an excellent texture for my next piece of art.

There are lots of different ways to add visual interest to a digital file.  I’ve been inspired by the some of the unique art I’ve been seeing on Instagram lately. Lots of textures and lots of originality. It seems as though the pendulum has begun to swing in the direction of a more organic look these days. Adding texture is a great way to great way to add visual interest and create a unique signature.  The trick is figuring out how some of it is done and that’s the focus right now.

I’ve worked with adding simple textures in the past but I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface when I look at some of the artists I’ve been following. This month I plan to dig in a little deeper and see if I can come up with some solutions of my own. At the same time I’ll be attempting to solve some of the problems I ran into earlier with my textures. I noticed some of the blending modes I used earlier made my art skew a little darker than I would have liked. I’d also like to see if I can find a way to add more vibrant colors to my textures at the same time.

My early attempts focused mainly on Photoshop but now I’m looking into Illustrator. The technique is slightly more complicated with Illustrator because, as you know, Photoshop offers the ease of using clipping masks where Illustrator does not. The art shown here involves two different textures placed on top of the original art using different blending mode for each. I’m pretty happy with whats going on in this illustration but for my next attempt I’d like to try and push the envelope a little further. Stay tuned for more updates.

This art was created in Adobe Illustrator using two different texture placed on top of the original image each with a different blending mode.

If you’d like to see a demo of the Photoshop techniques I use just check out this video:

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Every once and a while I climb up into the attic and grab a bunch of stuff to haul off to the Goodwill store or the recycling bin. Sometimes I get lost up there and start dragging out old boxes full of memories (think Chevy Chase, Christmas vacation). Today I found one full of old disks and drives. Most of them were CD’s or DVD’s but I found a couple Zip Drives in there too. Why I save those I have no idea, it’s not like technology is suddenly going to reverse itself. Anyhow this pile of disks was from many years ago right after I bought my second MAC. I think it was a Power Mac G3… one of those blue/green ones. It was about the coolest thing since sliced bread and I was right on the cutting edge when I got it. Leafing through the disks I found one labeled Rugrats. I had almost completely forgotten about this project but it was a huge milestone in my career.

I had only been using Photoshop for only a couple on months when the Rugrats book Back Off, Bully Boys came into the studio. Up until then it had pretty much been just Illustrator or by hand. If I remember correctly the publisher was specifically requesting digital artists. There weren’t a lot of artists offering digital at the time so it left a big opportunity those of us who were. Wow, have things changed since then but I think if there’s one thing to be learned it’s that there is always opportunity for those willing to put themselves out in front. I certainly wasn’t the first to offer digital illustration by any means but I was ahead most other artists at my agency and many others outside as well.

Digital art is pretty much required these days and if you had told me back then I would be teaching Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign now I would have told you that you were crazy. Digital has gone through quite a few changes over the years. Things have gotten much easier for users but at the same time the competition has grown very intense as well. Artists who don’t know digital art find themselves a tremendous disadvantage with the gap widening every year. The odd thing is that the industry, always looking for something new, seems to have come full circle and what’s old is whats new. In other words the slick highly polished look that comes so easily to digital art is less in demand today. Publishers seem to be leaning toward things that are digital but don’t look digital. So how does an artist find that look? Textures, brushes, combining digital with traditional, all of the above, none of the above?… it’s all out there for those willing to jump out in front and make it happen and lead the way.

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Early in my career I got a call from my rep asking me if I had ever heard of the Magic School Bus and if I wanted to illustrate a Magic School Bus book. Having no idea what I was agreeing to of course I said yes. As it turned out the animation series was just about to be released on PBS and things were really heating up for the publisher. They were looking for several artists to help illustrate books that would hit the market to coincide with the release of the PBS television show. It was about to go from a very popular book series to a very popular TV show to an even more popular book series based on the very popular TV show. How do you say no to that?

When artists sign up to work on licenses, art directors will often ask for a sample to see if the artist can handle that particular license. The artists job is to emulate the original creators work, in this case Bruce Degen, as closely as possible so that’s exactly what I did.

