Squirrel Book 5 of 10

March 10, 2023March 6, 2023Leave a comment

On to Chapter 4. Rocky and his girlfriend, Sylvia, have been trapped together in a live animal trap. A strawberry was used as bait.

A cartoon illustration of two squirrels, hugging each other in fear, as they huddle inside a live animal trap. There is a strawberry with a bite out of it near them on the floor of the cage. The cage is isolated on white.

Squirrel Book 4 of 10

March 8, 2023March 6, 2023Leave a comment

On to Chapter 3. The squirrel, Rocky, has been released and is showing off his moves for a girl squirrel. Only, he doesn’t quite stick the landing.

A cartoon illustration depicting one squirrel showing off for another squirrel up among the tree branches. The showoff runs down the trunk, backflips to a branch, summersaults along it, misses the landing, and falls off the branch. Movement is shown by a series of drawings of the same squirrel within one scene to show key positions in the string of his movement. Motion lines help define the path of movement. The second squirrel is watching from a distant branch with both concern and amusement.

Squirrel Book 3 of 10

March 6, 2023March 6, 2023Leave a comment

Here’s the illustration for Chapter 2. This shows a man trying to teach a squirrel how to dig up acorns.

A cartoon illustration of a man kneeling in a bed of wood chips next to a shallow hole he's just dug. He's holding out his hand to show an acorn sitting in his palm. A squirrel sitting next to him looks at the acorn with a puzzled expression, scratching its head.

Squirrel Book 2 of 10

March 4, 2023March 4, 2023Leave a comment

Here’s the second illustration for Chapter 1. This illustrates where a thunderstorm knocks the terrified baby squirrel right out of his nice, warm nest. He’s young enough that his eyes aren’t open yet and the fur on his tail hasn’t grown out long yet. I was particularly proud of the lighting.

A cartoon illustration of a baby squirrel falling from a tree during a nighttime thunderstorm. The view is from below looking up. Lightning splits the sky and the lighting is backlit and dramatic.

Squirrel Book 1 of 10

March 2, 2023March 2, 2023Leave a comment

Rocky the Human Squirrel by Jean Ball-Maurer, which I illustrated, is now out in ebook as well as paperback. https://www.amazon.com/Rocky-Human-Squirrel-Jean-Ball-Maurer/dp/B0BW385B6V

I already shared the cover, so now I’ll share the interiors. It’s an illustrated chapter book, so these are all black and white. Here’s the first one. It illustrates a section explaining who Rocky is and explaining some facts about squirrels.

A cartoon illustration of a squirrel leaning forward, looking through a squirrel-sized magnifying glass. The character is isolated on white and drawn in black and white. The image is copyright © 2023 Jean Maurer.

Number 45 of 150

February 20, 2023February 2, 2023Leave a comment

Last of the batch. Doesn’t he look snazzy in his bow tie and suspenders?

An old man stands with arms wide, gesturing while speaking. He has a mustache and his hair is bald on top. He's wearing a blue and white striped button-up shirt, a red bow tie, suspenders, tan trousers, and brown boots.

Number 44 of 150

February 18, 2023February 2, 2023Leave a comment

I think I found the old ladies the most delightful to draw.

I originally used a brown, yellow, and black combination which I thought was very stylish. But the client wanted purple, yellow, and black instead. So, that’s what we went with.

An elderly Middle Eastern woman is walking towards the viewer with one hand raised as if waving. She's smiling and looks like she's moving carefully. She has a yellow hijab, white, yellow, and light purple horizontally striped shirt, light purple cardigan, loose black pants, and yellow slide-on sneakers.

Number 43 of 150

February 16, 2023February 2, 2023Leave a comment

A man in a thinking pose, larger body type.

A Middle Eastern man standing with one hand raised as if gesturing and the other touching his chin as if thinking. He's wearing jeans, sneakers, and a button-up shirt. He has a larger body type with a prominent belly.

Number 42 of 150

February 14, 2023February 2, 2023Leave a comment

Moving onto the adults. A lady in a floral skirt and matching hijab.

A Middle Eastern Muslim woman wearing a long floral skirt, leggings, white blouse, flats, and a hijab. She's standing with her right hand on her waist looking to her left.

Number 41 of 150

February 12, 2023February 2, 2023Leave a comment

One last child for this batch. Traditionally female clothes (skirt and leggings) in gender-neutral colors (black and turquois) worn by a character drawn to read a little more masculine than feminine. If I got it right, it should be unclear what their gender identity is exactly. Again, inclusivity and diversity was an important part of this project.

I really like how the skirt turned out, in particular.