Joe Sutphin illustration and writing blog...

Under the Moons of Mars...

2012-02-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

Some of you may already know, but last year I was overly thrilled to have been contacted by Simon & Schuster to illustrate a short story in a John Carter of Mars anthology titled "Under the Moons of Mars", by editor John Joseph Adams.The story I was given is titled "Woola's Song" and was written by fantasy author Theodora Goss. If you are not familiar with the Barsoom stories, Woola is a many-legged, dog/lizard creature called a calot, and he is a really awesome character within the stories.
At first I was a little nervous about presenting my own vision of Woola to a public of John Carter fans, 100 years in the making! I still have yet to find out what people will think of my Woola. But I enjoyed every minute of designing him and creating a scene that could convey his love for his friend John as well as his longing to know others of his own kind.
The book hits shelves everywhere on Feb 7th! Not to mention the Disney/Pixar movie hitting screens in March! I can hardly wait!

Atreyu...

2011-12-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

"It's all the same to us. Isn't it, old woman?"

2011-09-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Mock-up, 2-page spread from the Neverending Story.

hold still Jeremy!

2011-09-11T00:28:00.001-07:00

Designing Morla...

2011-09-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

One of my various odd pets as a kid was my softshell turtle. They have one of the coolest faces in the world of turtles. I am working on another Neverending Story illustration at the moment and my softshell felt like the perfect Morla:)

Just tryin' to stay loose and keep the juices flowin'...

2011-09-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

A desperate visit...

2011-08-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

be very, very quiet...

2011-05-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

Falcor and Atreyu...

2011-05-10T09:51:00.001-07:00

Even the dead are dangerous in Fantastica...

2011-04-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Even after the werewolf Gmork died, Atreyu got too close and the evil within clamped onto Atreyu's leg, leaving him trapped until a faithful friend arrived!

in the school attic...

2011-03-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

"I wonder," he said to himself, "what's in a book while it's closed."

Bastian Balthazar Bux...

2011-02-12T21:28:00.001-08:00

a game of cat and mouse...

2011-02-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Just some fellas I sketched up the other night while exercising pen work with no pencil under-drawing.

...?

2011-01-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

Some preliminary sketches: Can anyone guess what this scene is?

Kakofonous A. Dischord, Doctor of Dissonance...

2010-09-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

What does the "A" stand for?

"AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE!"

This is my latest drawing, from the classic, "The Phantom Tollbooth".

"These are lovely. Let's see them doing stuff!"

2010-07-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

...the all too frequent gentle nudge from a gracious friend.

If you are lucky you will learn sooner than later that shortcuts lead to long delays...

the thief...

2010-06-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

Started with a pencil drawing. Inked it using FW acrylic inks (about 1 part black to 3 parts brown or burnt sienna). Followed by a value wash using the same mixture of FW inks, to lock in the tones. Painting was done with Acryla Gouache, other than the clouds, which I had to glaze in with acrylic paint because the gouache is too unforgiving for my limited ability with blending the colors…well, there you have it.

Somethings I've been wrestling with lately...

2010-05-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

It's a book, dummy...

2010-05-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've been spending all of my free time working through a picture book dummy. It's been a really fun experience and I really enjoy the story. I will share more on that some other time, but for now I thought I would share some preliminary sketches for an old shipwrecked sailor in the story.

It's been hard to decide what look is right for him: big chops, Amish-like jaw beard, full beard and stache...A lot to think through. I think Im going for the jaw beard...

Bush Baby...

2010-04-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

the Great King Fisher...

2010-04-24T16:16:00.001-07:00

W.W.N.R.D...

2010-04-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

I spent a little time the other evening studying some Rockwell paintings I have prints of at home and did a little sketching inspired by them. He had the most amazing way of capturing the lifelike nature of people while still giving them a tiny hint of illustrative character. You really can learn a lot about drawing people by sketching from his art (in my case, just how far I tend to stray from reality). I imagine I will always turn back to Norman's art for answers...and as Tony DiTerlizzi once put it: "When in doubt, What Would Norman Rockwell Do?" - profound indeed...I think I need the rubber bracelet

Once a clockmaker...

2010-04-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Mortimer owned a million clocks yet still fell short of time...

Books that inspire me: How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head...

2010-04-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

I thought I would begin to somewhat regularly share some of the books and illustrators that I pull my inspiration from. To begin I decided on a really great little book by Bill Peet called How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head.

As with most books by Bill Peet, there is a classic Disney-like mood to the art and story (it's obvious why). His characters, specifically the animals, are always presented in such an honest and gentle light.
If you have an interest in drawing animals with personality or just want to study up on some good pen line work, I highly recommend Peet's work.

