Here in the States, today is our annual Presidents’ Day holiday. We celebrate by taking the day off from work, and buying mattresses on sale.
I created this illustration of Abraham Lincoln for the February issue of Clubhouse Magazine published by Focus on the Family. As with the giraffe illustration posted last week, this was done for a joke page where the jokes were sent in by the kids.
A teacher asks, “Do you know Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address?”
The student answers, “I thought he lived in the White House.”
Laughter ensues.
Honestly, Abe is lost.
The squirrel says, “You make a left turn at Albuquerque.”
Yesterday I shared with you a Valentine’s Day card I made this year. Perhaps you might like to see parts of the art up close and personal, kind of like that kiss was about to be?
Hope they each had a breath mint first.
For those curious, the art was created in mixed media fashion. Which media was mixed? It is primarily a traditional watercolor painting, some gouache was used, colored pencils, and then there are some touches in Photoshop.
Cloth close-up. Cloth and possible toe fungus.
I did try my best to really get some interesting lighting into the art. So often it feels as though the lighting in my work is more even, without much drama. This image just needed to have aspects of moonlight coming from one direction, and candle/lantern light coming from within the palace. Hopefully the cool light and the warm light is believable and interesting.
Vines are the garnish on this gourmet dish.
Well, there you go. A few close-up shots of how this illustration looked to me while I was working on it. Often a lot goes into a piece like this, but whether a lot or a little bit of work, hopefully the art is always entertaining to YOU!
I made my own Valentine’s card this year featuring Romeo & Juliet, but with a twist in this classic tale of love….
True love’s kiss?
Lest you miss the joke, it’s important to know that this piece is firmly rooted in William Shakespeare’s tale of Romeo & Juliet – teenagers so deeply in love with one another that they gave up their lives for each other. But, what if Juliet was two-timing on Romeo, and really didn’t love him at all? She’d probably marry the next sap right after breaking Romeo’s heart.
Well, it’s funnier if the joke doesn’t have to be explained.
I did a couple of illustrations for the February 2019 issue of Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Magazine that is out now. Thought I’d share one of them today.
My two spot pieces were created for a page of jokes that the kids themselves sent in. This giraffe piece goes with the question, “What do you call a royal giraffe?”
The answer? “Your Highness,” of course!
I think the lion cub just can’t wait to be king.
Care to see a couple of close-ups?
It’s good to be the king.Not sure these guys can say “hakuna matata” and mean it.
In case you are curious, these were created entirely in Photoshop on a Wacom Cintiq. I’ll share the second illustration for Clubhouse later this month!
Over on Instagram, folks have been posting the nine images people responded to the most in 2018. These were the favorite nine of my art that made the cut over there.
A whole year represented by nine images. That sure went by fast.
Alright – the last of the presents have been opened, and you’ve had a full day to hit all the after Christmas sales. Now is the time to start getting those thank you notes written to Aunt Belinda for the socks, Grandpa Joe for the new hammer, and Mom for the new underwear.
Whomever in your life made the time to thoughtfully pick out a gift just for you, be sure to send them a proper “thank you!”
Even this bear didn’t want to hibernate without first saying a proper thanks!
Here’s a little Christmas greeting created for the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society featuring their mascot, Cornelius the bear.
It is rumored that ‘ol Corny had saved the lives of several cartoonists back in the day. Since his own passing, Cornelius looks after cartoonists everywhere.
Merry Christmas!
Click on the image to see more about NCS LA and the legend of Cornelius the bear.