I studied Bruce’s work and practiced working with it until only his own mother could tell the difference, then I created a sample and sent it off to my rep. It was well received and I was in. I received a contract to work on my first Magic School Bus book. It was about Miss Fizzle’s class traveling to outer space. I was pretty unfamiliar with the series at that time but that was all about to change.

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this is a new post demo

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Wake Tech Adobe InDesign Class Starring with Bob Ostrom

I will be teaching an Adobe InDesign Class at Wake Tech in Cary on the Western campus starting Wednesday 1/28/2015. This class is a beginner level course. It runs Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 until 9:30 PM. Class sign ups have been extended until the day the class begins 1/28/15. I have been teaching this program for a little over 5 years now and it’s definitely one of my favorites. Learning InDesign has been a total game changer for me. I highly recommend this class for anyone who is considering a career in design, layout or publishing. Many of the student I have taught have gone on to very promising careers as a result of having completed this course. A hand full have actually picked up jobs before the course was even finished. The general consensus among the students I stay in touch with is most wish they hadn’t waited so long to take the class.

Wondering if InDesign is right for you?

InDesign – For Layout and design, InDesign is king. This program is sometimes overlooked by artists who use Photoshop or Illustrator because those programs get them by. If you’re tired of just getting by InDesign is a must. This program is hands down the best layout program in the Adobe creative suite and it is the industry standard for layout and design. I highly recommend all artists learn this program so they can have a complete understanding of the design process. InDesign is used by most printers with very few exceptions.  If you are thinking about a career in design, layout, print or publishing this program is a must.

Here is a little snippet from the Wake Tech site describing the course:

Adobe InDesign CC is a versatile publishing application that gives you pixel-perfect control over design, layout, and typography. Learn how to create elegant and engaging pages for brochures, posters, magazines, newspapers, and eBooks. Use responsive design tools to easily develop layouts that look great on a variety of page sizes, medium orientations, and digital devices.

For questions please contact Dustin Gurley at [email protected] or by phone at 919-866-5822. Check out our blog at http://ncce.waketech.edu

So there you have it. If you are interested in signing up you have until Wednesday January 28th.

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A Wild Thornberrys Book Illustrated by Bob Ostrom

When I first started doing children’s books I focused mainly on licensed properties. I did work for all the big guys… Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and lots of others. It was a pretty sweet gig with the exception of one thing. Illustrators who work in the world of licensed art can tell you that it’s kind of a lonely business. Your work is everywhere but you are rarely recognized for it unless of course you are the creator. Unfortunately even creators are sometimes not given the credit they deserve depending on how the art was developed.

This art was from a Wild Thornberry’s book I did. Most of the books I did for licensed properties were a little stingy with the credits but not Scholastic and the Wild Thornberry’s. The first time I saw the actual printed book was in at Barnes and Noble on display and my name was right on the front cover in big 20 pt type. I wanted to run around the store flinging copies into the air and dancing like a fool but I figured that would just be bad form. So instead I high-fived my son who was about 4 or 5 at the time and did the dad-dance. He thought it was pretty cool too. He used to love it when I got books from properties he knew from TV because they always came with a video that we would watch over and over as I tried to get the poses just right. He would often run around the house quoting lines from whatever series we had just watched. As he got older the fun kind of wore off and the cool factor faded a bit but every now and then we’ll spot one of my books in the book store or at the library and it’s cool all over again.

Q: Hey Bob? Can we still pick up a copy of these books?

A: You better believe it buster buddy. Amazon still has them on their site and lucky for you I just happen to have a couple of affiliate links you can use. If you ever wondered what an affiliate link is here’s how it works. You click on the link and it takes you to Amazon’s site. If you purchase the book Amazon looks at the site you just came from and see’s it’s from me. then Amazon says,”Hey, Bob something really cool just happened. Someone came and bought a book using a link from your website. We think that’s so cool we want to send you a tiny bit of money…. here you go!”

So if you like this book, you like Amazon and you like me (and I know you do) feel free to use these handy links down below.

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That’s me in the back with the glasses waiting for Santa to jump.

