Miss Blake Is A Flake!
This funny book written by Dan Gutman is in bookstores starting today. It was a blast to illustrate. Everything that can be found in fancy, big city literature can be found here: bears, Beaver Scouts, feinting, natural disasters and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It's all there.
Art and Friendship
I recently created this piece just for the fun of it. I hope everyone has a fun holiday time full of friends and art.
Full Speed Ahead Into Fall!
This is one of a few pieces I recently completed for National Wildlife Federation. While chipmunks are fun to draw I really get a kick out of using Fall colors.
Chocolate
Did you know that Napoleon, the French Emperor, loved chocolate? He insisted that it be given to him during battles. The new My Weird School book, Pizza, Peanut Butter, and Pickles, is jam packed with cool and weird facts like that one and is now available at a friendly book store. Written by Dan Gutman and art by me. It's a super fun book.
Ick's Bleh Day
I love Ick and Crud - two pals who always get into mischief. Writer, Wiley Blevins. Thanks, Redchair Press!
Haunted Beans!
Do you know why the ancient Greeks didn't eat beans? Because they thought beans contained the souls of the dead. That's true! I learned that tidbit when I did the art for My Weird School Fast Facts: Mummies, Myths, and Mysteries by Dan Gutman. It's a pretty fun book that breaks all my personal rules about the idea that books and learning and fun could all coexist in a 185 page bundle of weirdness.
Miss Porter Is Out Of Order!
So this funny little book is now at your local bookstore. A.J. and the gang are getting a substitute, but Miss Porter isn't a normal teacher. She's a computer. A personal digital assistant, to be precise. Miss Porter knows weird jokes and can get pizza delivered by drone. But what happens when Miss Porter turns out to be the opposite of fun? I can't tell you what happens because that would break the Royal Oath of Silence all illustrators must take before they do art for books. It is a heavy burden I carry.
On The Trail Again
Just added another page to my hiking trail sketchbook. Hieroglyphic Trail is an easy hike that enters a boulder-filled canyon. The Hohokam, who inhabited the area up to 1500 years ago, etched hundreds of petroglyphs onto the canyon walls and rocks. Lots of history there.
Solar Eclipse
Animals act strangely during a solar eclipse. Did you know that bees don't buzz during a solar eclipse? And some spiders tear down their webs and cows often return to their barns. It's all true. These fun facts brought to you by science and Ra, the angry but benevolent Sun God. (thanks for the art assignment, Nat'l Wildlife Federation)
Ms. Hall Is A Goofball!
So this funny little book just hit the bookstores this week. This is the 74th book (I think) Dan Gutman and I have done together. It’s so great to work with such a funny and talented guy.
Dogs, Cats, and Dung Beetles
Do you know what vultures do to animals that attack them? They throw up on them! Do you need any more reasons than that to love vultures? Dan Gutman brings the knowledge in another funny Fast Facts book, Dogs, Cats, and Dung Beetles.
But really, aren't we all winners?
Sometimes it's fun entering art contests. Here's a little piece I did for the fun of it. I found out today that it was chosen by Creative Quarterly as "Winner - Runner Up". Woo-hoo. Time to celebrate with some oreos and a cowboy movie.
Dinosaurs rule!
Here's a pretty fun book that hit the bookstores recently. It's filled with goofy but true facts about prehistoric creatures. I got a kick out of drawing dinosaurs of all kinds plus lots of extinct animals that I wish were still alive and in my backyard. All I am asking for is a couple of Woolly mammoths and maybe a dodo bird or two. I don't think the neighbors would mind.
Ben Rocks!
Meet Awesome Ben from Virginia. He’s a new friend of mine who loves to read and draw. He also loves My Weird School books, Nascar and pizza. I am blown away by his creative skills. Hopefully, when Dan Gutman and I retire he can take over the vast My Weird School Empire!
So this funny little book hit the bookstore shelves today. Ms. Tracy helps the kids put on a play about the universe. Each student gets to be a planet. Guess who gets to be Uranus? How could I not love illustrating this?
Ick's Bleh Day
Here's a page from a new book - Ick's Bleh Day - from Funny Bone Books. Written by Wiley Blevins, this book is the first of a new series from Red Chair Press. Ick and Crud are best buddies who have a way of turning even the most ho-hum day into an adventure.
Let the Games Begin!
Something weird is going on here! I am pleased and excited to announce that all of the My Weird School kids have their own game. Woohoo!