My big boy sketchpad...

2010-03-25T06:41:00.001-07:00

I've been growing frustrated with the tight frame of my pocket-sized sketchbooks and have moved on to a cheep, 300 page 8" x 8". I really like it a LOT. I think I'm officially over my infatuation to over-priced, novelty sketchbooks.

Well, subsequently, these 2 guys popped up on the pages of my new pad this week...

The Infamous Willie Terwilliker...

2010-03-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Daaaaaa...

2010-03-18T07:34:00.001-07:00

Top Secret...

2010-03-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Just some more bad guys sketched up for concepts at work today...

Super Busy...

2010-03-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been abesent, whoever you are...

We just moved so life is crazy. I'm sure you know the feeling.

Well, here are some super badguys I sketched up today for a project I'm working on.

'Mornin' little critter...

2010-01-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

A little friend for mom...

2010-01-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

An inspiring view indeed...

2009-12-31T16:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

A warm mug of dandelion tea...

2009-12-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of my Blogspot friends!

ATTACK!!!...Whah?

2009-11-26T07:29:00.000-08:00

What a Dummy!....we are building...

2009-11-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

Rodent Gang Ambush!...

2009-11-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

It's not often that I get a visitor...

2009-11-09T06:05:00.000-08:00

Alright little guy, do your stuff...

2009-10-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

BOOM! -clank-hissss- BOOM! -clank-hissss- BOOM!...

2009-10-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

Buzzzzz-zapp-hummmmm....

2009-10-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to MEEEE!...

2009-10-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

My 32^nd birthday was last Monday, September 28^th, and my wife Gina and I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time having coffee and talking with a hero of mine that I am more than humbled to call my friend. Tony DiTerlizzi has been a constant positive influence in my aspirations to illustrate for children for the past 6 years and during a stop in Cincinnati for the Spiderwick Farewell Tour, he set up a meeting time for us at the hotel. He and Holly Black spent time with us over coffee, just talking about what the Spiderwick life has been like, what their future plans are and looking over each other’s art and sketchbooks. We later attended a presentation/book signing with them at a super cool kid’s book store called the Blue Manatee where I had the opportunity to meet Loren Long, another very incredible illustrator and a super humble and good person. He sat with Gina and I after the store closed and reviewed my portfolio, gave me encouragement and shared his heart and passion with us.

Needless to say, this was an incredible time for a guy like me, who has been a huge fan of childrens books all my life and dreams of illustrating and writing. I hope I can make their time well spent and worth it by becoming successful in this wonderful field someday and returning these favors to new aspiring illustrators as well!

Thanks Tony, Holly and Loren.

Beep beep, boop boop...

2009-09-30T19:00:00.001-07:00

This is an ink drawing I did today. Just having some fun and getting some practice.
Next I will share how I spent the coolest birthday ever...

Keep your eye on the ball...

2009-09-25T06:46:00.001-07:00

Little pitchy...

2009-09-24T09:45:00.001-07:00

A random act of kidness...

2009-08-27T13:55:00.001-07:00

Insect study #2...

2009-08-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Insect Study...

2009-08-25T05:13:00.001-07:00

A Fresh Take on an Old Classic, part 2...

2009-08-18T18:54:00.001-07:00

Dick Tracy was one tough dude. He was beat up, tied up, shot up, but he never gave up. I always had a lot of fun as a kid, drawing his chiseled jaw, square nose and discerning squinted glare. He always meant business. I was never happy about the use of Warren Beatty as Dick Tracy in the 1990's feature film. I wasn't too enthralled with Ralph Byrd in the 50's either. They seemed to only take on the side of Dick that came from the very early comics in the early 1930's. But the detective we all grew to know and love was the square nosed, chiseled-jawed Tracy that was going to get the job done. This was the Dick Tracy I thought of as I drew my interpretation of him the other night.

A Fresh Take on an Old Classic...

2009-08-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

As a young teen, I was quite the Dick Tracy fanatic. I collected comics, toys, movies, cartoons, books and just about anything else from Chester Gould's classic comic that I could get my hands on. Most of which I still have to this day.
One of my favorite comics was Dick Tracy and the Evil Influence. Influence had special lenses on his eyes that gave him the ability to control anyone unfortunate enough to gaze into them.
I got this old favorite out the other night and began reading it again. As a kid, I had drawn pictures and even created comics and short illustrated stories using these characters and viewing these wonderful, stylized drawings again got me inspired to draw a new interpretation of the characters.I thought of Influence as being the creepy, hypnotist-doctor-type and really tried to play on the idea of that terrible "STARE" that one just cannot look away from! I enjoyed giving him my own twist while still maintaining the essence of the character that Chester Gould had created, all the way down to his Houdini-like hair style...
Tomorrow I will share my take on Mr. Tracy himself!

