A step-by-step COWBOY COW-TOON:

The latest issue of Boys' Quest magazine hits newsstands Feb. 1st featuring one of my illustrations on the cover. The theme of the issue was "Cowboys" and the whole process took about 2 days (a big chunk of the time was waiting for the magazine editor to approve my rough). Above is the printed cover and below is my original thumbnail sketch from my Official Sketchbook (a .99 cent notebook from CVS).

Below is the rough sketch on a "mock cover sheet" supplied by the magazine which I emailed to the editor. So the main character would get more space, I removed the cacti's cowboy hats and, although I LOVE to draw cacti, one of them became a horse!

After the rough was approved, I drew the finished illustration below lightly in pencil first and then inked it with rapidographs and Pigma Micron pens on Strathmore 500 series Bristol Plate (it's super smooth and never ever bleeds).

Then I scanned the ink work into Photoshop to colorize it. Quick & easy: I just filled the selected areas with color and used the brush tool to create highlights & shadows. The finished is below!

If you like step-by-step illustration tutorials, you should check out this blog: http://bobjinx.blogspot.com/ by the talented Bob Flynn!

What do Bizarre Boys become? CARTOONISTS!!!

You can tell from this Easter photo taken so many years ago, that I was destine for bizarre things! While my appropriately posed brothers grew up to have successful & respectable careers, I spend my days alone, surrounded by toys & comic books, drawing silly little pictures all day. HOW LUCKY AM I?
If you'd like to check out other bizarre things on a daily basis, check out author Bark King's blog at bartkings.blogspot.com!

The SECRETS of how CARTOONISTS work!

Ever wonder about the working habits of your favorite cartoonist? What's their favorite pencils, pens and paper? What training do they have and what inspires them? Well, all the secrets are now revealed on this blog david-wasting-paper.blogspot.com! I was even interviewed (Cartoonist Survey #53) and honored to be included with some of my favorite artists! Check it out!

(The above illustration is from Stepping Stones, a comic series I've illustrated for over 9 years!)

POCKETDOODLES FOR BOYS is coming!!!

My new book Pocketdoodles for Boys hits bookstores on March 1st, 2010! It offers hundreds of bizarre activities so you can doodle until your brain is mush...and you don't have to be a boy or have pockets to enjoy it!