Baby New Year 2023

Getting ready to kick in the New Year! 🎉

I've been doing variations of this image every couple of years. Each time, a slightly different look.

Kickin in the new year!!!

Months Later: More #MerMay with #Mer-Kat

Back in May, I wanted to do the #mermaychallenge, an online event where artists draw and share their mermaid illustrations during the entire month of May. But I knew I had limited time, with everything happening that month (buying a new home/moving/fixing up the old home to sell), and a full-time job.

The inked version of "Octo-Pussy", using a Kuretake brush pen on Canson marker paper

I created Mer-Kat, a hybrid kitten/mermaid. I felt this was such a fun new character to explore. Life underwater with a feline-based personality.

The original pencil sketch, the background was later adjusted during inking, to create a better composition

Above is the sketch I did some time at the beginning of May. Got busy. Put the image aside, which then got grouped into other piles of papers and sketches, transferred to the new home, and pretty much was temporarily lost. So here are the original "found" pencils, and the inked version I was able to do over the weekend.

I plan to color this image sometime in the future.

More #MerMay with #Mer-Kat

Another Mer-Kat image for MerMay2019. Borrowed a fish image I did a few weeks back. Encountering the obnoxious BelchFish.

Arrrggghhh! It's Another Quick Sketch Video: Mer-Kat ( for #MerMay2019 )

So with work, moving to a new home, and many other things making May insanely busy, I still wanted to do a few #MerMay images for 2019. This little character popped into my head as a good mascot for the month-long drawing challenge. Not only do I like the character concept, but the name is a great little play on words: Mer-Kat. (I'm sure fans of actual meerkats won't find it as amusing.)

First #MerMay image of #Mer-Kat for 2019

I decided to record the 35+ minutes it took to create this image and speed it up to a more Internet consumable 4-5 minutes. (I think I still need to edit out the boring fish segment of the video . . .  just runs on too long with not much happening.) The YouTube link is embedded below.

Christmas Card 2018

This will probably only make sense to people who buy toilet paper. If you don't get the joke, go out and buy toilet paper soon.

Christmas Card concept for 2018

Ruth Vader Ginsburg

Some time ago my sister-in-law, Steph, asked me to do this image. She never mentioned why, but I had fun creating it. So now I'm sharin' . . .

Pencil sketched, then inked with a Pentel brush pen and colored
with Copic markers (on Canson marker paper.)

Inktober 2018 - Day31 Slice

Inktober 2018 - Day31 Slice
Well, time to say goodbye to Inktober. It's been fun, at times exhausting, and seeing others' line work has been truly inspiring. Thanks to all kind comments, emails, and likes; it really does mean a lot to me. Until next October . . . keep inking!

This image was inked with a Pilot brush pen on Strathmore toned tan paper,
using a Signo white pen for highlights.

Inktober 2018 - Day29 Double

Inktober 2018 - Day29 Double
As the image states, to this day, I still get the creeps from this scene in the Shining. In my college years, I was utterly blown away by Stanley Kubrick's work. I started collecting all DVDs of his movies, watching them over and over again. The man could truly capture a mood and is in my opinion, the most celebrated director of placement, framing, and composition.

He did take many liberties and altered Steven King's original story, but he definitely created something unique, horrific, and timeless.

Brush pen inked with digital coloring

Inktober 2018 - Day27 Thunder

Inktober 2018 - Day27 Thunder
Every once in a while, I really enjoy inking on toned tan paper. Something about that neutral tone that makes the black lines and white highlights pop. Mitch has inspired me to write the first draft for his own picture book story.

Inked with a brush pen on Strathmore toned tan paper;
using a Signo white pen for highlights, and adding some shading tones with cool grey Copic markers

Inktober 2018 - Day 25 Prickly

Inktober 2018 - Day 25 Prickly
I'm starting to think Todd's not going to survive Inktober.

Inktober 2018 - Day24 Chop

Inktober 2018 - Day24 Chop
Initially, I was going to use this character (Arnie Geddon) for all the Inktober images. But life and work have priorities, (especially when having to start planning product development for 2019 Halloween products this week.)

I've had this image for a while and waited for this day to post it. I thought this would be a good concept for a morbidly cute alphabet picture book -- but it would be a tough sell. But . . . I could see it as a novelty picture book for adults and possibly offer it up as a Kickstarter project to fund the printing.

This image was inked with a Pilot brush pen on Strathmore toned tan paper; using a Signo white pen for highlights.

The original artwork scan without digital text and enhancing contrast

See the original sketch of this character here.

Inktober 2018 - Day23 Muddy

Inktober 2018 - Day23 Muddy

Pen brush inked and then digitally colored

Inktober 2018 - Day 21 Drain

Inktober 2018 - Day 21 Drain
Todd! Only a little more than a week to go!

Poor Todd was inked with a brush pen and then digitally colored in Photoshop

Inktober 2018 - Day17 Swallon

Inktober 2018 - Day17 Swallon
Ah, good ol' Phorlp, from the hypochondriac planet of Bleh. 👽

Brushpen inked and digitally colored with Photoshop

Inktober 2018 - Day16 Angular I hate when this happens.

Inktober 2018 - Day16 Angular
I hate when this happens.

Brush pen inked, then scanned into Photoshop for digital coloring

Inktober 2018 - Day15 Weak

Inktober 2018 - Day15 Weak 

Catching up on catching up and approaching the halfway mark!

Digitally colored

Inktober 2018 - Day14 Clock

Inktober 2018 - Day14 Clock
Still doing "posting catch-up" with Inktober 2018. This one was a struggle. My original idea was way too much dark humor; so I came up with this instead.

Inked using a Pentel brush pen on Canson marker paper.

Inktober 2018 - Day13 Guarded

Inktober 2018 - Day13 Guarded
Giggleberry!!!

Brush pen inked, then scanned into Photoshop for digital coloring

Inktober 2018 - Day12 Whale

Inktober 2018 - Day12 Whale
I have fallen behind on posting these images. I swear it takes longer sometimes to post this stuff than it is to draw this stuff. Anyway, here we go with the catching up.

Original inked image and digital tone + type

Inktober 2018 - Day10 Cruel

Inktober 2018 - Day10 Cruel
If you think this is bad, you should see Cruel Joke #14.

Digitally colored image