Portrait: Evil Accountant?

This gentleman is from a site of old Australian criminal mug shots. Who knows exactly what this guy did -- but he doesn't seem all that sorry about it.

Portrait: Steel Worker

Some faces are just begging to be painted. Today I was playing around with a gouache technique.

Travel Sketch: Maui

New Book Cover: Tuesdays at the Castle

I just found out that a book I did the cover for is now available at your favorite bookstore!
Written by Jessica Day George, it got a great review blurb from Kirkus:

“This enjoyable romp turns mischief into political action and a stone palace into a cunning character. These kids are clever, as is George’s lively adventure. May pique castle envy.” —Kirkus Reviews

This is a splendid YA fantasy and I had a great time coming up with all kinds of cover concepts.
And what the heck, since you're here at my blog what better place to show some behind-the-scenes stuff:

In hindsight it would have been awesome if I had waited until Tuesday to post this -- ah well, enjoy!

Travel Sketch: Maui

Went on a vacation to Maui recently and did some snorkeling and sketching at a place called Black Rock. The name just appealed to the Pirates of the Caribbean fan in me. But it was the visiting sea turtles that really made my day!

Portland Sketch: Oldtown

A sketch from a while back of Old Town in Portland. Not long after this sketch was finished I was accused by a random (and fairly disturbing) guy of "mentally harassing" him. All in all, a memorable sketching afternoon.

Location Drawing: Japanese Gardens

More from the Japanese Gardens. These are great to play around with limited color palettes.

Location Drawing: Japanese Gardens

Another sketch from the Japanese Gardens

Location Drawing: Japanese Gardens

If you are going to be a substitute instructor then it's pretty great to take on a class you'd be doing any way. I filled in for a "Drawing on Location" class at AiPD this week and had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at the Japanese Gardens here in Portland. Truly beautiful. Definitely worth a visit if you've never been.

Travel Sketch: Santa Cruz

Headed down to Santa Cruz for the weekend to hang out with some very cool folks and did some sketching in my free time. I'll be posting these for the next couple days as I get them scanned in.

Portland Food Carts: Salt and Straw

My new favorite unhealthy indulgence. This uber-cool ice cream cart carries all the traditional Portland flavors you'd expect: Stumptown Coffee Cold Brewed with Cocoa Nibs, Brown Ale and Bacon, Blue Cheese and Pear, etc. But my favorite is Honey Balsamic Strawberry With Black Pepper. If you are in Portland it's located on NE Alberta. Totally worth the trip.

Brushes Painting App

Here's a little something that was done using the iPhone "Brushes" app.
Fairly cool application (and great for killing time while waiting for an appointment) but really hard to export out of the application and into the wider world.

Portrait: Mug Shots

Came across a great website of1940's mug shots. Great hairstyles, and really honest expressions.

Concept Sketch: Guy with huge sword

Projects of all stripes have been keeping me busy these last few weeks, but I thought I'd post a concept development test that I did this morning.

Blog Interview: Blu Penny Sketchbook Stories

Illustrator Cindy Ann Ganaden recently asked me to participate on her uber-cool "Sketchbook Stories" blog feature. I wrote a bit about the process that goes into creating a chapter book cover.

Head on over and check it out and stay to read about all the other illustrators she's already featured. Just click on the button below