The Neighborhood’s Night – Page 7

March 30, 2021March 25, 20212 Comments

Here’s the 5th illustration for the book project I just finished for Learning A-Z. Page 7 of The Neighborhood’s Night by Juliana Catherine.

This is the last one in the project that has fancy lighting. From here on out the characters will be indoors under regular lights, which is a lot easier, but not as pretty.

Anyway, Leena and Amir are in the backseat of the car as their mom drives them away from their house towards the evacuation shelter. Leena is sad and worried. Amir is too young to understand, so is sleeping. He spends most of the book asleep, actually.

In the sketch phase for this one, I originally drew it at a different angle because I didn’t realize two-year olds, the age Amir is supposed to be, still have to be in rear-facing carseats. I thought they could front-face when they turned one. Nope. It either changed since my kids were that age, or I was remembering it wrong. Anyway, at first I drew them both facing forward. I had to completely redraw it at this angle so that both the kids’ faces are visible. Glad I caught it before I sent it to the client.

An illustration for page 7 of The Neighborhood's Night by Juliana Catherine. It's the interior of a car showing two children in the backseat. There's a toddler sleeping in his carseat and his sister looks sad and worried beside him. Outside the window, the trees are silhouetted against a red sky.

The Neighborhood’s Night – Page 5

March 28, 2021March 25, 20214 Comments

Here’s the third illustration for the book project I just finished for Learning A-Z. Page 5 of The Neighborhood’s Night by Juliana Catherine.

In this one, it’s a bedroom at night, but red and blue emergency lights from the window and a white light from the hall are lighting it up. The girl, Leena, is running across the room with her shoes and emergency bag while her mom and little brother wait for her at the door. They’re about to leave the house because they’ve been ordered to evacuate.

An illustration for page 5 of The Neighborhood's Night by Juliana Catherine. A girl runs across her bedroom to the doorway where her mother and little brother wait for her. They are about to evacuate the house. The room is lit by emergency lights from the window and white light from the hallway.

The Neighborhood’s Night – Page 3

March 26, 2021March 25, 2021Leave a comment

Here’s the first illustration for the book project I just finished for Learning A-Z. Page 3 of The Neighborhood’s Night by Juliana Catherine. Like with all the interior illustrations in this project, this one’s a spot illustration that will be the width of one page without any bleed. The image has a half inch on either side that will likely be cut off, but allows the publisher some room to shift the image left or right or to adjust the size a bit if they like. Like the cover image, the lighting was quite important on this one too. I rather like the swirling smoke.

An illustration for page 3 of The Neighborhood's Night by Juliana Catherine. The image shows an interior shot of a girl's bedroom. A worried girl in bed has the covers pulled up to her chin and is looking out the window. Outside, it is nighttime, but the sky is red and there is smoke swirling around a streetlight;

Pig

August 12, 2020August 12, 2020Leave a comment

This guy’s a boar.

Boar for Web

Purple Dragon

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020Leave a comment

I drew this today.

A purple cartoon dragon stands with his left hand up, as if waving to someone off in the distance.

See Food

February 17, 2020May 11, 2020Leave a comment

I just finished this new portfolio piece. It’s for my series of middle school kids starring that girl on the left there. (I should probably give her an actual name.) She’s grossing out a friend of hers by showing him her lunch.

Lunch

Book Recommendation

April 30, 2019April 30, 20192 Comments

A couple weeks ago I attended the SCBWI’s event, Graphic Novel Day. One of the presenters there was Ben Hatke who gave two very nice lectures and signed a copy of Space Girl for my daughter Katie. (Who was thrilled to get it!) I like him because he’s a total geek that plays D&D and Munchkin and does archery and told a hilarious story about getting arrested during a D&D game with his friends. (Plus he’s a talented illustrator.)

I was disappointed that one of his books that he talked about wasn’t in the little mini-bookstore that day. So I ordered it. It came awhile ago and I was not disappointed. Nobody Likes a Goblin is a terrific little picture book about a little goblin who has to go off and save his friend Skeleton from the adventurers that invaded and looted his dungeon. In this story, the goblin is the hero and the adventurers are the home invaders and thieves. (As they should be depicted!) Anyway, I highly recommend Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke.

(I find it hilarious that the princess was piled in with the loot on the adventurer’s cart. So much for “rescuing” the princess, huh?)

IMG_20190430_130701021

Houston Public Library

February 5, 2019April 28, 2021Leave a comment

John P. McGovern Foundation
Summer Reading Program

This was a tremendously fun project to do. The theme, Explore the Unknown, was meant to refer to all sorts of fun cryptozoological, mythical, and sci-fi subjects. Included in this piece is a UFO with Roswell-style aliens, a unicorn, a big foot, the Loch Ness Monster, a kraken, and a mermaid. The font is Black Pearl by JoannaVu.

The Underground Railroad

August 28, 2018August 24, 2018Leave a comment

Here’s a new illustration commissioned by United Methodist Publishing House. I think it’s going in a kid’s history textbook. It’s supposed to show black slaves hiding and sneaking, and sometimes being smuggled north out of slavery before the civil war. I was given very specific elements that I needed to include in the picture, and it was quite a task to fit it all in. I’m rather proud I managed it.

The Underground Railroad