samba for rats

brainwashed II

2012-02-08T14:18:00.003-06:00

Hey everybody. I've got a bunch more silkscreens up on my etsy site. This is one I did for a solo show last year. Check 'em out when you get a chance. More to come...

chillin'

2012-02-02T08:55:00.001-06:00

Hey everybody-I'm in the process of setting up shop on Etsy where I'll be selling original silkscreens and t-shirts. This is the first silkscreen I have up, but there will be a bunch more shortly. I did this relaxing Sasquatch for a group show a couple of months ago. I also did a blue version as well. Check out my Etsy site here. Much more to come!

from christmas past

2011-12-22T11:28:00.002-06:00

a couple of old designs I had lying around...hope everyone has a great holiday and a prosperous new year.

brushing pets

2011-12-20T08:51:00.002-06:00

I did this for an article on pet dental hygiene for Family Circle magazine a while back. I'd hate to see the hairballs that get clogged in that drain...

mudpuppy dino puzzle

2011-12-13T11:17:00.002-06:00

Hey everybody! I know it's been a really long time since my last post and I hang my head in blogger shame. I've been super busy working on all kinds of fun stuff that I hope to share at a later date. Until then, I just found out that the dinosaur puzzle I did for Mudpuppy is out just in time for the holidays. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Check it out here!

monster rockstar

2011-09-26T08:41:00.006-05:00

He may not be the most ferocious monster in the world, but he can still play one mean guitar.

neiko!

2011-08-30T18:01:00.003-05:00

This summer, I had the opportunity to make a new friend. Originally from Macau, Neiko Ng is a student at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. I met her while she was interning here in Cleveland over the summer. An amazing talent with a wonderfully charming style, Neiko was always making me laugh with her sly sense of humor. She's back in San Fran now starting her last year and I miss her already.

One morning, she saw me doodling during a meeting, and asked me if she could make a copy of a lion I had just scribbled in my sketchbook. The result was this fantastic little cut paper lion she made and gave to me before she left. I've posted it here, along with a few other pieces I snatched from her blog. Make sure you check out her stuff on her blog and website.

Good luck Neiko-I'm sure you will do very well after graduation!

imperfect

2011-08-05T08:48:00.004-05:00

This is a piece I did this for an issue of Today's Parent a few months back but since it fits the Illustration Friday topic nicely, I thought I'd link it up. The article provides tips for talking to your kids about their report cards. I really enjoy illustrating these articles. The art director, Nicole Chung, is such a pleasure to work with, plus I always seem to learn something along the way!

sleeping pups

2011-07-16T22:08:00.005-05:00

I've curled up and fallen asleep in in my womb chair many times, but not quite in this position!
This piece is something I did for a project that never went anywhere so I thought I'd share it.
Hope everyone's having a great weekend.

worried daddy

2011-06-18T21:52:00.006-05:00

Hi everybody! Hope everyone's having a great summer so far. I'm hoping to wrap up all my big projects by mid July, and hopefully things will return to a normal pace. I can't wait to share some of these new pieces I've been working on, but unfortunately I can't just yet.

Anyway, here's a piece I did a while back for Today's Parent magazine. The article discusses the extremes some new parents go to to make sure their baby is safe while they sleep, including spending the night on a mattress next to the crib.

soaked

2011-05-20T22:02:00.005-05:00

I'm still buried under a pile of projects, but there's finally light at the end of the tunnel. I can't wait to get back to visiting all my favorite blogs to see what you've all been up to. Until then, here's another little piece I did recently. It's pretty fitting, since it's done nothing but rain all spring, and I think we're all feeling a bit soaked. Bring on the sunshine!

kids birthday cards

2011-04-13T20:16:00.012-05:00

Hey everybody! I know my posts have been a bit scarce these days, but i've been super busy working on some really fun projects.
Not that I'm complaining-it's good to be busy. I can't show any of them yet, but I will post them when I can.

