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.
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.
Dr. Seuss first unleashed his wonderful Christmas creation upon the world in 1957 in the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Nine years later, the great Warner Bros. director, Chuck Jones, adapted the story in animated form for television that itself has become a classic enjoyed annually by children and adults alike to this day. It has since been translated into two feature films, one of which is currently entertaining people in theaters right now. For me, the Chuck Jones version remains closest to my heart.
The Jones one is the version that introduced me to the character before I ever saw the original book. The Grinch was delightfully mean, the Whos down in Whoville were pure and innocent, and stuck in the middle was the Grinch’s faithful companion, Max the dog. In the end, there was genuine redemption for the green meanie.
When I was young and had first entered the business, I wrote Mr. Jones a fan letter, telling him of my affection for his version of the story. I mentioned that I had even held Christmas parties at my home where I had my guests take a Grinch quiz, and then we would watch the film to mark off the correct answers. (I also had mentioned to him my love for his other Warner Bros. cartoons.) He responded by sending me a sketch of Bugs Bunny dressed in the Grinch’s Santa outfit which I treasure to this day.
So, just because I was feeling a little nostalgic for the ol’ emerald one, I worked up a little piece to post here this holiday season!
You’d be a mean one, too, if you had termites in your soul.
Two weeks ago I shared with you a few drawings I did for a Wreck-It Ralph children’s book published six years ago when the first movie came out. Care to see a few more?
After I posted the previous drawings, an artist friend asked me if I hand-inked these or if I used a vector program like Adobe Illustrator. The answer is that they were hand-inked, but not with ink. I drew them by hand in Photoshop. So, no vector tools were used. They were drawn on a Wacom Cintiq monitor that allows me to draw with a stylus directly onto the screen. The monitor is pressure-sensitive, so if I push harder, the lines get thicker just as if I was inking traditionally with a paint brush (which is my preferred method of inking traditionally).
So, take that information as you will. Otherwise, just enjoy the drawings!
Ralph and VanellopeKing CandyRalph in a sticky situation. (insert groan here)
