More sketchbook practice. I drew this last night while re-watching the John Wayne classic THE COWBOYS. (There are no snakes in the movie. It’s just a good flick to have on in the background while doodling buckaroos.)
Cowboy
Uncle Sam
I started drawing Uncle Sam in my digital sketchbook. I liked how it was turning out and decided he needed to be on the classic poster. But I couldn’t come up with a funny or clever caption. I googled and saw someone else made a version that said “I want you to pull my finger”. I was tempted to copy that but I didn’t want to steal someone else’s joke. So, I settled on this very mediocre line.
Abortion Infographic
I am pro-life but my heart goes out to anyone facing an unplanned pregnancy. That has got to be scary. A few years ago I decided to try making a cartoon infographic that I hoped would address the issue in a way that was gentle, thoughtful, and respectful. I wanted to outline several reasons to consider alternatives to abortion, in the most sensitive way I know how.
I read several articles and took a lot of notes, and started doing a few sketches. Then life got busy and eventually the project got buried under other things. With Roe v. Wade back in the news, I decided it was time to blow the dust off and finish it up. I sent a finished draft to a few pro-life organizations for feedback and notes. The response was very positive and suggested revisions were minor.
The final version is below. Feel free to download and share it on social media. If you work at a crisis pregnancy center, church, or pro-life ministry let me know and I can make a version with your contact info at the bottom. If you would like a printed version to hand out, I’m also working on a foldable brochure layout that I can license for a fee. Please contact me if interested.
Dog Days of Summer
I’ve posted a new design to my Redbubble print-on-demand store. It’s available on dozens of items including shirts, mugs, beach bags, dog mats, etc.
House Monsters
One of my clients, Strottman International, has a toy division called Luki Lab. In Fall 2021 they launched a toy line called House Monsters. The concept was to have friendly plush monsters that live in your house and make messes while you are gone.
I did not design the monsters. That was all done before they brought me on board. But I was hired to illustrate a children’s book featuring the characters, as well as to create polished stand-alone illustrations of each character for marketing purposes.
I sketched everything up and then hired two terrific illustrators to render the color. Canadian illustrator Ben Reynolds helped bring the children’s book to life and Swedish illustrator Andrea Fermerstrand worked her magic to give texture to the stand-alone illustrations.
Here’s a sampling of the book with Ben’s color and texture over my drawings:
And here’s a sampling of the character illustrations. Andrea did beautiful work with the textures:
Ben Reynolds and Andrea Fermerstrand were both great to work with. I would heartily recommend both of them for any illustration needs you might have.
To purchase House Monsters toys or the book, check out the House Monsters website. They are also available on Amazon.
Sketchbook Dump
Most of my artwork is created digitally but every once in a while I draw on actual paper. Here’s a few recent images from my sketchbook:
If you like this I’ve got two sketchbook collections available in my store.