Anyway, I wanted to share a few kid's birthday cards I did recently. I'm really happy with the way they turned out-I wanted to keep them simple and fun, with a limited color pallet. I had a lot of fun with these. They're available now at a Target store near you!

jungle pals

2011-03-18T21:10:00.005-05:00

I just started playing around with a new photoshop brush this week, and what started as a doodle evolved into this. I rarely use brushes in photoshop but I think I'm going to to mess around with them a little more. I like the spontaneity and unlike a real brush, there's always that 'command z' to fall back on.

swarm

2011-02-26T17:26:00.007-06:00

I have a million other things I should be doing, but this popped into my head when I saw the Illustration Friday word was 'swarm'...sorry, I just can't resist a bad pun.

big bad book of crosswords

2011-02-04T17:36:00.014-06:00

I was thrilled to get the opportunity to illustrate the cover of the latest New York Times crossword puzzle book for St. Martin's Press. I illustrated the wolf, and the publishing company added the type and did a few color changes. Of course I totally obsessed over this one-I probably did about 50 sketches of different wolf characters before I finally settled on this guy. Now all I need is 49 more jobs with a reclining wolf, and I'd be all set.

catered cafe

2011-01-14T10:20:00.007-06:00

Here's my latest illustration for Today's Parent magazine. The article is about parents actually hiring a caterer to feed their kids healthy, nutritious and trendy lunches in the school cafeteria. I don't know, I kinda liked those pizza burgers and tater tots I grew up eating in my grade school cafeteria.

my friend, corey 1976-2010

2011-01-06T14:43:00.012-06:00

This picture was taken in front of a painting at

the Carnegie Mellon museum in Pittsburgh.

man in hat

monotype

south 47

monotype

I'm sorry to have to start my new year's blog on such a low note. I am so sad to say that my good friend, Corey Parker passed away on December 30th, after a year and a half battle with cancer. Corey was a fantastic artist with a great sense of humor. He was a very genuine person, with no pretenses. Corey loved to pull pranks, and always kept a positive attitude, right up until the very end. I will miss him very much.

Check out more of his work here.

christmas wrap

2010-12-21T19:14:00.004-06:00

When I designed this wrapping paper for Target, I wanted to give it a retro feel, but use a more non-traditional color scheme. I'm really happy with the final product. Check it out, it's currently available at a Target store near you. Happy holidays, everyone!

prehistoric puzzle

2010-12-03T21:37:00.014-06:00

I recently did this 42 piece dinosaur puzzle for Mudpuppy. I had a blast doing this one-I don't know when it will be available but I can't wait to get one, although I probably won't be able to put it together.

something for cat

2010-11-26T19:37:00.010-06:00

Something for Cat

silkscreen

This is a silkscreen I just did for my latest gallery show in Cleveland. The show was a huge amount of work, but well worth the effort. Among the animal silkscreens I did is this cat who just got done savoring a tasty seafood morsel. I did an edition of twenty of this one.

10 minute tidy

2010-10-22T10:18:00.004-05:00

Here's the latest illustration I did for the upcoming December issue of Today's Parent magazine. The article points out tips on quickly tidying up when unexpected guests announce that they're about to drop by for a visit. Personally, I would just shove everything under the couch...or just not answer the door.

circus silkscreens

2010-09-19T16:11:00.007-05:00

Sorry I haven't been posting a whole lot lately but I've been super busy. I've been working on some pretty cool things, and hopefully I'll be able to post them in the near future.

Anyway,I did these silkscreens a while back for a gallery show I had here in Cleveland. I tried to capture the feeling of the illustrations I loved so much as a kid-keeping the colors a little more muted and dark. Mixing ink for silkscreening is still kind of a guessing game for me. The colors always darken considerably when dry, so I never know exactly how it will look until the last color is applied.

The lion and the zebra were done in editions of thirty, and I made twenty of the larger circus tents. There are still some available.

tea party

2010-08-27T20:30:00.004-05:00

Once she sat down , Gloria the hippo knew it would be a long tea party... mostly because it was going to be hard to move out of that chair.

Another piece I did for Today's Parent magazine-the article discusses the pros and cons of kids having imaginary friends. C'mon, who wouldn't want a hippo named Gloria to hang out with?

caged

2010-08-10T11:23:00.003-05:00

I did this for a job a while back. The eagle is supposed to represent freedom of speech in the United States, and the cage represents the repression of that freedom. It fits this week's Illustration Friday word, so I figured I'd post it since I'm too lazy to do something new.

pet giraffe

2010-07-23T12:27:00.005-05:00

Had Timmy known he was going to share with his tall friend, he would have made it a double dip...

