f l u f f e r n u t t e r

i like this dude.

north pole!

p o l a r bear :)

polar bears on the mind at work

I l l u s t r a t i o n F r i d a y !

kittenz found da mittenz

i.f.

In this portrait, I was bombarded with an excess of grumpy feelings. >:(

Moose and Bubba

A pet portrait drawn in white, dark umber, gray and black watercolor pencil on canson paper. :)

IF "Open" !

Who was singing opera so loudly? She raced up the stairs as fast as she could, threw open the bathroom door--and this is what she found! Then her puppy began to sing along with Ms. Hippo

illustration friday

How does Alligator juggle Penguin on his tail so well? :)

Ha!

He is going on the welcome page of my website!

possible future wedding?

i think the pigeon and the bear should get hitched.

silly bears and their tacos

no words needed

A B and C

A is for Apple, B is for Bunny (and Baaaa) and C is for Carrot. :)

illy Friday

This is the third double-page spread from my Thumbelina series. In this illustration, Thumbelina is a visitor in Mr. Mole's home (I didn't put him in there but I do have him in a sketch). She is sewing dresses with the spiders because Mr. Mole wants to marry her. Thumbelina is sad though, because she wants to leave the mole's house in the spring with her friend, the Swallow. (He is in the illustration a few entries down)

Illustration Friday...emergency :)

This is another illustration from my Thumbelina series. Thumbelina has an emergency! She is all alone and has no shelter from the cold winter. Field mouse comes to her rescue!

This is the excerpt from the story that correlates with the illustration:
"Looking for some shelter, Thumbelina found a hole that was the entrance to a field mouse's house. The field mouse looked at her and said, "Come in! My home is warm and you can stay with me until the winter is over."

Illustration Friday

This is another illustration from my Thumbelina series. She misses Spring! I always push these IF topics...hehehe

illustration friday

These are some of the thumbnail sketches I did for a children's poem/song called "There's a Hippo in My Bathtub!" I wanted to illustrate the verses as a children's book.

illustration friday

Imagine discovering this guy washing up in your bathroom!

Illustration Friday

This is an oil rub-out portrait I painted from life during junior year at UArts. His appearance fits into the category of "geeky" (no offense to him).

twisty pumpkin vines

A drawing I sketched for the Mother Goose rhyme, "Peter, Peter Pumpkineater".

poor little birdie is rejected

This is a double-spread illustration I made for the children's story, Thumbelina. At the end of the tale, a fairy king asks Thumbelina to marry him and she accepts...However, the swallow who she befriended earlier in the story is quite sad, because he is in love with her also :(

Dylan Dragon

This is a quick color study for a piece I am working on. It will be a name piece that may be hung in a child's room.

Illustration Friday- "Suit" !

Chinese takeout is Mr. Fat Cat's purSUIT of happiness! :)

my paradise (for illustrationfriday.com!)

I'm crazy, I know.

a new kind of totem pole...

my favorite piece in my portfolio :)

greeting cards :)

summer, fall and winter.

The Secret of Roan Inish

I was thinking of interesting stories or folktales that haven't been illustrated too often, and I remembered seeing "The Secret of Roan Inish". I researched the folklore behind the story and started sketching some ideas. The story revolves around creatures called 'selkies', which are seals that have the ability to transform into humans. According to the legend, Selkie parents put their children into cradles built for the sea and tie them to rocks on the shore. These children were known to have webbed hands. Other selkies in the sea protected the infants while their cradles bobbed around in the ocean. More illustrations of this folklore to come. :)

listen to them play!

I wanted this painting to be dream-like with unusual and unfamiliar characters. I also wanted it to have a sort of Greek celebration feel. More pieces like this to come!

mokele-mbembe!

This is an illustration I recently painted. One day I was researching cryptozoology, when I came upon an interesting legend. Many natives of central Africa have claimed to have witnessed sightings of a sauropod (long-necks!) dinosaur that is still alive! The prehistoric creature supposedly still roams in the Congo River basin's swamps and lakes. They named it "mokele-mbembe", meaning "one who stops the flow of rivers." This painting is what I envisioned when reading about the legend. Enjoy!