If you live in New England you will not want to miss this!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/560974620613223/

Busy Busy

Iv'e been crazy busy working on things I can't talk about yet. I can say that I have been working on a book by Edith Fine for Random House. I will post something when they give me the OK. In the meantime, I have some shots of a sets I designed for Arts Alive and their production of Aladdin kids back in February. 

I am probably the last person to have seen this but I am glad that I did!

Great little article as well.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671941/why-this-oscar-nominated-disney-short-looks-like-nothing-made-before?goback=%2Egde_2724799_member_216700069#1

Happy New Year!

Farewell to my friend, my mentor, and always my teacher.

Absolute integrity. My wife said it so wonderfully tonight, "Such a grounded man. A breathtaking talent... But so unaffected and sincere."
Here is Tom in his studio.

Guess

I added the quote for a hint and replaced the name with "he" Guess who this is in the comments.

A very personal post.

More Than Mice with Clothes On.

It was very quiet in the studio when I finished the call. I had just agreed to illustrate Following Grandfather, a short novel by Rosemary Wells. The Rosemary Wells, whose work as an illustrator, and a writer, I hold in the highest regard. She had asked the publisher for me. Naturally, I said.....yes. But after the excitement, the reading, and the meeting, came the quiet--and with it, the self doubt......

Read the rest of this essay and posts by so many artists and writers that I admire at The Pippin Insider. 
http://www.pippinproperties.com/blog/entry/more-mice-clothes/

Wowza, James Gurney is brilliant.

Heads up to all the color key and color script artists out there. Saw this courtesy of a tweet by Tony DiTerlizzi.

After you watch visit the link below for more information on gamut masking from this incredible artist.

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/part-3-gamut-masking-method.html

A few weeks ago, I promised a few more images..

Back at Halloween I promised a few more images from an Egyptian underworld film pitch that I worked on. The film was never made but I think the these images look pretty cool. Pardon the rough bits. If you ever worked on a development team you know how quickly these paintings need to be made!

Two of my books receive nominations!

So proud to see "Following Grandfather" (Rosemary Wells) and "Tugg and Teeny: That's What Friends Are For" ( J. Patrick Lewis ) on the list of nominees for the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book category of the 2012 Cybils Award! There are so many great books nominated this year. See the complete list here: http://www.cybils.com/2012-nominations-easy-readersearly-chapter-books.html

Just two years ago I was admiring the work of my friend Kelly Murphy (http://www.kelmurphy.com/books.html)  in this book category and wishing that I would have the opportunity to pursue some similar projects. The Universe responded with a wonderful Rosemary Wells manuscript and a three book series by Children's Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis. Fantastic. Now, lets see...what would be nice for 2013?

Many thanks to our friend Jamie Michalak (http://jamiedmichalak.blogspot.com/) for letting us know!

Happy Halloween!

As an illustrator known for chubby mice and tea drinking kitties it can be tough to find something to post for Halloween. I did however remember this last minute addition to a delivery on a film project. The film was never made but some of the art looked pretty cool and I will post some of it in the coming weeks. This sketch was created in the minutes before the meeting, and as it goes with these things, they loved it. Hope you do as well.

Happy Birthday to our little bear, Oliver!