I did a few sketches for a project I was working on, but this image didn't make the cut. I got ambitious and decided to go ahead and finish it up anyway.

swinging kid's party

2010-07-09T17:05:00.007-05:00

I recently did this piece for the August issue of Today's Parent magazine. The article is about how to keep your kid from misbehaving when they are a guest at someone's house and you're not there to keep them in line.

I know I've done this at a few parties, but not until I became an adult...

gentleman skunk

2010-06-18T12:05:00.007-05:00

He may not be the best smelling guy in the woods, but he certainly makes up for it with his charm.

early lady day

2010-05-21T20:41:00.007-05:00

Being a big fan of many of the early female jazz singers, I thought it would be fun to do an illustration of Billie Holiday. I tried to keep things simple and graphic, yet still capture the feeling of what it must have been like to see her perform in a small smoky club in the 30's and 40's.

dinos

2010-05-07T21:56:00.005-05:00

You'd have to be pretty fearless to walk among this bloodthirsty group...

well, maybe not.

flying kids

2010-04-19T16:50:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, I realized that it's been a whole year since I started my blog. I wanted to do a special illustration to tie in with this momentous occasion, but I've been really busy with other things. So instead, I figured I'd post one of my recent jobs.

This is a piece I did for the May issue of Today's Parent magazine. The title of the article is "Systems Are Go", and it's about choosing the right gaming system for your family. I really had fun with this one.

It's been a great year in Blogland, and I just want to thank everyone for all your kind comments over the past year. I had no idea when I first started, that I would be able to share ideas and encouragement with so many amazingly talented people from all over the world. I've made so many cyberpals who consistently blow me away and inspire me with their incredible work- boy, this newfangled interweb thing is really something.

cooked veggies

2010-03-27T19:29:00.007-05:00

A while back, I was asked to help out with a possible revamp of a local restaurant's logo and mascot characters. Tommy's, located in Coventry Village in Cleveland Heights, is a great place- serving mainly vegetarian fare and killer shakes. (Their coffee yogurt shakes are awesome!)

Unfortunately, the revamp never really got off the ground, but it was fun trying. Here are a few concepts and rough sketches I did for them. I hope you guys like 'em.

retro cocktail hour

2010-03-02T17:26:00.014-06:00

I did this a couple of months ago for a blog called "They Draw and Cook", an idea cooked up by artist pal, Salli. The original idea was to illustrate a recipe or something food related. I decided to go the cocktail route-I thought that with all those exotic names, they would be really fun to illustrate. While researching cocktails, I quickly realized there were far too many to fit on one page, so I have a feeling I'll be back with a few more of these.
I haven't tried any of these yet but truthfully, most of them probably sound a lot better than they taste.

Anyway, check out "They Draw and Cook" here and start working on your own recipe to contribute!

green kids

2010-02-20T21:46:00.009-06:00

Here's an illustration I just did for the April issue of Today's Parent magazine. The article is about elementary school kids going green and becoming more environmentally aware.

cannonball!

2010-02-06T17:44:00.013-06:00

When visiting Mudville, be sure to stay at The Porcine Palace, the city's "swinest" hotel.

I had a little time and was inspired to do this for this week's Illustration Friday word "muddy". I threw in a few sketches too.

first crush

2010-01-29T20:57:00.007-06:00

The second she laid eyes on the new boy, Emily knew it would be hard to stay focused on her schoolwork.

This is a piece I did recently as a bid on a job.

jailbird

2010-01-11T15:29:00.006-06:00

As days turned to weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, Carl eventually realized he would probably spend the rest of his life behind bars...

