Illustration Friday - Haunt

Even monsters like dressing up for Halloween but this jack-o-lantern looks a little less enthusiastic.

Little Ballerina Runs Out Of Batteries

Sometimes it's very tiring to wear a tutu and be entertaining.

Little Robot Nursery Dude and Dog

I did the illustration below for our friend and the kids' babysitter who is known on this blog as Babysitter Becky. I've always changed names to protect the innocent and even though Becky is no longer our sitter I'll keep up the tradition. She's no longer our sitter because next month, she and her husband will welcome their first child! Becky took care of Small Fry and Baby Sprout before they grew teeth, had hair, or could sit up straight. Over the days and years we had many conversations about art, kids, pets, marriage, and life in general. During endless days of baby babble and hush-hush-hushing she was my go-to for grownup conversation. So when I found out their super cool robot nursery theme I knew I had to do a little boy robot! Before Becky and her hubs became parents their children were some rambunctious dogs. While Becky has yet to see if baby and dogs become buddies, in this illustration they are the best of friends.

Once Upon a Sketch Guest Post

All illustrators out there should get to know the blog Once Upon A Sketch. Created by my fellow Ringling alum, Wilson Williams, it has some great bits and info about the business of illustrating and some pretty cool artwork to thumb through. I had been aware of Wilson's blog for a while and was quite flattered this week when he asked me to write about my process for creating fabulous trade book art. You can read my Once Upon A Sketch post here. It's based on my earlier Fabulous Illustrator posts here and here.

What if Business Ran Your School Like This?

Lately there's a lot of commotion in Music City about having a private entity run our public schools. Of course our district has its problems but having spent countless hours on the phone with customer service when various businesses failed to meet my expectations, I find the idea of a private business being a better option flummoxing. For all those parents who seems to be missing this distinction I say be careful what you wish for. What if private business ran your child's school like this: