"Draw Yourself as a Teen"

"Drawn" posted a challenge today hosted by someone on LiveJournal, so I thought I'd join in. The task was to "draw your teenage self."

Pretty scary stuff. The Warner Brothers Studio Store pretty made bank on my coin alone. As the illustration shows, I didn't date much. Anyway, here's what I added.

"Hey Chief. I'm being printed."

As exclaimed by a moose on a napkin.

Come meet the "Moose" in Maine one day!

Here's some downright nifty news on the book front:
L.L. Bean has expressed interest in promoting our next book: "I Met a Moose in Maine One Day" and is incorporating us into their annual Fourth of July weekend extravaganza at their flagship store in Freeport, Maine. Ed and I will be there to promote the book in what looks to be a big event, complete with fireworks, Maine-ish stuff to do, and free nightly concerts. So hey, come on up and join me. We'll eat lobster.

UPDATE: We'll be in the book department of the flagship store for the sale and signing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 5th. We'll read, sign, chat, sing, dance and model camping gear. Maybe. No promises. Also, that night, Daryl Hall will play live in the park.

It's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.

"Hit it." I found this sketch while going through some stuff the other day. Think I'll clean it up and color it soon.

Why is this Balloony so happy?

... because "The Boston Balloonies" is still up on the Amazon.com Hot New Releases in Books list, and it's thanks to you. The viewer.

Snow Day Polar Bear

What better way to enjoy a rare, work-less snow day, right? I liked the sketchy quality of the first image, but decided to clean him up a bit.

Silly Samurai. You can't fly.

But he sure is trying. You have to respect that. Here's the other character I sketched up for John and his team, as well as his 3-d self.

Ninja wants a hug.

psst ... don't give him one. They tend to have various sharp items stowed away in dark places.

Here's a character design I did for my buddy John Vielee, an animation student at NYU. My sketches are currently being modeled into the 3-d characters by his peer, Koichi Nakai, and John will ultimately animate them. Check out John's blog documenting his thesis.

Balloony Web Invasion

They're popping up all over the place.

Book 2 moving along ...

To my surprise, our second book will be released much earlier than anticipated. When, you say? What's the title, you ask? Where can I see it, you beg, wiping tears of joy from your eyes? All will be revealed.

...

That was needlessly dramatic.

"Stay tuned."

That's better.

Another day, another bear in a tiny hat

For the flickr group ...

Sketchcast Doodle Friday

Maybe it'll be a regular thing. Stay tuned.

Flickr submission: Bear in ill-fitting hat

Here's my contribution to the "future of ursine headcoverings."
Ben Dale, if you're reading ... you know what to do.

Mmmm ...

Here's some character art from a packaging job a did a few months ago for Agripet. What is it? Why, it's Nutrition in every nibble. Turns out pets love plants. Give them what they crave – sweet, nutritious oat grass. Or in the case of the random pairing of images I've assembled above, give your iguana some catnip. (Don't really give your iguana some catnip.)

Anyway, finally saw the packaging pop up in a local food market so it's fresh on my brain.

Like a freshly mowed lawn. That we can ... eat.

What?

The Boston Balloonies - Coming Soon

Ed Shankman, a long-time friend and colleague, has penned a small masterpiece in The Boston Balloonies, a story I'm proud to call my first illustrative venture into the world of children's books. Published by the fine folks over at Commonwealth Editions, Balloonies should be hitting stands in March and April.

Keep coming back here to check out all the places, both internet-ish and real world-y, that these crazy little guys pop up.

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my blog. Excited? You should be. Why? Well now, the posts to come will determine that, won't they?

Won't they.

Wink.