I have at least a half dozen other things I should be working on, but the Illustration Friday word "confined" inspired me to do this instead.

elza soares

2010-01-04T16:13:00.005-06:00

I have long been an avid fan of Brazilian music-especially samba. Elza Soares has been a big name in Brasil for more than 40 years. She's got this great husky voice and trademark throaty growl that makes her music very identifiable. In an effort to do an illustration of a musician every now and then, I've decided to start with her-she's got a really interesting look - lots of plastic surgery over the years - with those catlike eyes and giant afro. If you're interested in checking her out, click here.

christmas collages

2009-12-18T14:03:00.004-06:00

Here are a few more Christmas designs from a while back-these are all cut paper collages. I really enjoy the spontaneity of collage work. I find that if I just start cutting away without any real plan, I'm much happier with the results than if I sketch something out first.

trendy elves

2009-12-12T21:30:00.006-06:00

I was digging through my old work looking for Christmas stuff to post, and found these two oldies. I think at the time I was trying to portray elves as a little more sophisticated than we usually see them. I'm sure when they're not slaving away in the toy factory, they're going to cocktail parties and checking out the local North Pole art scene.

jazz set

2009-11-25T15:08:00.010-06:00

I recently did a set of hand-pulled silkscreens for a gallery show I had here in Cleveland. One of the themes I worked with was music. I am a huge music fan, so it often shows up in my personal work. The images are approximately 8 X 10, and printed on fine quality cream Rives BFK paper in runs of 20. I love the silkscreening process-you never know exactly how the colors will turn out or exactly how each one will register. These are scans, so the color isn't 100 percent accurate and some of the nuances you get with printmaking doesn't show up. I was very happy with how these turned out and the show was a great success.

stocking up

2009-11-12T17:16:00.004-06:00

With the cold weather fast approaching, this little guy's making sure he's prepared. I always find myself stocking up this time of year, too, although sometimes I wish I was more like a bear-I could sleep through the entire winter and wake up well rested and a whole lot thinner.

halloween stuff

2009-10-29T19:27:00.011-05:00

Here's a trio of ghosts and a skinny black cat.

I'm still buried with work so I wasn't able to do any fun new Halloween illustrations like I had hoped. I was able to dig up a couple of old pieces I did a while back, so I figured I'd stick them up. I'll be done with my current project mid November, so hopefully I'll get back to posting some new stuff then. Have a happy and safe Halloween, everyone!

daddy-o

2009-10-23T11:39:00.005-05:00

He may not drive the fastest car, but he sure knows how to groove in it...another one from the archives.

frozen treats

2009-10-16T20:30:00.009-05:00

What could be better than sitting on an iceberg sharing a frozen treat with someone you love?

I did this for a greeting card a while back and figured I'd post it since it fits this week's Illustration Friday topic. I'll be swamped with work for the next few weeks so I figure it's a good time to post some older stuff.

cootie pageant

2009-10-03T21:18:00.008-05:00

As she took her final sweep down the runway, Sally couldn't help think about her late mother, who entered her in her very first first pageant when she was just a young germ. No stranger to the cutthroat pageant world, Sally felt confident that she had a shot at the title this time. She came so close to the crown last time...if only they hadn't asked her to state her views on germ warfare.

laying an egg

2009-09-25T10:48:00.007-05:00

I originally did this as an Easter card but I thought it fit the Illustration Friday topic "pattern", so I just had to put it up. Hope you guys like it.

fall feast

2009-09-11T20:50:00.026-05:00

Since my last couple of posts have been kind of dark, involving a devil and a murderous mouse, I decided to lighten things up a bit this time. In these two illustrations, I attempted to capture the feeling of a vintage Little Golden Book that's been stashed away in some attic for thirty or forty years. I used muted colors and old yellowed paper to make them look appropriately aged. I haven't written a story to go with them yet, but I do have an idea rolling around my head. It's about a bunch of woodland animals that get together to welcome the fall season by throwing a big feast. Unfortunately, the bear realizes he has to last all winter with no food and decides to devour all the other animals as well...sorry, I couldn't help myself.

diablo at the grill

2009-09-03T16:08:00.004-05:00

This little devil's been sitting in my sketchbook all summer, so I figured I'd whip up a quick color version of him before cookout season is over. I was going to wait till we had super hot weather, but it's been an unseasonably cool summer here in Ohio. Hope everyone has one hell of a labor day weekend-get in those last few cookouts while you can.