Nothing comes between and boy and his...huh?

2009-08-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Wiggly...

2009-08-10T15:26:00.001-07:00

Wiggly gets his hopes up every day at six O'clock
But he soon forgets the reason and just mopes around the block

the Ghost crab...

2009-08-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

Pen and watercolor. I love these guys. They look like cartoon characters.

Happy Friday...

2009-08-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

That's what I keep telling myself...I just need to survive 'til 5...

...by the way, this guy is a dork.

Spooky guy...

2009-08-06T20:46:00.001-07:00

I drew this guy on my lunch today. This was about a 5 minute sketch, no pencils.

pizza on the island...

2009-08-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

This was a 30 to 45 minute painting I did of my son Seth while we were at our favorite pizza shop on Hilton Head. It was the best I could do with minimal lighting, while eating pizza...

Another grumpy crab...

2009-08-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I just really think crabs are cool...sketched this one from life too...'til he kicked sand in my eyes! Then I had to finish from memory.

Irish they would keep playing...

2009-08-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Gina and I spent Saturday evening at the Dublin Irish Festival. Before the night ended we sat and listened to some really great traditional Irish music being played by 4 extremely talented individuals. I took the time to sketch them a little as they played using one of my brush markers. It was challenging but I really enjoyed just trying to catch the essence of what I was seeing as they moved and played.

Kinda' crabby...

2009-07-31T06:19:00.000-07:00

In our experience Blue Crabs tend to be pretty feisty little guys. When slightly provoked, these seemingly dull-colored flat crabs will suddenly raise their arms revealing a brilliant blue and purple display from their underside. This guy here was actually brought to me dead by Gina one morning to draw and I chose to drawing him laying on

his top to show the bright blue underbelly.
One morning while searching a waterway that runs to and from the rising and lowering of the tides, we actually came across a blue crab that could probably rival the record size. It was roughly 10 or 11” across the top and probably the angriest guy we’ve run into. It shot through the water like a rocket, attacking Gina and Seth (they weren’t injured) before darting the length of the channel and into the tide, sending schools of fish dispersing in all directions in its wake.
We named him “Claws”.

memories from the sun...

2009-07-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I have returned safely from the beautiful Altlantic. Not that I wanted to return! We managed to make some good memories there, though much of the trip was overshadowed by the death of a family friend only hours before we left. His name was Jake Walls, one of my son Seth's best buddies from school. He was a great kid with a real heart for people and he died tragically when he fell 50ft from a cliff at Hocking Hills State Park here in Ohio. We managed to make the trip home for the funeral and then back down to SC for the rest of our vacation. Needless to say, that was more driving than I ever thought I would do in one week.

Well, I thought I would start by sharing a drawing I did early last week. Early in the morning, as the sun rises, you can find so many little treasures along the shores of the ocean. Some of the more common little creatures you may find are crabs, like this Purse Crab, that have been tossed and battered by the surf during the night. A lot of the time they will not be alive, and those that are tend to have tube like sand structures constructed over their eyes by little ocean worms. Gina and I have helped them a few times by breaking the sand away from their eyes in the hope that they may see...don't know if it helps or not, but it feels like the right thing to do...

a birthday gift...

2009-07-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

I painted this guy for my sister a while back. It's really just a color rendition of an earlier pen sketch. I wanted to stay loose with all the lines and colors and I think the final result has a sort of "printed page" look, like the strangely warm and inviting feel Arnold Lobel always achieved in his books. I was always a humongous fan of Frog and Toad! Maybe the similarity here is that Lobel's books tended to be printed in only a few muddy colors. I chose blue and brown.

Wildflower...

2009-07-08T09:58:00.001-07:00

This is a pen and watercolor of a wildflower that I did yesterday.

Getting directions...

2009-07-04T10:19:00.001-07:00

This is a quick painting I did the other night just for fun.

There are some nice folks out there...

2009-07-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

I enjoy building friendships with illustrators that I admire and can learn from. 3 that I have become friends with are Tony DiTerlizzi, creator of the Spiderwick Chronicles, Jim Gurney, creator of Dinotopia, and Brian Floca, best known for the Poppy series.
Tony and I began writing in 2003 and over the years I have received some wonderful criticism and encouragement from him and even a wonderful phone call most recently.
But something that has come as a bonus to these great friendships are the really cool gifts I have received in the mail from these gentlemen. Tony has sent quite a few really cool items over the past 6 years. I wanted to share a couple.

