Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas 

 

Sketch to Finish Carol of Bells

Carol of Bells 

Early Sketch

Using tracing paper overlays to figure things out 

wash of watercolor and walnut ink

finished version will be released on Christmas! 

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas 

 

Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas from a little Bunny and Squirrel 

Merry Christmas 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Merry Christmas everyone

Merry Christmas

 

Ugly Sweaters & Penguins

 

Ugly sweaters seem to be popular this season.

So here are a few I did  

 

 

Illustration Friday "Spirit"

In the Spirit of the Holidays

 

pen and ink, watercolor/digital painted  

 

 

 

All the Turkish Delight was eaten

  



Well I finished the last of the Turkish Delight so the Holidays must be over. I hope everyone had a nice holiday; I have to say mine went well this year very little stress and a lot of activities visiting family, dinner, plays, seeing the Rockets, shopping, even the opera.

I spent many days after New Year’s playing a video game called “Assassin Creed 3” the graphics are just beautiful. The time and people power it must have taken to create this world is just amazing and I’m looking forward to spending more time playing the adventure.  

But that is all done for the moment and I am back to the drawing board, for the last couple of days I spent updating some of the sites I belong to, I also created a new website “Picture Book Artist”; it came out well and I really enjoy how the “Gallery” is set up it really shows off my artwork.

 

I am also spending time working on finishing a storyboard “Emma B. Lavender goes on a trip” it is an idea I had sitting around and a friend of mine has encouraged me to finish it so I’ll be working on that for the next few weeks and unfortunately will not have time to create artwork for “Illustration Friday” weekly word challenges till I am done.

Also! my good friend Lisa Zilker is doing a Kickstater campaign “Postcard Book” she plans to self-publish postcards she painted from her travels and seeking space to rent for an exhibit it should be a fun book and show. (See links below for details)
 

please help if you can. 

 

Lisa's Postcards

Merry Christmas 2012

 

Wishing everyone a safe

&

Merry Christmas!

Penguins seem to be my muse this Holiday Season

 

"Snow" Illustration Friday

Holliday Penguin & Uni-Bot

 

Illustration Friday word challenge

 

"Snow"

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

SANTABEAR'S FIRST CHRISTMAS

Last weekend I was at a Christmas Fair and I came across this book

Yes I bought the book 

This made me think of the special we did when I was working for

Micheal Sporns Animation studio.  

original cell from "Santabear's High Flying Adventure"

So keeping up with my Holiday posts this is

 "Santabear's High Flying Adventure"

created in 1987

this was my very first job working in animation  

it is most likely the only scene I ever animated it is part of the opening sequence.

It was a true treasure to find it on YouTube 

part 1

part 2

During the Holidays

I have been spending a lot of time trying to get my computer up and running this last month and I think I have narrowed down the problem. So I am hoping this will end very soon, it has been a month since I started to have problems so I think I am done.

However, since I have spent too much time on this, I have spent very little time on my artwork. Therefore, I thought to share more Norman Rockwell illustrations keeping with the holiday theme.As much as I can appreciate Mr. Rockwell sense of humor, composition, and his use of color. It does not hold the same passion for me unlike Maurice Sendak, so I never spent much time learning more about him or his work. However, in the last year I came across a link and enjoyed reading about him.

       Links about Mr. Rockwell's work called "Behind the Camera” posted in the New York Times or Brooklyn Museum "Behind the Camera” it shows how he created his work something I did not know myself until I read the article.

Norman Rockwell

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

The Christmas season has arrived,

well it really came along on October 31 when I started to see holiday

gift wrap and ornaments going on sale.

But

"Mr. Magoo's

Christmas Carol"

can be considered one of the very first animated holiday special made for TV

according to "Wikipedia" December 1962, yes even before Rudolf.

I love the design and text used to create this animation UPS did some wonderful work that will most likley never to be seen again.

Review by Katherine Boyer: Midwest Book Review

Review

 of

 The Giving Meadow

 The Midwest Book Review

Review by Katherine Boyer:
The Giving Meadow
Stephanie Burkhart
4RV Publishing LLC
PO Box 6482, Edmond OK
73083 9780982588697
$17.99

The life cycle of any aspect of nature written for children can be and usually is a great learning experience for them. Stephanie Burkhart's book, The Giving Meadow is no exception.

When an egg lands in a meadow, the creature that emerges goes through the life cycle of a caterpillar until he wraps himself in a cocoon.

When he was a growing caterpillar, he met and was helped by several very diverse residents of the meadow, a frog, a ladybug, a bee, and a snake.

The lessons depicted in this lovely, brightly illustrated book include, but are not limited to, sharing, friendship, acceptance, understanding and generosity. The friends that the caterpillar makes on his journey to adulthood generously share their bounty with him that he accepts graciously because he knows they understand that he needs their help as he travels on his journey to complete his life cycle.

"The snake told the bee.
The bee told the ladybug.
The ladybug told the frog.
All the caterpillar's friends waited."
The wait was not in vain.
 The sight that greeted them was a beautiful creature. You must read this book to learn about this amazing metamorphosis.

Children from 4-8, and even some a little younger and a little older, will want to read this book over and over. Younger non-readers will soon begin to anticipate the story and help tell it. You will enjoy reading it to them and watch in excitement as they discover something new in the story or in the illustrations. Older readers will want to re-read and pour over the pictures as they discover more exciting things.

Stephanie Burkhart, originally from New Hampshire, now lives in California with her husband, Brent and her two sons, Andrew and Joseph. She began writing homemade comic books at five years old and hasn't looked back, as she now writes short stories and novels. This is her first children's book.

Katherine Boyer Reviewer          

The Giving Meadow is now on sale for the holidays at the 4RV Bookstore.

You can find "The Giving Meadow" and other titles I have illustrated at 4RV publishing Bookstore at 10% off the cover price till December 5th   

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone

 a very

 Merry Christmas

&

 Happy New Year !