Alaska

I didn't post anything last week because my wife and I were on an Alaskian cruise. Beautiful scenery, whales, sea kayaking, wildlife, train rides, tasty food. It was a great trip. I'd reccomend it to anyone. I even took along my sketchbook and some watercolors. Didn't even use them. Okay, I sketched a few things, but very little. At least nothing I would want to post. I think there was just too much to take in or else I was a little seasick. It was a relaxing break from work, but unfortunatly, now it's time to get back to it. Maybe I will feel inspired from the trip and post something Alaska-ish later.



And, so this post has at least some artwork, here is a little sketch painting that I did the day before we left.

Doohicky

This is a little doodle that turned out kinda fun. Ink with some sepia washes. I had a small frame that it fit perfectly so, I framed it up and gave it to an old friend of mine named Birk Peterson. He is an amazing old man who builds miniature steam engines--actually, he can build anything. When he saw this little drawing he said he wanted to build it. I believe him. And it will probably work too. If anyone could do it Birk can.

Illustration Friday: Discovery

Prof. Sheman W. Dimpleshire pauses for tea before embarking on a new world of discovery.

Monster and girls

Some doodles from the sketchbook.

Sketch paintings 09

I haven't done a sketchy doodle for a while. Nothing much, but it's something.

The Planet Hunter

I just saw this on Amazon. "The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto" (Rising Moon Books) written by Elizabeth Rusch and illustrated by me is my newest picture book. It will be out in November. If you want to know what happened to Pluto, this might be the book for you. It was a very fun book to work on. They combined my artwork with actual photos. I haven't seen the final version yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. Watch for it.

Sub-Level 2 progress report 8

My desks are done! At least for now. One of my hold-ups was that I couldn't find the trim I wanted for the edges of the desk. I really wanted that 50's chrome look, but that stuff is hard to find. I ended up making my own out of the trim used to hold down carpet. It is actually one 1 1/5 strip with a 2 inch strip overlapping it. It took a lot of work, but I was really happy with the way it turned out. Once I had the trim in place I put 2-3 coats of clear epoxy on the top. Very glossy and juicy. It brought back that shiny bowling alley look. Once the fumes were gone and the epoxy cured I was able to move in my computers. Ahhhh. That feels better. I still have one more desktop to put in, but it needs cabinets under it first and I still need to build some closet doors. It's a never ending process.

Sidewalk Art

I'm one of several artists doing some sidewalk art at the Terra Nova gallery in Provo. 41 West 300 North, Provo, Utah. It is part of the Downtown Provo Gallery Stroll. Friday, July 6, 6-9pm. I'm still working on my piece now. Here is a little preview. All of you Utah folks come down and check it out. I'll post the final tomorrow.

4th of July!

For the 4th of July I drew this used sparkler for your veiwing pleasure. I think it turned out okay. Happy 4th and be careful with those fireworks. Pen & ink