onto brighter pastures... is that a saying?

I've switched to Tumblr... I feel bit mean after all these years with this blogger but the big pictures on tumblr are to nice to resist.  O NEWS IS GOOD NEWS (2.0) is now available for your consumption here!  Enjoy and thanks 

Shameless Self-Promotion

I was just pointed to this post on HolyCool.net.  It is a review of the Crazy 4 Cult 2 Book put out by Gallery 1988 and features my "Stranger" piece from the show! (on the left)  Out of all the awesome artwork in that book, I'm a flattered to get the nod.  Pick up a copy and have a gander... It's pretty great.

Proper Chrimbo!!

Merry Christmas Erry'body

New Project... "FRIDAY FACE PLANT"

Yes I know its Monday but you get the idea... a little self initiated project for no good reason.  One mug every week.  Lets start the show with a Toronto Crack-Attack!!

Tons of New Children's Book Work!

I've been busy making a portfolio of children's book work for about a month now.  After I finished the "Dixie Trix" experiment, I was really driven to make more and see if I couldn't branch out into making illustrations for picture books.  I had a lot of fun painting and drawing and have decided to tuck away the tablet for now. Here's a sample few images, go to my main site for more.  Enjoy!

Portraiture Classs Demo

From a model flayed head yes, but still a portrait... Exploring mark making, blind drawing, spacial relationships, line, shape and tone.  From a 10 week adult education course Hills Road here in Cambridge.  It is nice to be teaching evenings again, I get to draw flayed heads!

Kombucha!

At long last I have finished my latest book project.  "Kombucha!" is to be published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin sometime around September 2013.  I've been working hard on the illustrations since December and have had a good time getting out the old ink and brush.  As it is a two-colour book, all the colour work was done in Phototshop to keep everything separated for pre-press by Avery's designers.

For those of you who don't know, kombucha is a pro-biotic, fermented tea brewed with sugar, yeast and healthy bacteria and is celebrated for its many beneficial properties.  Thats the yeast and bacteria gettin' down in the first image by the way.

I was approached by the owners of Kombucha Brooklyn to illustrate the book and thankfully the editor at Avery agreed that I'd make a good match.  The book covers everything from brewing how-to to recipes and chemistry, to the drink's history and origins and contains about 60 illustrations.  It made for a lot of diverse subject matter which is always nice in a project and I had loads of research to do.  I also liked the challenge of making a how-to sequence look interesting and less clinical.  So here is a small sample of the images... I'll post some more up after the book has been published.

Maggie...

Just thought I'd repost this one from a while back given the days events.  And remember kids, get your own milk!

Brush Cleaning Scraps

My latest Illustration project (more on that later) involves A LOT of ink brush and ink drawings and thus, lots of brush cleaning.  These two scraps are my favs so far.  Makes me want to get a little looser in my actual work...

A Homesick Ex-Pat's ode to Turkey Day

Missing the Game and the Bird and shock of Tryptophan hitting the base of the spine.  Thanksgiving is one of my favourite days of the year and I always feel a little pang of homesickness and get cooking.  I have to wait until Saturday this year but I think I can make it... maybe....mmmmmmm.....tuuurkey...

Alright America... who's it gonna be? And it better not be Mitt!

 I've sent in my absentee ballot long ago so its up to you lot to make a good choice.  I wont try to sway anyone's decision but I will say this,  Mitt Romney is a big jerk.

Anyway, Messing around with a #2 brush and Higgins drawing ink.  Then scanned and painted in Photoshop.

Happy Halloween!

The Headless Horseman's son.  Unlike his Dad, he's actually a pretty nice guy and a gnarly skater-brah to boot.  Have fun out there tonight kids!

Dixie Trix!!!

After years of my lazy good-for-nothin' dog sponging off of me, I decided it was time for her to start chipping in around here.  So I gave myself a massive children's book project based around her and spent many, many hours writing and re-writing, sketching and re-sketching, painting and re-painting all while she sat either in my lap, in my place in bed or on a sun soaked patch of warm, natural oak flooring.  Talk about a plan back-firing.  I have come to terms with the fact that my dog is lazy and self-absorbed and will never change.  In fact, if anything this whole project has only reenforced her giant ego because everyone is saying how "cute" she is and "isn't she funny" and "awwwwwwww" all the time... damn dog.

Anyway its done now, my first children's book.  My Daughter loves it and I hope you do too.  I've got some sample spreads up in this post but you can read the whole thing in a cool flip-book on my site, HERE.  (I'm also in the market to get it published so spread the word wink, wink.  I know, shameless)

You Are Getting Sleepy

New piece for Louise Bolin at Delaware Today's 302Health.  Full page for a feature on the stresses that keep us awake at night.  Oddly enough, I didn't need to stay up late to finish this one like usual.  Go figure.

some older stuff...

Two concept sketches from a project that never materialised and a bitchin' GMC Diablo commission.  The owner had seen my drawings from History of the World and wanted one of his baby.  Elves, guns and cars... this post looks like my high school sketchbooks.