When I was a kid we used to go to New Jersey to visit my grandmother for the holidays. This usually took place in November for Thanksgiving but to me it felt more like a Christmas. It was a very long drive to Toms River New Jersey followed by a lot of adults sitting around talking. Us kids would eventually head down to the basement to try and find something to watch on grandpa’s old 3 channel- no remote TV. For a kid there was a lot of boredom at that time of year but that all changed when we would load up the station wagon and head over to Macy’s. As we arrived the parking lot would be full of families all looking up at the sky. They were waiting to hear the old familiar buzz of that single engine Cessna as it sputtered through the cold gray November sky.

It seemed to take forever but eventually it would appear and the crowd would suddenly come to life. As the tiny plane drew closer the anticipation grew until finally it bagan circling the parking lot. Kids and parents would shout and cheer as they pointing toward the sky. Then in a brief moment a tiny red shape would separate from the fuselage plummeting toward the ground. A hush would fill the chilly air as a trail of billowing marker smoke bloomed from behind the shape. IT’S SANTA!!!, the crowd would erupt into cheers.

If you look closely you can see the top of Santas hat as he landed in the parking lot.

Soon a parachute would appear and Santa would glide slowly toward earth slowly zigzagging lazy circles across the cold gray New Jersey sky. The crowd would hush again for a brief moment as Santa aimed for his mark. Eventually he would make his landing hitting his mark as always. The crowd would go crazy as tiny candy canes and peppermint swirls flew into the air, quickly snatched up by the lucky few close enough to reach them. Santa would run through the parking lot shouting his Ho, Ho, Ho’s and Merry Christmas’s then quickly duck into to an old nearby beat up van that sped off, rushing him to the North Pole so he could get ready for Christmas.

Our family would eventually pile back into the old Ford Country Squire wagon, kids all pumped up on parachuting Santa and the promise of Christmas right around the corner. Eventually we’d wind up back in the basement watching the three channel TV waiting for the magical night Santa would slide down the chimney to deliver his toys to good girls and boys.

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Children’s book illustration – Working with Licensed Art

A few years ago I teamed up with a good friend of mine to work on some children’s book illustration for Random House and Nickelodeon. We were hired to create two different Umizoomi books, one for Christmas and one about a lost kitten. Umizoomi was completely new to me and when the request came in I actually had to look the characters up on line. When I was younger my children used to watch all the kid shows so it was easy to get familiar with them. Now that my kids are older I have to watch them all on my own. I must admit it’s not nearly as fun but I do still enjoy working on the books.

Putting together illustrations like these was a bit of a challenge because they were originally created in 3D animated and I work mainly in 2D. Even though we had to imitate a 3D look the creation process is basically the same no matter what kind of book it is, starts with sketches, ends with finished art. To build each illustration requires me to become familiar with the characters, the sets, their personalities, how they move, the mannerisms they use and all the other little things the animators masterfully build into the property to bring it to life. That means reviewing each episode over and over again until I’m sure I’ve got it right. By the time the project is complete I’ve probably watched each video 50 times or more but it all pays off when I get to see the printed book sitting on a shelf in the book store. I love working on licensed properties and am always looking for something new. Each one holds a separate challenge and requires a different skill set. My ultimate goal is for my work to match the original so closely no one can even tell it was illustrated by me. Unlike my other books the best compliment I can receive when I working with a licensed property is when someone looks at it and says, “You did that? That doesn’t look anything like your work.”

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I don’t usually comment to strangers but I just wanted to say how helpful I found this post. I have been searching for days for something similar so that I could add tags at the time of scanning old photos through Photoshop rather than doing them later on. Just Marellous. Thank you.

Hi readers its another busy week here at the studio. You may have noticed me posting a few videos last week. They are for a new class I have coming out starting November 6th. It’s called, Advanced Line Art Techniques and focuses on the methods I use to create line art with Adobe Illustrator. It’s a two part class and is for all skill levels. If you’re interested or would like to find out more about the class come see me at: BobTeachesArt.com

This time of year things tend to get busy for us illustrators. That can mean long hours and a lot of time spent organizing schedules, trying to find new projects and wondering where the last week went. Here’s a little tip for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed, out of sorts or needs a little pick-me-up. Go into your calendar and schedule a few positive reminders. Have your calendar send you those reminders on an alert at random times during the week. Next change the settings on your computer so it speaks your alerts. It’s hilarious and usually pops up right when you need it most.

