Posted on February 17, 2025 by James
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I recently was asked if I would come for a return visit to a local middle school. I did a presentation explaining about various art careers, as well as a breakdown of my illustration process for children’s books. I thought I would share just…
Category: Blog Tags: alien, Arizona artist, artist, cartoon, Character Design, character designer, children's book illustrator, creature, drawing, illustration, illustrator, monster, professional, school, school presentation, school visit, talking about art careers, talking about illustrating, talking about making books, talking about my illustration process
Posted on November 15, 2024 by James
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I had a really fun time illustrating and designing this book cover for a middle grade school novel called “Samuel Ash and the Grasshoppers of Doom”. This was a fun manuscript to read and a fun cover to create! As with all book covers,…
Category: Blog Tags: Arizona artist, artist, book, bugs, chapter book, cover design, cover designer, creature, creature design, creature designer, cricket, grasshopper, grasshopper of doom, high school, illustration, illustrator, insects, middle grade, monster, novel, young adult
Posted on October 17, 2024 by James
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I was simply doodling one evening, and randomly sketched out a Creature From the Black Lagoon style swamp monster girl. I gave her a bit of an 80’s style prom dress and corsage. And then that led to drawing her a date… I sketched…
Category: Blog Tags: adorable, animated, awkward, cartoon, Character Design, character designer, concept art, concept artist, creature, creature design, creature designer, Creature from the Black Lagoon, cute, doodle, drawing, endearing, funny, illustration, monster, ocean, prom dress, prom photo, prom tux, sea, silly, sketch, swamp monster, ugly, water
Posted on May 4, 2021 by James
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So when I was in elementary school, I had a dream about these weird little shrimp critters with glowing numbered balls… In my childhood dream, they were quite small and running all around my bedroom floor, each with a different number. They would bump…
Category: Blog Tags: 6 legged, Arizona artist, ball, bug, cartoonist, character, character designer, childhood, creature, creature designer, creepy, critter, cute, doodle, drawing, elementary school, funny, glowing, goofy, insect, kid, monster, numbered, odd, orb, ping pong, pink, racing, recreated, shrimp, silly, sketch, then and now, weird
Posted on March 16, 2021 by James
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I randomly sketched this grumpy little monster guy in my sketchbook recently. Not sure where he came from, but I really like his look a lot! I gave him a giant helmet that pretty much protects his whole body. I imagine that maybe he…
Category: Blog Tags: angry, Arizona artist, artist, artwork, biker, Character Design, character designer, creature, creature design, creature designer, critter, doodle, drawing, funny, grouchy, illustration, illustrator, mad, monster, motorcycle rider, orange, silly, sketch, sketchbook, small, striped, wearing helmet
Posted on January 15, 2020 by James
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A little drawing sparked something in me recently… Some good friends of ours have a daughter who loves drawing monsters– I really loved this one she did! His name is Charly. It inspired me to draw a version of him myself! It’s so fun…
Category: Blog Tags: adorable, Arizona artist, artist, artwork, brush pen, child, copic, creative, cute, cyclops, dapper, drawing, happy, illustration, illustrator, inked drawing, inspiration, kid, kid drawings, markers, monster, newsie, newspaper boy, pencil sketch, prismacolor, red, sketch, sketchbook, sweet, travel sketchbook
Posted on January 6, 2020 by James
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I hope this New Year helps you all take flight! I am wishing you great new hopes & dreams for this year! This is a happy little horned monster, using his newly-made flying contraption. Sketched & inked in my travel sketchbook. And here’s my…
Category: Blog Tags: 2020 vision, artist, artwork, brush pen, brush pens, creature, devil, doodle, drawing, flying, flying contraption, goals, green, green hair, happy, horns, illustration, imp, ink drawing, learn to fly, marker drawing, monster, new year, ohuhu markers, silly, sketch, soaring, travel sketchbook
Posted on November 10, 2019 by James
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I’m super excited to share about our latest children’s book! It’s called Seymour Monster McBean and features this timid little green guy. So what started Seymour Monster McBean? Well, M.B. Roosa saw this monster illustration I drew and it inspired her to write a…