These are a couple of posters that he sent one Christmas with some great close-ups of his art.

This poster above is probably my favorite gift from Tony. The letter with it expressed his gratitude for a painting I had sent him and explained that this 80's style poster was created by Tony for the cast and crew, family and friends for the Spiderwick movie, and that he felt I should have one. I was so honored to receive it and I hope to frame it at some point. (also shown above is an ARC of the Nixie's Song)
It will go really well with my collection of DiTerlizzi retail display toppers! (The Nixie's Song topper lights up all over!)

This last one is the most recent and was from the wonderful Jim Gurney, who I had the pleasure of meeting a few months ago. It is a promo package for the newest Dinotipia book, Journey to Chandara. It folds open and tells the stories of the main characters and plot, and includes a few promotional materials and a huge fold-out map of Dinotopia and Waterfall City. Really cool!! Also included was a super nice letter from Jim.

It's so encouraging getting to know these admirable men, almost legends of the field of illustration, and it is a real treat sometimes as well!

Bike hill...

2009-06-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is a hill at the park that people use to ride bikes and sleds down. I just happen to side near it on lunch a lot so I decided to sketch it today. I did the pen drawing at lunch and then went back after work and finished the watercolor. I'm still not a master of watercolor on the go, but I think its fun. I decided to take a quick cell phone snap shot of it when I finished, and I held it up against the actual back drop. Makes for a fun photo and Gina said I should share it with the sketch so here it is!

the kids...

2009-06-30T09:52:00.001-07:00

Me and my kids, Ciarra and Seth, at Ciarra's graduation...

Off to Never Never Land...

2009-06-29T18:48:00.001-07:00

Please don't get me wrong here, I'm not poking fun at the recent events. This is just a great example of how much a painting's impact can change over time. I painted this years ago when he first got in trouble and everyone who has seen it has loved it. I'm not sure if people still will love it the same way anymore. It just doesn't hold the same meaning or impact as it did just 4 days ago. Strange how that happens. It will be interesting to see peoples' responses to it from here out.
There are things I could have done to make it more impactful at the time. The curtains and wallpaper could have been "boyish" colors and patterns like spaceships and race cars, but I didn't think it through well enough.
Guess it doesn't matter any more though. It is actually a pretty large painting for me, about 14" x 17", which I never do much of anymore.
Anyway...thought I would share...

Watercolor Butterflies...

2009-06-24T20:31:00.001-07:00

My latest image of Mr. Fox (tentative name) enjoying some watercolor painting with some little friends. I am enjoying the smooth sketching with brushes and FW Acrylic inks. Like butter! I don't feel like I have to be perfect (not that I even could be) but rather I feel like I can just sketch and if it's messy, so what. Good portfolio pieces I think...

Sleepy old fox...

2009-06-17T20:43:00.001-07:00

I painted this old boy tonight. Was about an hour and a half sitting. Just did a quick pencil rough and then inked it in with brushes and some FW acrylic inks (black and brown, both). Quick AcrylaGouache watercolor over it.

absent...

2009-06-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm not posting much lately. Our kids both just had birthdays and our daughter just graduated so its been kind of crazy around here. I will get back to it soon hopefully. I've been laying out the plot to my next 2 stories using a free software called ywriter5. It's actually pretty cool. Just wish I had some good news about the first book...

3-4 minute pen sketch...

2009-06-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

Trapped in a meeting, trying not to fall asleep. Luckily I had a Pilot pen to help me escape...

Stone Sentinel...

2009-06-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is in response to Brian Floca's comment on the previous post. I think this guy should have taken the warnings more seriously. What is that sword going to do to this beast? Tony D told me there was a hint of Mike Mignola in it which I now TOTALLY see in the face of the sentinel. The angular black shadows and the simple, circular eye. Absolutely subconscous, I assure you.

Just want to say thanks to everyone who has been frequenting this blog. Somehow you've found me worth checking on and I appreciate your time and interest - Joe

monolithic warnings...

2009-05-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

I sketched this scene tonight on the front porch while Gina planted flowers. I referenced from a book called Beautiful Britain for the landscape and made up the heads in the foreground.

I actually used some Derwent watercolor pencils, which I don't really enjoy, and some little Elmer's Brand brush pens for little kids. They are filled with watercolors that aren't too bad. In the heavier colors I dumped some of the paint out and replaced with water to dilute it some. Beinfang does make a nice set of watercolor brush pens that are already filled but I don't feel up to spending the $20. I will most likely just end up dumping most of these little pens, which were free, and mix my own colors to put in them. If you're not careful though, you can oversaturate the fibers of the paper resulting in blotchy spotting on the opposite side of the paper.