Here’s how it works for me. I’m sitting at my desk after a long week of deadlines, maybe putting together some new ideas for a big program or something else I’m planning. The infamous artist’s self doubt starts to creep in and just as I begin to think maybe my high school guidance counselor was right and I should have considered a career as a pet waste fecal matter removal engineer my an alert goes off. My computer says in it’s slightly weird, slightly mispronounced computer voice, emphasis on all the wrong syllables ….” Excuse me Bob… You are a rock star!” 

Ok yeah, not quite as funny in print but I highly recommend trying it because even though it’s silly and ridiculous it reminds me to lighten up, get my head on straight and quit worrying about things I shouldn’t worry about. Thanks computer, you’re a rock star too…

The post Excuse Me, You are a Rock Star. appeared first on Bob Ostrom Studio - 919-809-6178.

Hi readers its another busy week here at the studio. You may have noticed me posting a few videos last week. They are for a new class I have coming out starting November 6th. It’s called, Advanced Line Art Techniques and focuses on the methods I use to create line art with Adobe Illustrator. It’s a two part class and is for all skill levels. If you’re interested or would like to find out more about the class come see me at: BobTeachesArt.com

This time of year things tend to get busy for us illustrators. That can mean long hours and a lot of time spent organizing schedules, trying to find new projects and wondering where the last week went. Here’s a little tip for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed, out of sorts or needs a little pick-me-up. Go into your calendar and schedule a few positive reminders. Have your calendar send you those reminders on an alert at random times during the week. Next change the settings on your computer so it speaks your alerts. It’s hilarious and usually pops up right when you need it most.

Here’s how it works for me. I’m sitting at my desk after a long week of deadlines, maybe putting together some new ideas for a big program or something else I’m planning. The infamous artist’s self doubt starts to creep in and just as I begin to think maybe my high school guidance counselor was right and I should have considered a career as a pet waste fecal matter removal engineer my an alert goes off. My computer says in it’s slightly weird, slightly mispronounced computer voice, emphasis on all the wrong syllables ….” Excuse me Bob… You are a rock star!” 

Ok yeah, not quite as funny in print but I highly recommend trying it because even though it’s silly and ridiculous it reminds me to lighten up, get my head on straight and quit worrying about things I shouldn’t worry about. Thanks computer, you’re a rock star too…

The post Excuse Me, You are a Rock Star. appeared first on Bob Ostrom Studio - 919-809-6178.

Blog Tour

I wasn’t recently asked by talented illustrator Josh Cleland to participate in a blog tour sharing my work process and answering a few questions. As many of you know Josh is a rock star when it comes to working with Adobe Illustrator which is super cool because I love Illustrator too. Josh and I differ a bit when it comes to our style and how we use the program which is why I thought it would be fun to show a project I’m working on right now done almost exclusively in Illustrator. First however let me get to the questions that go along with blog tour

What am I working on right now?

I am working on a host of different projects, unfortunately many of the contracts I have signed keep me from discussing them until they are published. That’s the tough part of working in this industry especially because sometimes it can take up to a year for each project to reach the market. I guess those are just the breaks. So instead of getting into projects that I can’t talk about I’ll mention a few that I can. For many of you who are familiar with what I do when I’m not illustrating you may recall I have another site, BobTeachesArt.com, where I teach artists how to use programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Right now I’m in the process of putting together a very special new class demonstrating advanced line art techniques using Adobe Illustrator. The great thing about this class is you don’t have to be a rock star Adobe Illustrator user to take the class. It starts right from the beginning with each tool I use. I show how it works and how to combine them to create amazing results.

Why do I illustrate what I do?

It’s no big secret I’ve always loved cartoons. As a kid I learned to draw by tracing all my favorite comic strips over and over again. It kept my busy for hours. As I got older I knew one day I would find a way to draw cartoons for a living. It took me a few years to figure it out but eventually I found my way into children’s publishing and once I did I knew that was exactly where I belonged. Aside children’s books I also create custom one of a kind cartoon logos. If you asked me to pick one over the other I’d have to say you’re crazy. I love doing both. In fact just about anywhere I can find a market for my art is interesting to me …and that’s where you’ll always find me.

