Drawing with purpose:

I can't say anything yet, but I have begun sketching and drawing textures.... I will let you know more later:

Helping one of my heroes.

Sometimes things come up where you have to drop everything and work on it. This is one of those times.

Stan Sakai, creator of Usagi Yojimbo is one of my idols. I was introduced to him (as I am sure others were) via the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Since I was from a small town, it was hard to learn about any comic characters. Luckily, my mother took me to the store (Powerhouse Comics) in Green Bay almost every single time we went for groceries. Comics were a sedative to me... She gave them to me, and I was content. There are comics that I would definitely suggest to kids: Usagi Yojimbo is one of them.

Back to Stan. His wife has been ill, and CAPS  (Comic Art Professional Society) had started collecting artist work for an auction to help Stan and his wife. Here is a link to the website concerning the auction. 

I could explain in my own words, but I will just pass on what Stan posted on his Facebook page:

Thank you, everybody. I had been gone from FB since yesterday and did not realize that CAPS had started the solicitation for art auction donations to help with Sharon's care. 

A bit of background with what this is all about: In 2004, Sharon woke up one morning and said, "I can't hear anything out of my left ear." It was traced back to a meningioma brain tumor. It is benign, but large and inoperable. There was no hope of it getting smaller. The most we could hope for was that it would not grow larger. She underwent radiation therapy, and that seemed to control it. She went in for regular MRIs, and no growth was detected.

However, it started growing in 2010, and very aggressively. She has facial paralysis on the left side (everything happens on the left side). The paralysis includes her throat, vocal chords, and it has even deteriorated her neck bones. She had lost almost 40% of her body weight in a year. She is undergoing chemotherapy. Doctors don't see any end in sight for this. There are complications because of the tumor, medications, or just coincidence--diabetes, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, compromised immune system. She has a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a G-tube connected to her stomach for a liquid diet. She can take nothing through her mouth. She is bed-bound, but we try to give her daily physical therapy--walking a couple hundred feet with a walker and/or sitting in a wheelchair.

She had been in the hospital and nurse care from April to September, but we are glad she is home. She requires 24 hour care, so daughter Hannah and her family moved in with us. This includes 18 month old grandson Leo, and another grandchild due in February/early March.

A lot of you do know Sharon, as she had been a fixture at my booth at San Diego and many other conventions. Thank you all for your help, good thoughts, and prayers. 

So when I heard of the call for artists to submit an original piece to help Stan out, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to make something. I have been doing some rough sketches on my tablet, and have a rough done. The auction will be in early 2014, so I will have a little time to finish it... but here is the rough, done in Sketchbook Pro:

Rough Usagi Yojimbo

Very rough, yes... It is Usagi, with smoke around him.possibly with some allusions to architecture behind him.  I think I will do it in Sumi with splashes of color. Need to do a little color research first, but I will post here when I have the final piece done. 

If anyone wants to help out or donate, please click the link above for information. 

Work to be auctioned off at SCBWI Houston conference:

Hey everyone!

I have a drawing that will be auctioned off at the SCBWI-Houston Conference on April 13th... It is great doing something to support an organization as awesome as this one!

Details:

"Wonce Ug Tun a Time"
Pencil / Watercolor Pencil
7" x 17"

I tried to do a piece that involved reading --something that an author/illustrator would want on the wall of the their working studio, yet also be appropriate if somebody wanted the artwork for the room of a child: Like a child who reads to their siblings or stuffed animals would understand that the caveman had an audience. Besides,  I love dinosaurs, and I know kids dig them too.













Here are a few more pix of the WIP:

Tom Sawyer process:

Okay, the following is the process for the Tomie dePaola contest... I will try and explain my thoughts as I go along:

Step 1: VERY rough sketch

Step 1: I actually had thought of doing some of the more iconic scenes for the book, including the fence painting, or the funeral scene... but after going through the book, I tried to select a scene where Tom uses his imagination (hence, it would give me the ability to use mine)... so I picked the scene where he imagines himself coming home in a variety of guises: Soldier, Indian and Pirate.

I imagined Tom's pirate idea as being much more elaborate, and thus having much more face time on the page. I though of the idea of using his soldier and indian idea in the sails on the pirate ship.

Step 2: Kinda Rough Sketch

Step 2: After taking my initial rough, I refined it, by making the character more round (so he would look less adult pirate, and more like a boy playing a pirate... I enjoyed the way he looked proportions and all, so instead of redrawing him like I would have done in the past, I used my new tracing table (which I don't know why I didn't buy it sooner... talk about a time saver!)...so I transferred the image.

Steps 1-3

Step 3: the image was transferred via tracing table: you can see the penciled version in the lower part.

Step 4: Inks begin

Step 4: I started to ink the work using India Ink, and planned on doing the values in Sumi ink. I really have fallen in love with using the brush. In the past, I used pen/ink only, and while I still enjoy that, I think brush gives it more or an organic and less of a mechanical feel (I have been accused of having a photocopy in my hands when I show a pen/ink work, because I keep my lines so tight).

Step 5: Inks continue

Step 5: I continue adding the ink, and dark areas. You can see the upper left that the soldier is not developed, because I didn't really know how to show him... I also laid down some frisket/masking agent to keep some whites from the ropes on the ship, highlights and some clouds... I also noticed the prow was viewed from the side, while the rest of the ship was viewed from the top. Damn you, perspective!!! 

Step 6: Sumi ink is laid down

Step 6: I laid down the sumi ink, trying to show a range of value, and embellishing forms.

Step 7: Add text

Step 7: I added the text. There were no limits on the layout of the book, so I laid it out with a horizontal idea in mind. There were numerous problems with this last step. My Photoshop program wouldn't save it, and the photo-merge feature wouldn't work.... Dumb technology. Overall, I am content with it on a scale of 7 out of 10. Most of the problems came in the last step here. That's it! Now to work on art for the upcoming Austin and Houston conferences!

Tomie dePaola Award Time!

The Legend, Tomie dePaola

Legendary children's illustrator Tomie dePaola is having his 2nd annual contest, where he will pick the winner's for the Tomie dePaola Award... which I believe is a trip to NYC to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Conference.

Tomie dePaola Award

The rules are that it should be in Black and White, and illustrate a segment of text from either Little Women, The Yearling, or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Here are some of the entries so far...

I am very excited, and am debating whether I do it in half-tone watercolor, Sumi, or in pencil.

Here is a sample of last year's entries.

and last years WINNERS.

I am thinking of doing Tom Sawyer, which... thinking I could watch an old black and white movie, maybe get in the mood for doing a black and white piece...only to find the 1938 movie is in COLOR?! Whaaat? Thanks to YouTube, you can actually watch the movie in parts. Here is a fun game: count how many times the actor playing Tom Sawyer (Tommy Kelly) looks confused, dumbfounded, bewildered, or like he just ate a lemon.

Speaking of of this film being colorized, here is a fun fact from IMDB: 

Many disputes arose between photographer James Wong Howe and his associate, Technicolor photographer Wilfred M. Cline about which colors to use in wardrobe and sets. Cline wanted bright primary colors, while Howe insisted on subdued earth tones. Since Howe got his way, after one week they were not on speaking terms and The Technicolor Company banned Howe from shooting further pictures in color; Howe did not make another color film for 10 years. 

Stay Tuned... I will be turning this in by December 14th.