Category: Blog Tags: adorable, all shapes and sizes, bedtime, children's book illustrator, children's books, creatures, cute, indie books, indie publishing, kid's books, monster, monsters, picture book, scared, Seymour Monster McBean, shy, sweet
Posted on June 26, 2019 by James
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We had some guests at our home and I brought out my monster-making sheets. The kids picked out the features they wanted me to draw for this guy. They made sure it was a challenge! Furry and Tentacles? Bug eyes AND a Helmet? Here’s…
Category: Blog Tags: Arizona artist, artwork, bug eyed, cartoon, concept art, concept artist, creative, creature, creature design, creature designer, doodle, drawing, fun, funny, furry, fuzzy, goofy, helmet, holding spear, illustration, imagination, imaginative, monster, pajamas, silly, sketch, tentacled, tentacles, wearing, weird, with teddy bear
Posted on June 24, 2019 by James
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Had fun practicing more with my Chameleon Color Fading Markers… They allow you to fade the color, and as you use them, the color turns back to full saturation. They take some getting used to, but I’m starting to feel more confident using these…
Category: Blog Tags: artist, black, cartoon, cartoonist, chameleon markers, cute, doodle, drawing, funny, furry, fuzzball, fuzzy, gray, hairball, illustrator, markers, monster, silly, sketch
Posted on June 19, 2019 by James
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Here’s a teaser poster for our new children’s book, coming out later this year! I am so excited to be partnering with my Mother-in-law again, for this fun book! This will be our 2nd children’s book together. What do YOU think the story might…
Category: Blog Tags: adorable, Arizona artist, artwork, cartoon, children's book, children's book illustrator, coming soon, creature, critter, cuddly, cute, drawing, eyes, green, illustration, image, kid's book, monster, peeking, picture book, poster, sneak peek, teaser
Posted on May 28, 2019 by James
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Remember that alien warrior and the octopus beast from earlier? (See the original here) Here is the artwork now colored! On social media, I was curious to know what people thought the story was here… I got responses like: -She’s a hunter fighting alien…
Category: Blog Tags: alien, aliens, artist, artist online, beaked, beast, brush pen, bug, cartoonist, cockroach, coolgirl, doodle, drawing, fight, green, illustration, illustrator, markers, monster, ocean, octopus, ohuhu markers, pink, pink hair, raining, science fiction, scifi, scifi art, sketch, space, strong girl, warrior
Posted on April 24, 2019 by James
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I drew 2 things in my sketchbook – an alien monster beast with tentacles & an alien warrior girl. I planned to combine them later into one image… Here’s the initial black & white combo of the 2 drawings. What do you think the…
Category: Blog Tags: alien, alien girl, Arizona artist, artist, artists online, attacking, beak, black and white, bowie knife, concept art, cool art stuff, creature, deep sea, drawing, fantasy, fighter, fighting, girl, illustration, illustrator, monster, science fiction, scifi, scifi art, sketch, tentacles, tough girl, travel sketchbook, warrior, with dagger
Posted on June 19, 2018 by James
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Random idea I had… a Cobra Bear! A Cobrear? If this showed up while you were playing Dungeons & Dragons, what would you do? I love drawing animal concept art mashups. I never get tired of drawing monsters and creatures! For this one, my…
Category: Blog Tags: artist, artist for hire, artwork, bear, beast, cartoon, cobra, cobrear, concept art, concept artist, cool art, copic, creature, creature design, creature designer, D & D, doodle, drawing, Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy, fantasy art, fantasy artist, illustration, illustrator, ink, inked, markers, monster, orange, sketch
Posted on May 2, 2018 by James
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Here’s a quick doodle of a bizarre little lizard creature. I had sketched and inked it by hand in my Travel Sketchbook. I’m really starting to love the Copic brush pen I’ve been using. It was a little tricky to get used to at…
Category: Blog Tags: alien, art, artist, bizarre, cartoon, concept art, copic, creature design, creature designer, cute, desert, drawing, fantasy, fantasy art, iguana, illustration, illustrator, inked, lizard, markers, monster, Murloc, sketch, sketchbook, ugly, ugly cute, weird, whimsical
