Merry Christmas!

QPB cover Concept to Final

That's Quality Paperback Books to you. I could use a little sun as the snow settles in on Traverse City, so here's a cover I did for them this summer for a catalog of "great summer reads".

From concept to final excluding a few other ideas I tossed as them.

Happy Halloween... a bit late

Last year for Halloween my son and I made this great robot costume. I stumbled across this picture a day ago and decided to give it some zip.

Fall Leaves

Just for fun... I'm tired of raking leaves, but they are so amazing to look at.

Better late than never?

Yes, I am a terrible blogger. I admit it, but it was summer time. When you live in a northern climate summer is not something to take lightly or let slip by. We had an amazing summer full of good company and good weather. Now back to work...

Here are a few dinosaurs and birds for a preschool curriculum company I do work for on a regular basis. More to come.

No no dear readers... or reader as the case may be, I'm not going to let April go by without an update. This is the last in the 5x7 series. I'm also including a new tutorial. This time I put together a quickie website to take you through the steps.

I use matte medium a lot. Why? Well for one it adds a layer of protection to your painting. This is particularly useful if you use cut paper like I do.

Also, if you get to the point where you really like a painting a quick coat will protect what's underneath. If you let is set up over night it's even better. You can apply the next coat of paint and if you don't like it you can immediately scrub it off with a damp clothe. This technique great for creating subtle layers of color.

More 5"x7"s

Phew... I almost went all of March without a post. That is something I vowed not to do this year. Here are the latest for the 5"x7" show at the Dennos Museum. These were fun to do. To get the look I wanted I used a lot of techniques I've not used in a long time. I'll post a quick tutorial on some of those techniques in the near future.

Praying Mantis

I am all about moving forward. If a piece doesn't work it gets reworked or painted over. I did this piece early this summer using the same process I did for Hobo Kitty. It never felt quite finished, so last month I decided to revisit it. I added the wings, and reworked the eyes and legs. All in all I think it works much better now. I'm thinking more bugs are on the way. Stay tuned!

Hobo Kitty 3-D

I did this piece some time ago to experiment with materials. I started with Super Sculpey, but given the characters thin wrists and ankles I could tell it was not going to work. Luckily my friend and 3-d artist extraordinaire Kevin Buntin turned me on to Apoxie Sculpt. It's not the easiest material to work with, but it is remarkably versatile stuff once you get a handle on it.

The armature is made of tin foil and wire. A thin coat of Apoxie Sculpt covers that which in turn is carved, sanded or dremeled as needed.

Three New Paintings

These are for a show at our local museum. It's a yearly event. All paintings entered must be 5"x7" and no more than $50. I've prepared 12 panels... lets see how many I get finished by May 1st.

First Sign of Fall ll

Number two in the series.

First Sign of Fall l

Considering there's a 18 inches of snow on the ground this isn't exactly seasonal, but... This will be available soon on Etsy as a print.