The black was achieved by a Sakura Brush pen/marker. I recommend this marker for drawing on the go. You can get some nice brush stroked and bold blacks with it.

what'cha readin' there, squirrel?...

2009-05-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is a little squirrel I sketched in pen and then decided to put some value down with an HB and my fingers. Sometimes you use what you have available.

This is a detail showing the pencil gradations a little better. I found it's not a bad way to get some quick value in a sketch, and it maintains the appearance of an ink wash. It certainly helped that the moleskine has really slick pages with no tooth. The pencil lines were completely lost in the smudges, which is nice.

have beard, will battle...

2009-05-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Just another random act of sketchiness...I would like to see this one in color. Maybe soon.

the end of the road, stand your ground...

2009-05-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

I sketched this yesterday while sitting next to a small bridge waiting on Gina to meet me to walk at the park. It's just a scene that came to mind. I honestly began to hate it and nearly scribbled it out, but began to noodle at it and got my sakura brush marker out and put some deep blacks down. Then it started to take on some mood. I put it away and looked at it about an hour later and loved it. Strange how just getting away from your art sometimes can shed all new light on it.

I like it enough that I plan to do a painting of it someday.

you slug...

2009-05-13T19:22:00.001-07:00

I found a big snail on the path at the park today and with lunch time running short, I sat him on a bench near the path and started to draw. As soon as he poked his head out though, he started a sharp left turn away from me. I had to constantly follow him around the bench, squatting, to capture enough of him on the move. Every time he got to close to me or the edge I just lifted him and set him back. Im sure he felt like he was getting nowhere fast...not that he could get anywhere fast.

diggin' it? Lunch break again...

2009-05-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

Just a little guy I sketched and painted today. This was probably a 15 minute sketch and 15 minute water color. It's okay, not super, but I kind of like the overcast tone.

Happy Mothers Day...and more...

2009-05-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day, Gina.
You are a fantastic mother and wonderful wife and friend. I wouldn't be all that I am without your love and support. I hope you have a wonderful day today.
So, now that I have shared happy faces with you...here's some not-so-happy faces.

The cat was inspired by an antique greeting card I saw last week that had a miserable cat photo on the front. I took a picture with my phone and added him to the list of animals I have placed in my little story in the making.

The bearded guy is Shimlek, a Molger from my first novel, Legend of Lumea: the Wineskin Prophecy. I actually got a rejection letter this past week from a publisher that I was really excited about, but nevertheless I will continue to seek out that perfect publisher for my stories. I have been receiving a lot of support and encouragement from friends and family and friends in the illustration field. I can never say enough about how important it is to have good friends who can keep you pumped up and pushing on!

Brian Floca blog...

2009-05-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a second to say that Brian Floca actually answered a question I had in the form of his latest blog post. That was a surprise to stumble across!
Brian and I have emailed back and forth several times over the last 3 years and he has offered me a lot of valuable advise about the illustration field.
Thanks Brian!

Playin' Possum and Little Weasel...

2009-05-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

So, everyday I try and get over to the nature center and draw from reference books. It has been a fun and encouraging thing for me in the middle of the stressful work day. I can go be free and make up something silly for a few minutes.

Gina always waits for my picture message on her phone after lunch to share what I've come up with. Unfortunately, today I just couldn't get anything to come to mind. Nothing struck me the way it has been so I just looked through books and sighed...

When I texted her to say that I had nothing to show, she replied with a very drawn out "BOOOOOOOOO!!! I was waiting to see what you had drawn!"

Sorry Gina.

Well, I'm behind on sharing with you all anyway, so here are a few from this week.

1992...

2009-05-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Gina and I made it out to see Wolverine on Saturday and LOVED it! It really brought back a lot of memories for me. Memories of 1992.

I had just turned 14 and my favorite comic book series were Wolverine and the Uncanny X-Men. I spent a lot of my time in my 9th grade classes drawing Wolverine comics instead of paying attention to the lessons.

Below is the cover of one such comic.

It's interesting to me to see how motivated I was back then to crank out finely rendered pencil drawings. I have many of them from my early to mid teens. But it's also strange to me to look at these drawings, done at age 13 and 14, and then look at my son, now in his early teens, and see how different we were in the way that we observe things.

I never used reference material for anything back then. It seemed like a waste of time, so I did everything from my imagination. Sometimes it REALLY shows in the product:) These are 2 segments from the pages of a comic I created.

