Champ=Champ

I got some good news today: The Mom's Choice Awards, who have previously awarded gold seals to our other books, have awarded "Champ and Me by the Maple Tree" with a gold seal in the picture books category. Three out of four ain't bad!

Toy Designs: Topozoo

I've had the pleasure of taking my first shot at toy design thanks to the fine folk at Geared For Imagination. Concept by Ryan Hamilton, design and silhouettes by yours truly, we created Topozoo.

What is Topozoo? A wood puzzle? A building system? A craft project? YES! Topozoo allows you to create incredible creatures, limited only by your imagination. The more pieces you collect, the more possibilities - over 1200 combinations in one set alone. Match them, mix them and make them uniquely yours. The best part? They are made right here in the good 'ol U.S. of A.

Here are some pictures from our first three sets: Dinos, Safari and Monsters.

Banjo Pig, the pig with a banjo.

Thought I'd do another Banjo-Pig for Dueling Banjo Pigs. Here's a pig with said banjo. Banjo pig.

Wow, Big Day

We got tons of great press and good news today. First off, "The Cods of Cape Cod" is now a Mom's Choice Gold Award Winner, for Children's Picture Book-Humor. This comes on the heals of our best-seller and fan favorite "I Met a Moose in Maine One Day"winning the same award last year.

Next, we received another amazing review at our old friends at Jolly Mom. Check it out and enter to win a book! She wrote this very kind quote, which we love: "If you've never read a Shankman and O'Neil children's book, you and your kids are surely missing out. Their books are instant classics. They are our generation's Dr. Seuss. Truly. These are books that your kids will want you to read over and over. And, you won't even mind because they are so enchanting." ... Too kind.

Lastly, Ed and I got some local press for "Champ and Me by the Maple Tree" as well. You can read that great article over at myveronanj.com. It sports an awesome title: "Monster, He Wrote" HA!

Onward and upward.

My new book trailer

The Tortoise and the Hares

Doodle doodle doodle ...

Dueling Banjo Pigs

I read over at Drawn today that artists Stacy Curtis and Guy Francis have started a fun blog calling for artists to submit illustrations of pigs playing banjos! The name? Why, Dueling Banjo Pigs, of course! I was on a recent Mythbusters kick, so here's what I submitted. Poor, poor banjo-pickin' pig Buster.

Jamie Hyneman?

I'm a bit bored today so I thought I'd try my hand at some caricature, something I'm horribly afraid of. So, here's Jamie Hyneman, Mythbuster guru. I'd love some feedback, tips, whatever ya got! Let's talk. Thanks!

Our New 5' Stand Up

Ah, but will it fit in the 'ol Civic? Time, my friends, will tell.

Book Contest: Win a Signed Copy of "Champ and Me by the Maple Tree"

Head on over to our Facebook page for details!

4

Trying to have a bit of fun with it today ...

Day 3

Day 2

Hello, my name is Dave ... and I don't draw hands. (Hiiii Daaaaave)

I'm guilty of getting very lazy when it comes to certain disciplines, one of which is drawing hands. So, this week is hand-drawing week. My goal is to post one set of hands per day and hopefully improve through practice! Fellow 'toonists, please offer up your comments, crits and suggestions. Lend a hand. (sorry.)

Fun with Harmony

I had a little "rainy Saturday morning" fun playing around with Harmony, a cool little online drawing tool that I found on Drawn.

Sneak Peak

Here's an interior from "Champ and Me by the Maple Tree", due out this summer.

(click image to bigify)

Final "Champ" Cover

Evolution of a "Champ" Cover

Here's a sampling of rough ideas for the cover of "Champ and Me by the Maple Tree." The last is the winner.

Rough Page Layout

This is a rough layout for one of the pages in our new book "Champ and Me by the Maple Tree."

Ye NEW Moose cover!

Moose takes the gold! Yup, we've been awarded the Gold Seal for Children's Picture Book/Humor from the Mom's Choice Awards. Thanks, Mom's Choice!