cat and mouse game

2009-08-23T17:04:00.005-05:00

These cats had better exercise a little caution. They're out cruising around the bad side of town looking for trouble, and they're about to find it. These boys think they're about to pick up a little snack for the road, but may have another thing coming. I originally started this one out with the mouse was the one who was in danger, but then decided to turn the tables by adding the sign on the side of the building. Whatever the outcome, I had fun doing it.

moon man

2009-08-15T20:42:00.014-05:00

This past week, I had the pleasure of participating in the celebration of the three year anniversary of Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty. It's a blog set up by talented illustrator Aaron Zenz for his kids, Lily (age 6), Grace (age 9), and Isaac (age 10). On their blog, they post illustrations inspired by their favorite books and Illustration Friday topics, among other things.

As a surprise for the kids, to celebrate their three years, Aaron sent out an open invitation for artists to do their versions of his kids' art. The results are lots of fun. I did an illustration for each kid, but this was my favorite of the three. The top drawing was done by Isaac at age 8. The one on the bottom is my version.

Make sure to take a look at their site. This creative bunch turns out some pretty awesome stuff! Aaron is accepting submissions till the end of the month, so there's still time to do one. You might be surprised how inspired you can get from the creativity of a kid. To check out their site, click here.

impatience

2009-08-10T20:29:00.010-05:00

This week's Illustration Friday word is "impatience" and let's face it, waiting in line for the porta-potty at an outdoor event can really try your patience, especially when there's not enough bathrooms to accommodate the crowd. I thought it would be kind of funny to illustrate this idea using dogs and a hydrant instead. I wanted to do a really long horizontal image to emphasize the amount of dogs waiting, but as I was working on it, I thought it was getting too difficult to see, due to it's length. I cropped the image mid-dog, but believe me, the line goes on forever, and they've been consuming lot's of beer. You'll definitely need to click this image to see it full size.

maine lobster

2009-08-04T17:48:00.006-05:00

I was recently asked to design a bookmark that represented the state of Maine. This was a practice run- I decided to take a more humorous approach for the final piece. Since I had this graphic, textural lobster just sitting there on my desktop, I decided to design a poster around it and post it on my blog... after all, I was always taught never to waste, especially something as delicious as a lobster.

idle

2009-07-27T18:29:00.005-05:00

Okay, so we all know the story-there's a big race, rabbit gets cocky and takes a nap, slow and steady wins the race. But in my story, the turtle passes out, and is sore for days and the rabbit wakes up refreshed and has a whole night of fun ahead of him. the end.

tango

2009-07-21T23:39:00.006-05:00

This weeks Illustration Friday topic, "tango" involves gracefully intertwining legs, so I thought it would be fun to do an octopus couple doing this dance.I started out with just the two characters but I was having so much fun, I decided to add a small fish orchestra in the background. With sixteen limbs involved, this tango could end up a tangle...

hollow

2009-07-15T18:06:00.007-05:00

When I saw the Illustration Friday word was "hollow", I thought of that old blues song "I'd rather drink muddy water, sleep out in a hollow log..." The original plan was to do an old blues raccoon sitting on a log, strumming his guitar and singing that song, but it's been a pretty crazy week for me . Instead, I had to settle on a quick and easy illustration of of a raccoon on a log. Kind of a cop out, i know, but I think I'll get around to doing my original idea fairly soon.

elephant and bull

2009-07-10T22:30:00.009-05:00

I did these for a series of graphic animals a few years back-I tried to keep them very simple and flat, but I also wanted to warm them up a little using color and texture. I have a bunch more, but I think I'll just scatter them in once in awhile to keep it interesting (or when I'm too lazy to do anything new)...

worn

2009-06-27T21:37:00.005-05:00

even though his record collection was old and worn, Lou still found comfort in the sound of cracks and pops that only come with vinyl...

headhunter

2009-06-19T21:04:00.003-05:00

I've been super busy this week, so I didn't have time to do another illustration following my theme of some poor, innocent fool in harm's way. Hopefully I'll be able to squeak out a few more soon. So instead, here's one I did a while back for a greeting card. The man-boobs were added later.

craving

2009-06-11T18:19:00.004-05:00

Sometimes you need to curb your craving or nothing good will come of it...

big fish

2009-06-05T21:01:00.004-05:00

okay, so here's another one where someone's about to get it...

