Gloria The Ostrich

Here is a sketch for one of the characters in my next children's book. Gloria is a performer in the circus, and her special talent is Hula-Hooping while riding a unicycle! It's pretty amazing! She also has a thing for feet and only speaks in idioms. Her favorite phrase is to "always put your best foot forward" (her best foot is her right foot). I'm in the final weeks of school and there is still a lot to be done to finish my book....so why am I spending my time posting something instead of drawing?....that's a great question!!

Last Train to Nibroc

This last weekend I had the opportunity to do a special project for a friend. For her senior project at Vanguard, she and a fellow schoolmate are putting on a production of "Last Train to Nibroc" (in which she will be performing!). This is going to be a great show and I can't wait to see it! She asked me to do a cover illustration for the programs, so here it is! It was a privilege working with her and I'm always ready to put our heads together to come up with some great ideas!

For this project I whipped out my oil paints (haven't touched them since last summer!) and was finished in about 2-3 hours. The only experience with oils I've had was a figure painting class, so it was fun doing a landscape. I definitely want to get better at oils!

Come see the show if you are interested! I will be attending, without a doubt!

Thursday, April, 30th, 7:00pm
Lyceum Theatre at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=83291217168

The Ant and the Cricket

I'm in the final stages of making my mini book on one of Aesop's Fables, "The Ant and the Cricket". This was a black and white project, which I haven't done much of, so it was definitely a challenge for me. I was trying a flatter approach with a different style than I'm used to. I'm not sure if it's going to be my style of choice, but I do want to try it more and get better at inking! (Photoshop was my good friend for this project.) If you are unfamiliar with the Fable you can read it yourself! For my book I used a different version of the story, in poem form, and actually changed a few parts and added the beginning so it would work better with the flow of the book. I think my favorite part is the hippie cricket character! I think I will play with him more and see what happens!

A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing

Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,

Called to the hard-working ants to join in his fun,
As they gathered their grain in the hot summer sun.
“There's no time to rest,” the ants all said.
“Winter is coming and our family must be fed.”

The cricket just laughed and sang a new song,
But soon the weather grew cold and, surely, before long,
His antenna became stiff an his toes felt numb.
The snow was falling and winter was come.

Not a crumb to be found

On the snow-covered ground;

Not a flower could he see,

Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh, what will become,” says the cricket, “of me?”


At last by starvation and famine made bold,

All dripping with wet and all trembling with cold,

Away he set off to a miserly ant

To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant

Him shelter from rain.

A mouthful of grain

He wished only to borrow,

He’d repay it to-morrow;

If not helped, he must die of starvation and sorrow.

Says the ant to the cricket: “I’m your servant and friend,

But we ants never borrow, we ants never lend.

Pray tell me, dear sir, did you lay nothing by

When the weather was warm?” Said the cricket, “Not I.

My heart was so light

That I sang day and night,

For all nature looked gay.”

“You sang, sir, you say?

Go then,” said the ant, “and sing winter away.”
Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket

And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.


Upon hearing this story, one might conclude:

If you live without work, you must live without 
food.


Here are a few of the images in my book.