the wrath and the dawn

I am just returned from this wonderful thing, where it was cold and glorious and cold and uplifting and awe-inspiring and cold and fantastic and freezing and fun and COLD. 

The mind-numbing temperatures, the great company of old friends, and the serendipitous meeting of amazing new friends prompted this post. The image above is some artwork to promote Renée Ahdieh's YA debut, The Wrath and the Dawn. 

See it in action here as her Twitter banner! 

You can also go to our respective tumblrs to see more artwork in the same vein (with more to come).

Also be on the lookout for the sequel and conclusion to Wrath coming out 3 May 2016 under the intriguing moniker, The Rose and the Dagger. 

Believe it or not, the above image actually started out as this sketch:

"For that, I won't even try to play fair"
(The Wrath and the Dawn)

There's a lesson here about what can happen when you open yourself up to change and new ideas and new possibilities, but I'm too bushwhacked from the weekend to figure that out right now. I leave you with this open ending.

medium: watercolor and gouache, some marker on that sketch (though the text and watermarks are pretty digital)

self portrait

So the past few posts were basically me throwing a whole lot of stuff at the internet. I find I'm at peace with that.

This last post (which is 5 out of what turned out to be 5 posts) was a self-portrait assigned by Ms. Frazee. This piece was a turning point for me: it was one of those delicate wooden puzzle boxes that you fiddle and fiddle and fiddle with til something clicks! and it opens! followed by a long while of "wait, what, how did that go again, what was the sequence....argh, why did I close it!" and you fiddle to get it open again.

It gets easier by-and-by, but that first time is pivotal because now you know it can open and you can open it. You're not just a clumsy oaf who can't open puzzle boxes.

medium: WATERCOLOR. I'm pretty damn sure this time. 

twinkle twinkle

Posting a few old portfolio things to begin making way for new portfolio things! Part 4/I-don't-know.

These next few story bits and pieces are from a few years ago, specifically from the classroom of great illustrator whisperer, Marla Frazee. 

Text by Jane Taylor:

medium: I'm going to say watercolor and pencil and be pretty confident about that.

untitled: that starry night

Posting a few old portfolio things to begin making way for new portfolio things! Part 3/I-don't-know.

These next few story bits and pieces are from a few years ago, specifically from the classroom of great illustrator whisperer, Marla Frazee. 

A turning point in a father-son relationship:

(I hate fishing...)

medium: I'm like 98.75% sure this is watercolor....(but really that damn 1.25%....)

chicken little

Posting a few old portfolio things to begin making way for new portfolio things! Part 2/I-don't-know.

These next few story bits and pieces are from a few years ago, specifically from the classroom of great illustrator whisperer, Marla Frazee. 

I still think is funny...(I might be the only one):

(this is all at various levels of finish....because that's apparently how I rolled in 2014)

medium: pretty sure this is watercolor...

the boy who cried wolf

Posting a few old portfolio things to begin making way for new portfolio things! Part 1/I-don't-know.

These next few story bits and pieces are from a few years ago, specifically from the classroom of great illustrator whisperer, Marla Frazee. 

A variation of The Boy Who Cried Wolf:

medium: mostly watercolor, I think....can't remember (alas!)