Category: Illustrations

Merry Christmas 2019

As we enter into Christmas week, I wanted to wish all of you a merry Christmas, with the hope that you will appreciate the season from a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ having come as a baby all those years ago to sacrifice himself for you on the cross. He was born to die. Very sobering, and humbling.

 

 

And yes, while I made a little joke about the title of the Christmas carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, few recall that the lyrics were from a poem by American author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called Christmas Bells that dealt with his personal conflicted feelings about the tragedy that was the American Civil War. Look it up, it’s a fascinating tale!

Merry Christmas!

Categories
Art: Colored Pencil Art: Painting Art: Watercolor Bible Art Character Designs Illustrations

Holiday Ham

As we head into this final weekend before Christmas, just thought I’d share this little colored pencil and watercolor piece I did for the back of my Christmas card this year. It was such a pleasure working on Warner Bros.’ Green Eggs & Ham show earlier this year (currently showing on Netflix), that I wanted to do a little winter piece of Sam I Am and Guy Am I.

 

Do you want to build a snowham?

 

I hope you all have a wonderful time over the holidays with family and friends. If you take a road trip with a good buddy, though, leave the Chickeraffe at home.

Categories
Art: Animation Art: Colored Pencil Art: Painting Art: Watercolor Cartoons Illustrations

Green Eggs & David Newman

One exciting thing that helps the Green Eggs & Ham show leap from the screen is the magnificent music of composer David Newman, a veteran composer of many movie scores over the years (Galaxy Quest, The Sandlot, Hoffa, Ice Age, etc.). I had the pleasure of watching him work his magic with an orchestra in the recording studio one day, and afterwards felt the urge to Seussify him.

David Newman is quite musical, Making melodies that are Seussical.

Later in the year, I snapped this second image of David onstage at The Hollywood Bowl where he conducted a concert of John Williams’ music. Film music royalty.

That night, John Williams spoke of his friendship with David’s father, Alfred Newman, the great composer and former head of music for 20th Century Fox (he wrote the fanfare in front of all Fox movies!)

Be sure to watch Green Eggs and Ham

streaming now on Netflix!

Categories
Art: Animation Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Caricature Character Designs Film Music Illustrations

Green Eggs & Ham

Have any of you Netflix subscribers been able to catch any of the new Green Eggs & Ham show that unfurled last Friday? Did you like Green Eggs & Ham? Would you, could you watch them in a house? How about watching with a mouse?

Perhaps I haven’t talked much about it here on the ol’ blog, but I spent the last half of 2018 and the first half of 2019 working at Warner Bros. Animation on this terrific series in the story department! It was a blast to be able to work on an adaptation of my favorite Dr. Seuss book from when I was a kid.

I can’t show any of my actual work on the show since what I worked on hasn’t been released yet, but here’s a quick little ink & watercolor piece I did as a prize for our GEAH crew’s Friday night game night. Each Friday night after work, those who could would stick around for a game. One night I decided to contribute a mystery prize in an envelope for whoever the winner would be that night. It happened to go to Reem Aliadeeb, our show’s character designer!

Sam I Am in all of his green hamminess.
Categories
Art: Animation Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Watercolor Illustrations

Something Fishy

What do fish sellers and cartoonists have in common? They both fill paper with fish.

Here’s a page from my sketchbook that I drew during a fall visit to Kitty Hawk, NC. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Outer Banks over the years beginning when I was ten years old. Ironically, I don’t fish when I’m there, but I have been known to do some crabbing once in a while. Take that however you wish.

 

Right now these fish are fresh, but not looking forward to when they start to stink.
Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Character Designs Illustrations Random Doodles Sketchbook

Jack Davis Exhibit

My friend James Martin teaches at the Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida, where they are currently having an exhibition of work by a cartooning hero of mine, Jack Davis.

Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture shows a variety of Jack’s work over a 60+ year career and will be on display until December 6. What James alerted me to, is that an illustration I did as a gift for Jack thirteen years ago happens to also be in the exhibit!

 

I was from the North, Jack Davis was from the South, yet we were still friends.

 

If I’m not mistaken, it looks like the drawing to the left of mine could be an original Mort Drucker sketch, and on the right might be a Dan Piraro. Yikes! Heavy company to be in.

Let that be a lesson to you, kids – when you do a doodle for a friend, make sure it is the best doodle you can possibly do. It just might end up in a museum!

By the way, HERE is a very complimentary review by Marty Fugate in the Herald Tribune newspaper that shows some of Jack’s work in the show. If you are in the vicinity of Sarasota, Florida, get out to see this show!!!

Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Watercolor Caricature Cartoons Disney Illustrations Self Portrait

Forest Fire

Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires – not woodland creatures who dress like Boy Scouts. They are utterly powerless in these situations.

 

Squirrels and bears don’t even speak the same language, so that doesn’t help much in emergency situations.
Categories
Animals Art: Colored Pencil Art: Inking Character Designs Illustrations Random Doodles Sketchbook

Jim Henson’s Birthday

Today is Jim Henson’s birthday. He would have been 83. Never had a chance to meet him, but sure have been appreciative of his imagination.

I actually tried getting work at the Jim Henson Company after graduating from university, but alas, never did get hired. At least it led to a visit at the Henson brownstone offices in Manhattan that no longer exist. What a thrill to a kid ready to take on the world, however, my path eventually led to a career in animation instead of puppets.

This ink drawing was worked up in my sketchbook, then scanned and colored in Photoshop.

 

No actual rainbows were harmed in the creation of this illustration.

 

By the way, back in June during my travels on the east coast of the United States, my mother and I stopped by the campus of the University of Maryland, Jim Henson’s alma mater, where we posed for a picture with him.

 

Categories
Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Caricature Illustrations Random Doodles Sketchbook