dragon & knight

2009-05-27T17:41:00.006-05:00

This guy's about to become toast...a friend of mine noticed a theme in some of my latest work. Somebody is in for some serious pain (or worse)! I had a lot of fun with this one.

charging rhino

2009-05-15T22:38:00.005-05:00

red riding hood

2009-05-08T20:29:00.004-05:00

This is how it might go down if the big bad wolf hung out in a pack...she'll be okay though, she's got her cell with her.

grizzly

2009-05-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

I I did this bear design for a t-shirt this week.

lion tamer

2009-05-01T20:59:00.002-05:00

another one from a little while back...

subwash

2009-04-28T20:42:00.003-05:00

Here's a piece I did recently- I like doing underwater scenes...

a few simple animal designs

2009-04-26T22:25:00.003-05:00

baby einstein

2009-04-26T21:48:00.003-05:00

Here's another spot illustration I did using a more limited color palette.

gorilla

2009-04-26T21:42:00.002-05:00

another design from a few years back...

dinosaur card

2009-04-25T21:09:00.002-05:00

I did these for a greeting card a long time ago. I don't really work in this style anymore but I just thought I'd post them anyway.

animal stickers

2009-04-25T20:16:00.003-05:00

This is a sticker sheet I did about a year ago.

ice cream man

2009-04-25T19:53:00.004-05:00

Another piece I did recently. The kid on the scooter is a detail of the larger scene.

monster heads

2009-04-24T21:07:00.002-05:00

I did these crazy monster heads for Halloween a while back.

kids with treats

2009-04-24T20:00:00.002-05:00

Here's a couple of spot illustrations I did recently, using a more limited color palette.

nelson desk clocks

2009-04-18T22:15:00.008-05:00

Over the years, I have amassed a large collection of vintage clocks designed by George Nelson in the 40's, 50's and 60's. This is a little piece I did using a few of them as my inspiration. I'm thinking of eventually doing this as a large painting.

kangaroos and giraffes

2009-04-18T22:03:00.005-05:00

some mother's day cards I designed a while back...

c'mon, please can we get a puppy?

2009-04-17T20:46:00.005-05:00

This is something I did as a self promotional piece. I wanted to make sure the focus stayed on the kid and the puppies, yet still show the parents' reaction in the background. I think it came out pretty close to how I'd imagined it.

conga

2009-04-17T20:32:00.005-05:00

Here's a design I did recently for a music card- it's shown here without the lettering. When you open it, it plays the song Day-O by Harry Belafonte. It's currently available at Target Stores.

monkeys and cats

2009-04-17T20:23:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of card designs I did for Valentine's Day. I believe they were sold at Target.

little leo

2009-04-17T17:34:00.011-05:00

Here's a lion I did for a kid's greeting card.

Here he is again on an ark with a bunch of other animals. This is also a kids' card.

the owl and the pussycat

2009-04-16T20:38:00.002-05:00

Growing up, I always thought the the Owl and the PussyCat was a really strange poem. It was written by Edward Lear in 1871, and I thought it would be fun to do an illustration depicting this odd couple in a book cover format. I guess later on the author wrote a sequel to the poem but he died before he finished it. It's called The Children of the Owl and the PussyCat and it starts out describing the kids that are half cat, half bird- maybe I'll illustrate that one sometime...creepy.

cowboy kid

2009-04-16T19:33:00.002-05:00

This is an illustration I did recently. I don't know why I put the kid on a bull instead of a horse. I guess I just felt like drawing a bull.

robot factory

2009-04-16T19:10:00.004-05:00

Okay, I know this is an older post but I've been out of town and this fits this weeks Illustration Friday topic "modify". Who knew all it takes to modify the behavior of this particular robot model is just your standard screwdriver?

mambo for cats

2009-04-16T18:51:00.000-05:00

The title of my blog and the illustration I did for it, is a tribute to one of my favorite illustrators, Jim Flora. I found this Mambo for Cats album at a thrift store about twenty years ago. At the time, I had no idea who did it and I hadn't yet heard of Flora-I just knew it was a great image. Since then, a lot has been published about the guy and he's finally getting the recognition he deserves.