How is my work different from others in my genre?

Every artist has their own style. Cartoonists also have their own special sense of humor that shines through in their art. It’s kind of like a finger print and it originates from a lot of different things… Life experiences, artistic training, what happened on the way home from the grocery store that day, what the cat vomited up (art isn’t always pretty). You name it, it finds its way into a cartoonist’s art and that’s what makes it unique. My style is constantly evolving (and hopefully improving) but at this point I think it’s become pretty recognizable. There are a few other artists out their who have similar styles but in my opinion we are all very unique.

How does my illustration process work?

This is kind of a tough question because I don’t always work the same way or in the same style but rather than give you a long detailed explanation of my process I’ve created a short video that shows an actual project starting from a rough sketch. This is pretty typical of many of the projects I work on using Adobe Illustrator. The first thing you’ll notice is I’ve compressed the time for the video and done a little bit of editing. The things I’ve left on the cutting room floor is all the trial and error experimenting I do with shapes and colors as I work through a project. I am a visual person but I don’t always trust my first instincts so I often try many different color combinations to see if I can find better options. Sometimes it can be a tedious process which is why I’ve trimmed it from this video. Other times things just flow and I get it right the first time. It all depends on which way things happen to be leaning that particular day.

Ok enough with the typing here’s the video. Enjoy

Next up on the blog tour I’m inviting  two amazingly talented artists and good friends:

Fian Arroyo, with his creative mind and quick draw, has been creating award-winning illustrations and character designs for his clients, including Fortune-500 companies, in the advertising, editorial, toy & game and publishing markets for over 20 years.

http://fian.com/

Greg Newman has been a freelance artist and illustrator, designer and developer since 2001. Newman now specializes in portraiture, uncannily realistic caricatures and wildlife illustrations, as well as design and development for the intertubes.

http://gregnewman.org/

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Blog Tour

I wasn’t recently asked by talented illustrator Josh Cleland to participate in a blog tour sharing my work process and answering a few questions. As many of you know Josh is a rock star when it comes to working with Adobe Illustrator which is super cool because I love Illustrator too. Josh and I differ a bit when it comes to our style and how we use the program which is why I thought it would be fun to show a project I’m working on right now done almost exclusively in Illustrator. First however let me get to the questions that go along with blog tour

What am I working on right now?

I am working on a host of different projects, unfortunately many of the contracts I have signed keep me from discussing them until they are published. That’s the tough part of working in this industry especially because sometimes it can take up to a year for each project to reach the market. I guess those are just the breaks. So instead of getting into projects that I can’t talk about I’ll mention a few that I can. For many of you who are familiar with what I do when I’m not illustrating you may recall I have another site, BobTeachesArt.com, where I teach artists how to use programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Right now I’m in the process of putting together a very special new class demonstrating advanced line art techniques using Adobe Illustrator. The great thing about this class is you don’t have to be a rock star Adobe Illustrator user to take the class. It starts right from the beginning with each tool I use. I show how it works and how to combine them to create amazing results.

Why do I illustrate what I do?

It’s no big secret I’ve always loved cartoons. As a kid I learned to draw by tracing all my favorite comic strips over and over again. It kept my busy for hours. As I got older I knew one day I would find a way to draw cartoons for a living. It took me a few years to figure it out but eventually I found my way into children’s publishing and once I did I knew that was exactly where I belonged. Aside children’s books I also create custom one of a kind cartoon logos. If you asked me to pick one over the other I’d have to say you’re crazy. I love doing both. In fact just about anywhere I can find a market for my art is interesting to me …and that’s where you’ll always find me.

How is my work different from others in my genre?

Every artist has their own style. Cartoonists also have their own special sense of humor that shines through in their art. It’s kind of like a finger print and it originates from a lot of different things… Life experiences, artistic training, what happened on the way home from the grocery store that day, what the cat vomited up (art isn’t always pretty). You name it, it finds its way into a cartoonist’s art and that’s what makes it unique. My style is constantly evolving (and hopefully improving) but at this point I think it’s become pretty recognizable. There are a few other artists out their who have similar styles but in my opinion we are all very unique.