Some days I wish I had that ambition back again. It's amazing how hard I have to "try" these days compared to back then, when it just seemed to freely flow like a massive river of creativity. I think it will return over time. I just have to stay at it, and I don't have the luxury of drawing comics instead of doing my job anymore...

Wood Chuck inked, Sly Fox...

2009-04-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here is the inked groundhog that I've just named Wood Chuck. This second one is a fox I drew today. Again, I had about 10 to 12 minutes to pencil him in and ink it! I think it's helpful to me to push myself to draw fast like this. And I really enjoy the drawings that I am producing as well!

Tom Cat and Wood Chuck...

2009-04-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, first I need to tell you the name of the book I mentioned in the last post. It's called Toby Alone. I don't know much about it other than the illustrations are really nice and there are lots of them in it.
Now on to ME:)
As I have stated before, I have been spending my lunch breaks at the beautiful Highbanks Metro Park's nature center. It is the most beautiful nature center I have ever seen with lots to see and do including 4 aquariums and a huge replica of some gigantic plated fish's skull!
They also have a really nice sitting library full of nature books. I have been scouring the books each day to find something that may spark my sketching brain, then I get about 5 to 10 manic minutes to crank out a sketch...but it's been well worth it.

These 2 characters were drawn from reference, their heads I mean. I honestly didn't alter the head on this groundhog at all! His picture looked so funny on the page of the book that I had to sketch him. He was clearly telling someone a great story!
The books I found these in were really fun kids books called Getting To Know Nature's Children, and they were all part of a library of books, each featuring 2 animals per. The funny part though, was that each book featured completely random animals. Some of the book titles were: Elk and Mice, Woodchucks and Alligators, Ants and Weezles! How very random, yet very good photo reference!

P.S. - I am going to ink the groundhog (we don't call them woodchucks in Ohio really) but I wanted to share the pencil sketch with you because I always feel that, while I love the inked work, I always loose something special about the pencil sketch once it's gone...

beetle rider...

2009-04-27T18:47:00.001-07:00

I love bugs. I saw a new novel the other day and I can't remember the name, but it was heavily illustrated and there were men riding on beetles. It got me inspired so I laid down in my grass last night and sketched this.

more sketching...

2009-04-25T16:45:00.001-07:00

While I'm preparing some packets to send out to publishers to try and get some children's art work, I havn't stopped my daily sketching and painting. It's a challenge some days to get something interesting to come out, so I just try to think of things that interest me, and even if there is no real point, the point is to continue drawing and growing.

With each little sketch or painting I learn something new and try to apply that knowledge to the next sketch. By the way, I like cats...and most animals for that matter.

Cotton Potts...

2009-04-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch I did yesterday at lunch. I gave my mystery character a name. I derived it from the names of two people in my life and past. My great uncle Cotton and an old man named Mr. Potts that gave me and my sister candy when I was a toddler. I think it sounds funny and I really like it.
That's supposed to be a business card of sorts at the bottom. I noticed while painting it that I did make his neck kind of long in the top image...whoops. Well, I know to look out for that in the future.

Rogues Gallery...

2009-04-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Again, as I stated in the previous post, there really isn't a solid story behind all of these cat sketches. There is a loose idea of a cat inspector and a jeweled dagger. Other than that, I'm still just sketching. I honestly don't know why I'm drawing mysterious cats, other than I love my cat and she tends to inspire me.

Maybe there will be a solid story at some point, who knows? But for now, it's just how I'm spending my lunches while sitting in my car at the park, day dreaming...

random characters with no story...

2009-04-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that I'm not a fan at all of moleskine books. I love the durability, the rigid backing and the size, but the paper quality, tint and the cost just plain stink. But nevertheless, I am making the most of the one in my pocket. I've been playing around with a fine point, permanent marker-pen and some acryla gouache for watercolor (the surface of the moleskine hates water, by the way!). I've sketched up some cats that look pretty shady, but interesting

I am just having some fun with a crime/detective story idea that probably wont ever leave the pages of this notebook, but its fun and motivating at the least.

I may post more images as I draw them. If any of you have suggestions on tiny, rigid sketch pads that you enjoy, please post them here and I may give them a try sometime.

when met with unexpected characters...

2009-04-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

I discovered while writing the first book in my Legend of Lumea series, The Wineskin Prophecy, that sometimes characters just pop up and you weren't even expecting them. I am a very visual person so I had a habit of sketching most of the characters and interesting items or places as I wrote the story. Being an illustrator and a writer at the same time really aided me in telling my story because I could actually see what I was writing about.

During one scene in particular, my main characters are ambushed by a small group of creatures called Gibbins, who were heavily based off of the squirrels in my yard and little monkeys with big eyes.

