christmas wrap

When I designed this wrapping paper for Target, I wanted to give it a retro feel, but use a more non-traditional color scheme. I'm really happy with the final product. Check it out, it's currently available at a Target store near you. Happy holidays, everyone!

prehistoric puzzle

I recently did this 42 piece dinosaur puzzle for Mudpuppy. I had a blast doing this one-I don't know when it will be available but I can't wait to get one, although I probably won't be able to put it together.

something for cat

Something for Cat

silkscreen

This is a silkscreen I just did for my latest gallery show in Cleveland. The show was a huge amount of work, but well worth the effort. Among the animal silkscreens I did is this cat who just got done savoring a tasty seafood morsel. I did an edition of twenty of this one.

10 minute tidy

Here's the latest illustration I did for the upcoming December issue of Today's Parent magazine. The article points out tips on quickly tidying up when unexpected guests announce that they're about to drop by for a visit. Personally, I would just shove everything under the couch...or just not answer the door.

circus silkscreens

Sorry I haven't been posting a whole lot lately but I've been super busy. I've been working on some pretty cool things, and hopefully I'll be able to post them in the near future.

Anyway,I did these silkscreens a while back for a gallery show I had here in Cleveland. I tried to capture the feeling of the illustrations I loved so much as a kid-keeping the colors a little more muted and dark. Mixing ink for silkscreening is still kind of a guessing game for me. The colors always darken considerably when dry, so I never know exactly how it will look until the last color is applied.

The lion and the zebra were done in editions of thirty, and I made twenty of the larger circus tents. There are still some available.

tea party

Once she sat down , Gloria the hippo knew it would be a long tea party... mostly because it was going to be hard to move out of that chair.

Another piece I did for Today's Parent magazine-the article discusses the pros and cons of kids having imaginary friends. C'mon, who wouldn't want a hippo named Gloria to hang out with?

caged

I did this for a job a while back. The eagle is supposed to represent freedom of speech in the United States, and the cage represents the repression of that freedom. It fits this week's Illustration Friday word, so I figured I'd post it since I'm too lazy to do something new.

pet giraffe

Had Timmy known he was going to share with his tall friend, he would have made it a double dip...

I did a few sketches for a project I was working on, but this image didn't make the cut. I got ambitious and decided to go ahead and finish it up anyway.

swinging kid's party

I recently did this piece for the August issue of Today's Parent magazine. The article is about how to keep your kid from misbehaving when they are a guest at someone's house and you're not there to keep them in line.

I know I've done this at a few parties, but not until I became an adult...

gentleman skunk

He may not be the best smelling guy in the woods, but he certainly makes up for it with his charm.

early lady day

Being a big fan of many of the early female jazz singers, I thought it would be fun to do an illustration of Billie Holiday. I tried to keep things simple and graphic, yet still capture the feeling of what it must have been like to see her perform in a small smoky club in the 30's and 40's.

dinos

You'd have to be pretty fearless to walk among this bloodthirsty group...

well, maybe not.

flying kids

This past weekend, I realized that it's been a whole year since I started my blog. I wanted to do a special illustration to tie in with this momentous occasion, but I've been really busy with other things. So instead, I figured I'd post one of my recent jobs.

This is a piece I did for the May issue of Today's Parent magazine. The title of the article is "Systems Are Go", and it's about choosing the right gaming system for your family. I really had fun with this one.

It's been a great year in Blogland, and I just want to thank everyone for all your kind comments over the past year. I had no idea when I first started, that I would be able to share ideas and encouragement with so many amazingly talented people from all over the world. I've made so many cyberpals who consistently blow me away and inspire me with their incredible work- boy, this newfangled interweb thing is really something.

cooked veggies

A while back, I was asked to help out with a possible revamp of a local restaurant's logo and mascot characters. Tommy's, located in Coventry Village in Cleveland Heights, is a great place- serving mainly vegetarian fare and killer shakes. (Their coffee yogurt shakes are awesome!)

Unfortunately, the revamp never really got off the ground, but it was fun trying. Here are a few concepts and rough sketches I did for them. I hope you guys like 'em.

retro cocktail hour

I did this a couple of months ago for a blog called "They Draw and Cook", an idea cooked up by artist pal, Salli. The original idea was to illustrate a recipe or something food related. I decided to go the cocktail route-I thought that with all those exotic names, they would be really fun to illustrate. While researching cocktails, I quickly realized there were far too many to fit on one page, so I have a feeling I'll be back with a few more of these.
I haven't tried any of these yet but truthfully, most of them probably sound a lot better than they taste.

Anyway, check out "They Draw and Cook" here and start working on your own recipe to contribute!

green kids

Here's an illustration I just did for the April issue of Today's Parent magazine. The article is about elementary school kids going green and becoming more environmentally aware.

cannonball!

When visiting Mudville, be sure to stay at The Porcine Palace, the city's "swinest" hotel.

I had a little time and was inspired to do this for this week's Illustration Friday word "muddy". I threw in a few sketches too.

first crush

The second she laid eyes on the new boy, Emily knew it would be hard to stay focused on her schoolwork.

This is a piece I did recently as a bid on a job.

jailbird

As days turned to weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, Carl eventually realized he would probably spend the rest of his life behind bars...

I have at least a half dozen other things I should be working on, but the Illustration Friday word "confined" inspired me to do this instead.

elza soares

I have long been an avid fan of Brazilian music-especially samba. Elza Soares has been a big name in Brasil for more than 40 years. She's got this great husky voice and trademark throaty growl that makes her music very identifiable. In an effort to do an illustration of a musician every now and then, I've decided to start with her-she's got a really interesting look - lots of plastic surgery over the years - with those catlike eyes and giant afro. If you're interested in checking her out, click here.