Color for the characters

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The Really Awful Musicians has a cast of characters who appear throughout the story.  It's important for me to decide on the colors for their costumes before I start painting the final illustrations.  This color sketch is a reference tool…

Really Awful color script

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I've written about color scripts before—where I create one big color study that includes every page in a book.  I grabbed the idea from the animated movie world.  Color is a powerful tool for telling your story: setting the mood and indicating…

Jacket art painting in progress

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The jacket painting for The Really Awful Musicians.  This is one of the pieces to be exhibited at the Graffiti Gallery in only 2 weeks! [slideshow]

Jacket art color study

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More of that jacket art for The Really Awful Musicians.  Before I begin my painting, I work up a small color study.

Scholastic Book Fair video

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Thanks to my buddy Louise for finding this online!

Jacket art sketches for The Really Awful Musicians

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Here are the thumbnail sketches for The Really Awful Musicians jacket art, and the tight sketch.

Stella’s chair comes to life!

My pal Jackie Mims Hopkins sends this photo of a wonderful story-reading chair straight out of Joe Bright and the Seven Genre Dudes!  It's the handiwork of fabulous librarian Leanne Drake to celebrate Jackie's school visit and an upcoming storytelling…

Famous Nini at the Morris Graves Art Museum

My pal Mary Nethery sent this photo of my illustrations for The Famous Nini. They were exhibited at the Morris Graves Art Museum during the Humboldt County Author's Festival.  That's in California, isn't it?  Mary read Nini to kids at two…