Illustration

There's a new meme for artists floating around the internet called an "Influence Map". It was started by Boston artist Matt Laskowski over on DeviantArt.com. Here's how it works: you download a template that contains a grid of white squares. Then you paste in samples of artwork from other artists who have inspired and influenced you over the years. The...

A few months ago I was hired by Patch Products to illustrate two educational puzzles for preschoolers. One was a farm theme, the other a zoo theme. Each puzzle needed to incorporate several shapes into the artwork (indicated with thick black outlines). The original concept was to have the border of the puzzle take a shape that would match the theme....

Last night I made several updates to my website, www.cedricstudio.com.  My website is over five years old now (which equals about fifty internet years) and badly needs a face lift to optimize it for the web 2.0 world. Until I can tackle that mammoth project I'm continuing to turn the crank on this trusty-rusty version. The latest changes include: Added a new...

I've made my living as a freelance illustrator for thirteen years and counting. I've tried just about everything a commercial artist can do—children's books, storyboards, magazine illustration, toy design, marker comps, comic books, character design, animation, even courtroom sketching. One of the few areas where I haven't yet dipped my toe in the water is in the murky but potentially lucrative field of art licensing. Last week I spent four days in Las Vegas at the International Licensing Expo attending classes, walking the show floor, and shaking hands in an effort to better understand that particular industry. I wanted to find out what real opportunities, if any, existed for me there. Unfortunately the short answer (for me at least) is "not many".