Random week as an illustrator

One of the perks of being a children's book illustrator is that no two weeks (or days) are the same. There's a lot of multi-tasking and little boredom.

Below are some photos from a school visit and a couple of projects in the works. I have to say that working with the kids is the best part of my job. Thanks for taking a look!

Thank You notes and booklet with photos from the wonderful kids at Logan School for Creative Learning in Denver

Beaver puppet activity sheet for Three Little Beavers

You can see more activity sheets on the Three Little Beaver's Facebook page.

Work in progress for This Land Is Your Land

Work in progress for Pitter and Patter

One more spread from Pitter and Patter

And another...

And another book goes to press!

Official cover for The Prairie That Nature Built

I just got the final page proofs for this picture book for Dawn Publishing. It's my first book with them and I'm working on the second one now. They are wonderful to work with so I'm a happy camper or drawer in this case.

You've seen a few scenes from this book but I'll post a few more. The official release date is September 1, 2014.

This is the lightning that sparks a fire,
So red-hot and swift it moves without tire,
Flaming the flowers and blazing the grasses,
Chasing the animals rushing in masses.

This is the rain that splatters the ground,
And quenches the fire
that blazed all around.

Marybeth Lorbiecki is the author and it was a fun challenge to illustrate her words. And in case you're wondering, that's our dog, Crowley, who modeled for this spread and very much loves the prairie. It's fun to include a personal touch here and there when working on these books.