The Herman Agency

I am very happy to announce that I am now being represented by the Herman Agency!

It was almost ten years ago (long before I knew anything about the illustration world) that I first dropped a very meager portfolio off at their Manhattan location and was politely turned down. Now I'm on their list of very accomplished illustrators... how did this happen?

Thanks Ronnie. I’m looking forward to our adventures.

More Vampires! Eternal Embrace Cover Art

Eternal Embrace Cover, digitally colored drawing

New Hidden Pictures: October Issue of High FIve

The October Issue of High Five Magazine is out and I had the good fortune of illustrating the hidden picture page. When you receive a hidden pictures assignment from High Five you get a nursery rhyme to illustrate. When I read the nursery rhyme for this I thought this should be easy and fun. Turns out I was over confident... I received some serious revisions. I've included the original sketch that was rejected. The lesson that I learned is that humility is more than a likable attribute, it's an essential skill. Enjoy.

P.S. Sorry about the ice cream cone... apparently it is very tough to find and I've been getting a lot of complaints. It follows a different visual logic than the rest of the items. Happy hunting.

Slightly different version than the one published... can you see the changes?


Original Sketch Submitted to High Five

The Dragon Slayer's Daughter is Finally Finished

The Dragon Slayer's Daughter, Digitally Colored Drawing, 2011

This one has been waiting awhile to be finished... it's nice to finally see it in the light of day. I posted sketches in an earlier entry, click here to view them. Personal projects are hard to finish these days but you can always get less sleep, right?



Early Color Study

Stefan Nelak

Stefan Nelak, Digitally Colored Drawing, 2011

Here is something a little different from my usual work. Jennifer Turner, the writer of a series of vampire novels, commissioned this image of Stefan Nelak, and we’re both very excited about it. It’s intended for the character page on her website; darknesswithinnovels.com. Hope you enjoy, she’s asked me to illustrate more characters from her books, as well as the cover of her third novel. So there are more vampires on the way. Maybe a werewolf or two (my all time favorite classic monster).

In case you were wondering, his eyes were gouged out with hot pokers.

Final Sketch

Thumbnail Sketches

Different designs for Stefan's face and scar patterns

Maddy's Night Lights

Maddy's Night Lights, Digitally Colored Drawing

The Fancy Talking Tiger: Highlights May 2011

This one was a bit of an experiment for me. My usual technique involves scanning a light graphite drawing, which relies on an outline to establish the major shapes of the subject matter. Here I've started with a watercolor painting, using only a single hue to establish value and form as well as shape.

My goal was to reduce the scratchiness of the graphite technique, to soften the edges and to cut down on the production time. I think it did reduce the scratchiness but everything else was a bit of a disappointment. This technique added about a week and a half to my usual work time. I missed my deadline by about a week; I made up the rest by skimping on sleep time.

I value experimentation, but at the end of the day the image has to work and it has to be on time.

The Latest Three Little Worms Has Been Published: March Issue

The fifth Three Little Worms story is out in the latest issue of High Five magazine. David L. Roper's characters have been a joy to illustrate and I look forward to working on future stories.

There are several new characters in this one, including Greg the grasshopper. So go pick up a copy of the March issue of High Five magazine, and be sure to read, "The Three Little Worms Have a Birthday” along with all the other great stories.

p.s. I know there are spaces missing between my sentences... I've tried changing it several times but it just won't publish the changes. Your guess is as good as mine.