On a roll.

Hippo in the sculpture garden

I've created about three images a day using photoshop. My fingers are curling. Even though I really miss getting my fingers dirty with more traditional illustration media, I see lots of advantages using digital tools. Here are some of the images I created this month using HIPPOS as my characters:

Poolside Duo

Flamenco Dancer

Found a Puppy

The Art Opening

The Drum Major

Reading on the Sofa

Wagon Ride

Slogging Luggage in the Airport

In the Bedroom

Jake and Elroy singing in the bar

The Funhouse

The Sleeper

Backstage

The Gator Series, a tribute to a special father and son.

Golfin' Gators

Beach Fire

 My nephew, Andy, and his young son, Liam, were the inspiration for this series of illustrations of a lively little gator boy and his good-natured Dad.











Thinking of you Andy as you build a lifetime of memories with your son.

Beach Fire. Imported the fun-loving Gator Dad and son onto a California beach scene.

The Skaters

The Skaters ended up to be my favorite image of this series. 

Loved the graphic effect of the computer generated background. 

Teeter totter

 Remember teeter tottering?
The part that always brought giggles to my girls
 was to bounce them while they were on top.
I like the busy background but not sure it "reads"
as well as it would if the gator son were totally in the air.
Perhaps I should revise.

The Sled Ride

Whizzing down a snowy slope, little gator is excited, Dad not so much. 

I enjoyed using transparent layers on this image for stars and snow.

More Elephants, learning to use photoshop.

It's been a "nose-to-the-grindstone" kind of month. Drawing, then using my newly acquired version of photoshop to enhance and elaborate my original ideas. I've actually done so much I'm going to just post the finished products and skip the "steps".  Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed making them.

#scbwidrawthis My entry in the SCBWI monthly contest.

#scbwidrawthis  My entry in the SCBWI monthly contest. The theme is month was "Muse".

I'm learning to use Photoshop as an illustration tool.

Even when I have no ideas, if I pick up my pen and write my muse kicks in and whispers stories in my ear.

Digital Editing with Positive and Negative Shapes

Elephant and baby 5

 I’m discovering the huge advantage working digitally is editing as I go. Being able to tweak shapes as I draw is essential to these images where my goal was to intertwine the black and white forms of mother elephant and her baby.

Elephant and baby 2

Elephant and baby 3

Elephant and baby 1

Elephant and baby 4

Learning as I go.

My goal for August is to learn to use photoshop. I've got a handle on a few things that were bugging me. I understand a little more about layering and I'm starting to use more transparencies.

These are samples of some of my earlier line drawings, colored and enhanced in photoshop.

Too Many Bubbles

I can't draw as well with the wacom pad but I'm forcing myself to learn. 

Calm