Illustration that's open to interpretation.

Many of the illustrations I create are done to accompany a written article or story. When this is the case the content (text) of the article makes the exlanation, or meaning,  of the illustration pretty self-explanatory. But when that same illustration is left to stand alone on its own, without any copy or explanation, I am often fascinated by the wide variety of interpretations the same illustration can ellicit. From good to bad, hilarious to hellfire, sigh to deeply intellectual, etc.
The illustration below is a good example of this. __ Trust me, it was created in the spirit of fun..but, without saying more, I'll leave it up to your imagination to decide the meaning, if any, behind this lovely image.  I'll never tell :-)

 

Creating Kid Friendly Characters

The manic, overly exaggerated characters I've been creating of late do not always work or transfer over to the children's market. so when creating a caterpillar character for a children's piece, I back off and soften the character. Still trying to maintain an inviting, non-threatening, friendly character with personality...and pants :-)

Steps for coloring the MANIC OLD DOG illustration!

I recently created an editorial illustration about older dogs and their, sometimes, manic excitement when it comes to dinnertime. We all have to have something to look forward to. Apparently, old dogs look forward to dinnertime...as do I :-) __Anyhow, I wanted to share a few of the different stages of creating the illustration, once the pencil sketch had been chosen. 1) The base b/w lineart. 2) The addition of flat colors. 3)  Laying in some shading 4) Changing the b/w lineart to color and adding a soft background.
The process takes a bit of time but I enjoy the feel of the final illustration...as did the client :-)

Humorous Editorial Illustration lightens heavy subject matter.

Getting to create a humorous editorial illustration is great fun, when given the opportunity to take on a heavy subject matter, such as, 'PARENTING- ARE YOU READY TO ENTER THE RING WITH YOUR INFANT?' __More clients should consider this clever approach when dealing with serious subject matter. It's an awesome way to bring attention to an article and draw in your readers.__But, hey, I'm just a Humorous Illustrator :-)

Can you tell what sports team your neighbor likes?

When your neighbor sits outside on their patio, watching sports programs on their TV,...it doesn't take a lot to figure out who they're cheering for...or against :-)

Be Happy Like a Hippo!

Some days can be really tough. Things, or people, can try and bring you down. That's when you need to remember that you have a choice. Choose to be HAPPY LIKE A HIPPO!!!

Do your illustration assignments start to run together?

When illustration assignments start to run together things can get pretty...WEIRD :-)

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Inking 'Big Bottom Mice riding Pigs'...just bcuz I can!

Sometimes it's not 'what you're drawing'...it's just 'that you're drawing.' Case in point :-)

Summertime Dreams

Ahhhhh, summertime!!! __Unfortunately, I can't make it to the beach this year. __Ahhhh, but a guy can dream :-)