How does my illustration process work?

This is kind of a tough question because I don’t always work the same way or in the same style but rather than give you a long detailed explanation of my process I’ve created a short video that shows an actual project starting from a rough sketch. This is pretty typical of many of the projects I work on using Adobe Illustrator. The first thing you’ll notice is I’ve compressed the time for the video and done a little bit of editing. The things I’ve left on the cutting room floor is all the trial and error experimenting I do with shapes and colors as I work through a project. I am a visual person but I don’t always trust my first instincts so I often try many different color combinations to see if I can find better options. Sometimes it can be a tedious process which is why I’ve trimmed it from this video. Other times things just flow and I get it right the first time. It all depends on which way things happen to be leaning that particular day.

Ok enough with the typing here’s the video. Enjoy

Next up on the blog tour I’m inviting  two amazingly talented artists and good friends:

Fian Arroyo, with his creative mind and quick draw, has been creating award-winning illustrations and character designs for his clients, including Fortune-500 companies, in the advertising, editorial, toy & game and publishing markets for over 20 years.

http://fian.com/

Greg Newman has been a freelance artist and illustrator, designer and developer since 2001. Newman now specializes in portraiture, uncannily realistic caricatures and wildlife illustrations, as well as design and development for the intertubes.

http://gregnewman.org/

The post Blog Tour, My Illustration Process appeared first on Bob Ostrom Studio - 919-809-6178.

Wow, time flies. We’re already into our second week of #Inktober and I’ve seen some really amazing art out there. I’ve been a little bummed that my deadlines have kept me from fully diving into the fray. I figured I’d try and post at least a couple of drawings for the #Inktobers so I don’t feel like a total spectator. It’s looking like I’ll probably have to go the 5k route with the nondigital stuff this year. In case you have no idea what I’m talking about here’s a link that will tell you ever thing you need to know about #INKTOBER. Oh and by the way, make sure you check out the galleries from previous years on Mr. Jake Parker’s site. You’ll be glad you did, his work is amazing. 

Digi-Inktober

If on the other hand if you’re into Illustrator and digital inking I’ve got some fun stuff to show you. I’ve been working on putting together some new classes for the BobTeachesArt.com site and the first one is going to focus on how to create great line art using Photoshop and Illustrator, the main focus being on illustrator of course. This will be a soup to nuts course starting right from the beginning and working our way through all the tools you’ll need to know to make things happen. This is one I’ve been planning to get out there for some time now and have had many requests for it. If you think you might be interested or know someone else who is here’s your link! 

Ok Inktober fans that’s it for now see you all again next week.

The post #Inktober and New Illustrator Courses appeared first on Bob Ostrom Studio - 919-809-6178.

Wow, time flies. We’re already into our second week of #Inktober and I’ve seen some really amazing art out there. I’ve been a little bummed that my deadlines have kept me from fully diving into the fray. I figured I’d try and post at least a couple of drawings for the #Inktobers so I don’t feel like a total spectator. It’s looking like I’ll probably have to go the 5k route with the nondigital stuff this year. In case you have no idea what I’m talking about here’s a link that will tell you ever thing you need to know about #INKTOBER. Oh and by the way, make sure you check out the galleries from previous years on Mr. Jake Parker’s site. You’ll be glad you did, his work is amazing. 

Digi-Inktober

If on the other hand if you’re into Illustrator and digital inking I’ve got some fun stuff to show you. I’ve been working on putting together some new classes for the BobTeachesArt.com site and the first one is going to focus on how to create great line art using Photoshop and Illustrator, the main focus being on illustrator of course. This will be a soup to nuts course starting right from the beginning and working our way through all the tools you’ll need to know to make things happen. This is one I’ve been planning to get out there for some time now and have had many requests for it. If you think you might be interested or know someone else who is here’s your link! 

Ok Inktober fans that’s it for now see you all again next week.

The post #Inktober and New Illustrator Courses appeared first on Bob Ostrom Studio - 919-809-6178.