Number 79 of 150

May 29, 2023May 16, 2023Leave a comment

Is this our first one with fun, brightly dyed hair? It might be. It was fun to figure out what technique to use to show the dyed hair.

A Latino boy, aged 7-9, sits with his legs crossed and a book in his lap. He wears glasses and has the tips of his short black hair dyed a pale blue. He is wearing a purple t-shirt, jeans with the cuffs rolled, and blue sneakers. He is smiling and looking at the viewer.

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."

Character Sketch – Hitch 2

August 27, 2018August 23, 2018Leave a comment

Here’s Hitch, the bully in the anti-bullying book I’m starting work on for Learning A-Z. This is the second version where he’s in regular clothes and blonde.

Character Sketch - Hitch v2 - Web

Character Sketch – Hitch

August 26, 2018August 23, 20182 Comments

Here’s Hitch, the bully in the anti-bullying book I’m starting work on for Learning A-Z. This is the first version where he was supposed to be wearing army fatigues.

Character Sketch - Hitch - Web

Character Sketch – Marcus

August 25, 2018August 23, 20182 Comments

Here’s Marcus, the main character in the anti-bullying book I’m starting work on for Learning A-Z. He’s the bully’s victim.

Character Sketch - Marcus v2 - Web

Character Sketch – Evan

August 24, 2018August 23, 2018Leave a comment

I’m starting work on an anti-bullying book for Learning A-Z. The first step is to work out how that main characters are going to look. Here’s Evan, the bully’s friend.

Character Sketch - Evan - Web

Pirate Reading

March 5, 2018March 4, 20181 Comment

A pirate boy reading a book from his treasure chest. I wonder if it’s Treasure Island?
Pirate Reading

SCBWI Bookstop

November 29, 2017November 29, 2017Leave a comment

The Genie Loophole written by Paul Maguire and illustrated by Karen B. Jones (me) is now up on the SCBWI Bookstop! Check it out or browse other great SCBWI titles.

It’s a chapter book with one black and white image per chapter. Go to my portfolio for a peek at the illustrations.

It’s currently available in paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers. It would make a great Christmas gift!

Synopsis:

It’s something that has crossed every kid’s mind… If you were given three wishes, what would they be? For Teddy Rogers, who one summer discovers a magic bottle on the beach and releases the genie inside, the answer is simple: Wish for a billion more wishes!

What follows is a series of unexpected situations, each crazier than the one before. Teddy soon learns that unlimited wishes can easily spin out of control… and sometimes into dangerous territory!

Demon Schoolgirls

September 20, 2017September 16, 2017Leave a comment

I was thinking about the Monster High idea. This is Monster Middle School, I think. A private school, by the looks of those plaid skirts. I tried to draw them with goat legs and cloven hooves, but I was having trouble making them look cute that way, so they got standard human legs instead. The saddleshoes were fun to draw.

Demon Schoolgirls

Get it from Shutterstock.

Boy Reading Published in SCBWI

May 11, 2016May 11, 20161 Comment

So, I received my copy of the SCBWI Bulletin in the mail yesterday and I found out which of my images they picked to publish. Turns out it’s Boy Reading, an image I sent them in May of 2012. Yay! So, when they say they hang onto artwork to use later, they really aren’t kidding!