I've introduced you to Krivit once before. He was the first Gibbin that I had created and his image molded the rest of the species.

But as my characters are ambushed, the gibbin chief named Dindak approached them. I had no clue who he was. As I continued to write his part he developed a certain attitude and flair and I paused to try and figure out what he looked like so I could better describe him and characterize him.

As I scribbled on the backs of my notes, images of Dindak started popping into my head and before long I had quite a few variations. After about 7 or 8 sketches, I realized that I didn't get the right feeling from him with his ears all floppy like the other gibbins. I felt that his status in the gibbin society should visually set him apart from the others and I came to the conclusion that his ears could be trimmed up like a Doberman to make him look taller, as if he were very self-conscious.

This one sloppy little sketch above was exactly what I was trying to visualize and it enabled me to continue writing with the exact demeanor and attitude I was searching for in Dindak. Once I finished the chapter up I sat down and sketched him out thoroughly to get a really solid idea of him.

Later that week I did this final character painting of Dindak in all his fury.

It's super exciting to write a story that comes from inside of your mind, but I really enjoy the gift of being able to put those literary images onto paper as illustrations!

just plain cool...

2009-04-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Jim Gurney, author and illustrator of the wonderful Dinotopia books, came to town last night to give a talk on Dinotopia. I was so excited, as I always am any time I get an opportunity to meet a hero of mine. I got there about an hour or more before it was to begin because I wanted to make sure I got a good seat and some time to relax and sketch a little.

Jim and his wife Jeanette showed up in the room about 30 mins before it was to start and once he had his laptop set up, Jim approached me and introduced himself with a smile. I pulled my one and only Art By Committee submission out of my sketchbook and he instantly recognised it and called Jeanette over to meet me. They both talked with me and looked through some illustrations I had brought and had such wonderful and encouraging things to say.

It's always a dream come true when you get to meet one of your heroes, but when they just treat you like you're special to them, like you're important, it means so much more. Of course as an artist and author I have high hopes of being as successful as guys like Jim Gurney or Tony DiTerlizzi, but I try to take notes from my experiences with these men in hopes that when I get my opportunity, I will treat those who may look up to me as good as these gentlemen have treated me.

the Whittler...

2009-04-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

Now, by no means am I a fanciful thinker or one to buy into tales of faeries and such, but I have come to understand that there are rare occasions in life when one may find himself faced with the unexplainable. It was such an occasion as this that I found myself, a somewhat rational and level-headed man, contemplating everything I had ever known to be true.
I was scouring the east hillside of old man McCarty's farm, early one warm spring morning, in search of American Indian arrowheads. This hobby had been an interest of mine since my childhood and I have, to this day, amassed an impressive portfolio of these finely crafted shards of flint and obsidian.

On this particular morning, I had not yet laid eyes on anything of interest other than a rabble of various pebbles and flat stones. However, the joy I have always found in hunting for these artifacts does not come merely in finding them, but in the leisure of walking the hills and fields and taking in the clean country air. There is such a peace to be appreciated in the natural world.
As I neared the summit of a grassy rise, my eyes scanning over a winding vein of stones, a glimmer of light flashed in my peripheral vision to the right. I knelt down and ran my fingers through the grass to peer to the ground beneath. To my amazement, scattered about the dirt were a half-dozen or so smooth, blue stones. I gathered them up and shifted them around in my palm. As I did so, the sunlight refracted brilliantly off of the tiny reflective, crystal-like panes covering the stones. They were simply beautiful and I opened my satchel and carefully dropped them inside.
I slowly stood myself back up, my old knees stiffened and aching from kneeling. I continued my hike over the peak of the grassy hill and headed down into a small gully lined on the opposite side by trees and a few large stones. My mind still excitedly pondering over my find, I nearly didn't notice what was no less than fifteen feet in front of me. I had been glancing nonchalantly toward the trees when my sight was abruptly fixed upon a small man, if you will, squatting atop a large flat rock.

