Wednesday, September 8, 2010

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!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

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.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

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.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

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.

Monday, June 28, 2010

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!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Sunday, March 28, 2010

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.)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

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.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Monday, February 1, 2010

Rough Page Layout



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

Thursday, January 28, 2010

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!