Escaping the king’s men-at-arms
book promotion, illustration processI like this pre-dawn scene from The Really Awful Musicians for its drama. Illustration is just a form of graphic design. Here I've used the elements of space, value & texture to get the most juice out of the image. Color, too: the…
Really awful character sketches
book promotion, illustration processHere are sketches of most of the characters in Really Awful Musicians. Piffaro is the little guy with the pipe & drum, Espresso the skinny dude playing a lute, Serena on harp, Fortissimo on sackbut and Lugubrio on bass recorder. Piffaro…
Really Awful press sheets
book promotion, illustration processHoly cow—I just got these in the mail from Hong Kong! These are the press sheets from The Really Awful Musicians. There are 2 sheets, each with 16 pages (8 on each side). Eight plus eight equals sixteen—two times sixteen is thirty-two. …
The president’s poster design contest
illustration careerPresident Obama would like to promote a new jobs bill. Shepard Fairey's posters were a big part of the president's 2008 campaign so this time around Obama for America is running a contest for best poster design. There are no cash prizes. …
Painting the opening spread
book promotion, illustration careerAnd here is the painting—from The Really Awful Musicians—in progress.
[slideshow]
The opening shot
book promotion, illustration processHere's the first spread from my upcoming book The Really Awful Musicians. It's about what happens to a band of musicians—who play pretty badly—as they escape from a country where the king has banned all music.
I drew the thumbnail sketch…
The Really Awful Musicians are coming…
book promotionYes, the long-awaited soon-to-be-a-beloved-classic The Really Awful Musicians will be hitting the ol' bookshelves December 19th! This is my first time out as both author & illustrator.
If you happen to be in northwestern Pennsylvania…