The shock sent an instant rush of adrenaline through my entire body. My chest quickly burned as if a hot iron had been pressed against it, nearly taking my breath away. The little man was no more than three or four feet tall, with a broad and wispy beard, pointed furry ears and two glossy black eyes, like those of a field mouse.
He seemed well aware of my existence yet he showed no intention to run from me. I felt uncomfortable at first and contemplated turning and getting myself back over the ridge and into the open field as soon as possible. Yet, the creature still gave no reason for alarm. His movements were minimal but very quick and jittery as with lemurs and other small primates. His hands were cupped together, squirming and tightening their clasp as the tail of a small rodent hung out from under his palms.
Suddenly a stick rolled beneath my right foot and I lost my balance. Falling backward I caught myself with my right arm and noticed the little man had made eye contact with me inquisitively and was reaching his clasped hands forward. I stood to my feet and cautiously took one step toward him. As I did so, the little man quickly pulled his hands back close to his side again like a child, his brow raising. His eyes shifted down to his hands, tail still hanging from them, and then focused back on me. He held his hands back out in front of him again and opened them wide, sending a small and beautiful, bright blue bird fluttering away. The rodent was no where to be seen.
The little man just smiled at me and then reached his hand down to the flat rock and picked up a glimmering blue stone, just like the ones I had in the satchel at my side. He put his fingers to his bearded face and, placing the stone into his little grinning mouth, he quickly turned and leapt off of the rock and bounded after some small rodent or toad rummaging about the grass under the trees. In a flash the little man vanished into the air without a sound.
I stood there amid the trees in the gully for just a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. I cannot say this creature was mischievous, because I saw no inkling of wrong-doing in its motives, if it truly had any motives at all. It was as if it simply was just playing and nothing more. I may never know what I truly saw that morning, but I have affectionately named him the Whittler, as he seemed to find joy in taking that which was raw and unrefined and making from it a thing of beauty.

as Requested...

2009-03-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

So, Anthony wanted to see Syd in color. I forgot to post this a while back.

I've been pretty busy editing my other book and just got it out to a publisher that I'm really excited about. I sure hope they like it as much as the kids who I've shared it with so far! I will keep you all updated if anything good happens...keep your fingers crossed.

the Ink Well...

2009-03-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

This beautiful ink well was a gift from my mom and wife at Christmas. It came from an antique store and I think it's fantastic. I haven't used it yet, but I plan to someday soon.

hey tough guy...

2009-02-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

IT'S ALIVE!!!

2009-02-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been gone so long, life is crazy as you all know. Sometimes blogging is the last priority. But I do have some fun news. I spent some time in December preparing my book for a little self publishing. Now, that is not to say that I've given up on finding the hugest publisher in the world to back this dream...but this was a great experience. It was a little expensive, but I've recovered that money in what I've sold. I used Lulu.com and it was fairly easy, aside from the times where I just couldn't get the site to do ANYTHING AT ALL that I wanted. But once I was finished, I submitted the order and BAM! 6 days later, Christmas Eve to be exact, 35 books showed up in 4 boxes! VERY COOL.
So here is a shot of the cover. I made it in Photoshop of course. The book is 349 pages long, so its pretty thick, which is really cool to me. Makes the last 8 years seem worth the struggles.

I filled it with different paintings I've done about the story, even if they don't end up being the ones that get used once its actually published. I had to go with black and white though due to cost. Here is a shot of one of the illustrations.

Needless to say, this was so much fun! The ability to hold this book after all these years gave me all the encouragement I needed to keep pushing on. I have begun taking my next story seriously now. It is planned to be a sequel to this one and Im really excited about how its shaping up. (note, Mr. Tony DiTerlizzi did advise me recently to hold off on writing it until I have a publisher for this first book. I think he knows his stuff.) Hopefully I can share more sometime soon.

still speaking of curly-red-haired girls...

2008-12-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

My wonderful wife Gina has her own art page up now! She has been drawing a lot more lately and I'm super proud of what she has been doing. Can't wait to share more with you. Click on her link to the right...

speaking of little, curly-red-haired girls...

2008-10-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is Sydney Sanders (aka Syd).

My wife Gina and I have been cooking up some adventures for her and her friends, the Sea Dragons. Hopefully if I can stay focused for more than 1 minute, I love pizza...see what I mean?

Hopefully I can stay focused and get some fun stories out there sometime soon!

guys, guys, guys!!!

2008-10-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite drawing.

It was inspired by my wife Gina, who loves searching for seashells but gets frustrated when they all have "guys" living in them.

"Don't they know I just want their houses?" she says.

Funny girl...

don't bug me...

2008-09-24T12:30:00.001-07:00

I dont know this guy, but I sketched him anyway...

what to wear, what to wear...

2008-09-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

I found a pretty cool book the other day at a used book store. It is called A Pictorial History of Costume. I have always struggled at coming up with interesting costumes for characters that I am illustrating. This book contains over 1,000 accurate illustrations of clothing since the beginning of man. Some of them have great potential with being blended in with some modern ideas, especially the older Dutch and German outfits in the book.
Each page is basically text-free and loaded end to end with color illustrations like this one on the cover. I highly recommend this to anyone struggling with the same issues.