When
Highlights asked me to make a What's Wrong? of a City Market I could think of no other than
Philadelphia's Italian Market. I've only been there once in my life, during the off peak time, but I did a lot of research (see below) to make it look authentic minus the trash and fire barrels. If you've ever been to the Italian Market in South Philadelphia,
or saw the scene in Rocky when he is jogging through it (starts at :23) one thing comes to mind, "this is so beautiful and yet, totally disgusting." Honestly, it smells, there's trash all over the place, and most of the merchants are rude. Ah, Philadelphia! City of Brotherly Love. That's what makes this city so great- everyone wears their hearts on their sleeve and we don't apologize for it or care if you're offended- much like you would speak to a close family member. Ha!
I finished this piece the week my Dad went into the hospital before he passed away. Good friend and designer,
Drew Phillips, helped me out with doing some flat coloring for me. All I had to do was make some adjustments, then add textures and shadows. Thanks, Drew!
Things to look for in this piece: Adrian Balboa ironing a sock, myself, wife and daughter driving a row home, and my personal favorite, a girl mouse being serenaded with her concerned Father reacting in a nearby window.
The original sketch is below. One thing I was sad to see go was Adrian Balboa carrying Rocky's two turtles known as Cuff and Link.
The scene was based loosely on these photos:
I hope this brightens up everyone's day.
This What's Wrong? is on the back cover of this month's
Highlights.
I was unaware of Rubber Duck races until I was asked to draw this one.
Right click and open in another window or tab to view this piece larger.
I'm drawing Philadelphia's Italian market which is terribly fun to do.
It has been a long time since I submitted anything to
Illustration Friday so I thought I'd post these three
Highlights illustrations for the snow theme this week. Have fun finding all of the Silly/Wrong things!
Below is an illustration I did for the back cover of October's Highlights magazine. This one is based on our annual Great Pumpkin Day celebration. This year is our 12th year of getting together with friends and family to eat, drink and carve pumpkins to welcome autumn. It started with myself and two friends but has grown to some fifty guests, many of whom are pictured here.
I just wanted to remind you that
Highlights is greatest children's magazine on earth. You really should get the children in your life a
subscription.
Here's a bunch of snippet sneak peaks at some upcoming stuff I did for
Highlights. The first two are
Hidden Pictures and the last two are for
What's Wrong? back covers. I'm not sure exactly when they'll be published but I'm assume the Pumpkin one will be on the back cover of this coming October issue and the Dogsled Race will be sometime in the winter (February?). As for Hidden Pictures, I have absolutely no idea.
I also wanted to point out that there is now a fun
Hidden Picture and
What's Wrong? game on the Highlights site. The Hidden Picture game features some of my work as well as many other excellent illustrations by the wonderful Highlights' illustrators. Be sure to check it out!
The Dogsled Race What's Wrong? has more people in it then I have ever drawn in a single illustration. If I remember correctly, it has 105 humans not to mention 17 dogs. I know, I lost my mind.
April's
Highlights has my most recent What's Wrong? illustration. I loved Easter Egg hunts when I was a kid. One year my oldest brother, Mike, planned out a whole hunt for us. The eggs spelled out "happy easter."
Have a wonderful Spring and a Happy Easter everyone.
This
What's Wrong? is on the back cover of September's
Highlights for Children that should be available now on newsstands. Once again I drew inspiration from my life in Philadelphia and the many sports we would play together. I think street hockey was everyone's favorite which was usually played in alley ways such as this one here. Alleys can be kind of magical places if the lighting is right - you get the sun bouncing all over the place from the reflections in the windows and the shafts of light pour down much like they would in a narrow canyon in the southwest.
By far my favorite thing in this piece is the break dancing mice in the right corner. Sometimes it's the little things, you know? In this case, hairy little things in track suits.
I was given the fun task of creating the What's Wrong? illustration for Highlights' 65th Birthday issue! It was a lot of fun to have my hand at the Highlights' regulars: the Timbertoes, Arizona (as well as her little brother and sister Tex and Mindi), Goofus and Gallant, the little mouse web dude (does he have a name? he definitely needs one), and the Bear Family. The 65th Birthday issue should be on news stands now. It really is a great issue with a lot of fun surprises. Be sure to pick up a copy!
My apologies for being so long between posts. My wife has been traveling a lot for work so I have had my hands full taking care of our daughter, dog, fish, house, laundry, dishes, etc, all the while teaching and freelancing. This week I officially finished teaching (until autumn that is) so I will have more time to post stuff I have been working on. Speaking of our daughter, you can see her and I on the left side of the illustration. I made myself taller so no one would notice me but it didn't fool anyone at Highlights. I think they're on to me...
April's
Highlight's High Five features one of the my
That's Silly! illustrations. Be sure to pick up a copy for the little ones in your life (or you can pick one up for yourself, I won't tell).
Below is somewhat of a step by step on how I went about making this piece. I say somewhat because there were steps I forgot to take screenshots of. Maybe I shouldn't be giving out my secrets, huh? I may be putting myself out of work.
Below is the hand drawn line art. I use a 05 micron with some touch up done with a 03. I find it gives good clean line weight.
Flat colors are added via Photoshop. I knew I would be drawing the stuff outside the windows with my tablet so there was no need to ink it.
I turn off the colors layer and add a gradient layer knocking out the light with my tablet.
Finished shadows and some of the outside started.
Things of note in this one: I not only added
Usagi Yojimbo to this piece, he's the white rabbit with the top knot in the inflatable raft, but I also added Jim Lawson's frog, Orson, from his comic Bade Biker and Orson. The comic books Usagi Yojimbo and Bade Biker & Orson were two of the biggest art influences on me when I was in grade school.
In the final printed version of this piece Usagi was changed to just a plain white rabbit. Cindy and David caught me on that one. I'll post it once I get the chance.
November's
Highlights Magazine features not only my work on the back cover (see above), the interior (November's hidden picture referred to earlier in blog
here) but for the first time my work was on the front cover (see below)!
Okay, okay, not REALLY. Look closer. MUCH closer. I just had a snippet from my hidden picture on the front cover. Re-cork the champagne...
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Chuck, you're brilliant my friend. Thank you for the ability to always make me laugh.
Thanks, dude.