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.

Cyclops

February 28, 2023March 2, 2023Leave a comment

Last one. He almost looks charming, doesn’t he?

Three cyclops brothers were said to have forged Zeus’s lightning bolt, and cyclopes were said to have built the walls of several ancient cities. So, perhaps this guy is reviewing some plans for building something.

A cute cartoon cyclops stands holding an open scroll in his hands. He has a lopsided grin. He is dressed in ancient Greek fashion, a toga and sandals laced up his calves. As a cyclops, he has only one eye centered in the middle of his face, no nose, and purple skin and hair. As a cartoon, he has a small body, huge head, and disproportionately large eye.

Siren

February 26, 2023February 22, 2023Leave a comment

Fresh from the ocean.

A cute cartoon siren lays on the ground with her cheek cupped in one hand and tail raised to curl behind her. She is smiling slightly. She is wet. Her black hair is plastered to her head and body, the ends pooling on the ground at her side. There is a puddle around her. As a siren, the lower half of her body is a fish tail, and her skin and scales are blue. As a cartoon, she has a small body and huge head with disproportionately large eyes. She is isolated on a pink background.

Rocky The Human Squirrel

February 25, 2023March 2, 2023Leave a comment

My most recent project has been illustrating a book for Jean Ball-Maurer titled Rocky The Human Squirrel. It’s a short, illustrated chapter book. I did the color cover (front and back) and 10 black and white interior illustrations.

She just emailed me that that the paperback is up on Amazon now. She’s so excited to see her first book out in print! Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW385B6V

The ebook will be coming in a few days. I’ll post about that when it’s up and I’ll share a look at the illustrations pretty soon also. In the meantime, here’s the cover:

The front cover of a book with the title, "ROCKY The Human Squirrel" and bylines for "Jean Ball-Maurer" and "Illustrated by Karen B. Jones". The word "ROCKY" in the title is in all-caps and uses an acorn for the "O". The cover artwork shows a cartoon squirrel standing on a branch holding a tree bark sign reading "FREE TO BE ME". Behind the squirrel and branch are tree leaves on the sides and top and blue sky behind everything. There is a copyright notice across the top that reads, "Copyright © 2023 Jean Maurer. All rights reserved."

Gorgon

February 24, 2023February 24, 2023Leave a comment

Using a mirror is a safe way to look at a gorgon, so she’s in no danger of being turned to stone.

A cute cartoon gorgon stands with one hand arranging her hair-snakes and the other holding a mirror she is looking into. She is smiling, pleased with her reflection. She's dressed in an ancient Greek style, including a simple white shift and sandals laced up her calves. As a gorgon, she has snakes for hair, green skin, a flat nose with slits for nostrils, fangs, and yellow eyes with vertical slits for pupils. As a cartoon, she has a small body and huge head with disproportionately large eyes. She is isolated on a yellow background.

Satyr

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023Leave a comment

Let’s take a break from the mundane cartoon people I’ve been posting. I’ll come back to them, don’t worry. (I have 150 of them, after all.)

But for today, I bring you Greek mythical creatures. Cute ones. I have four to share. Here’s the first one, a satyr.

A cute cartoon satyr stands with one hand on his hip and the other gesturing as if encouraging the viewer to come take his hand. He is smiling and winking. As a satyr, he has goat legs and a tail, horns, goat ears, a small goatee, a brown tip on his nose, and his golden eyes have a goat-like horizontal pupil. As a cartoon, he has a small body and huge head with disproportionately large eyes. He is isolated on a green background.

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.