Beary Christmoose

I made this today for an invitation to a hot cocoa party we're having next week.

Some guy- caricature attempt

This was a pencil sketch colored in photoshop.

IF: Scale

(Images can be clicked to view larger.)I did this a while ago. Been out of it for a while. Need to do more. Still need to finish the "Leafy Bug"- have just been exhausted lately and not wanting to do anything.

"Leafy Bug" Sketch

I figured I'd try to do an in progress step by step thing. This will hopefully motivate me to get some work done on this in time to post before Illustration Friday puts up a new topic. The topic this week is Extremes. My boys were extremely excited to find this extremely interesting bug in our back yard. It's a "leafy bug" and is their favorite bug now thanks to its extremely clever camouflage. So here's the sketch and hopefully tomorrow we will have the next step.

16 OCT 07
"Leafy Bug" Value Study

I don't always do this step but for this one I did. I like to determine the values and see if my composition is working. I think it's headed in the right direction so tomorrow I will paint over with color- Hopefully we'll have a finished piece tomorrow.

IF: Open

This is just my 3 year old Jake opening wide for a sip from the hose. He's a good kid, we tried several times before I got the right shot. He got a kick out of it though.

Edit 5-20-2011-   Jake is now almost 7.  I used this for an Illustration Friday post a few years ago but thought it fit nicely with this week's topic.  I mean what three year old can drink out of the hose without getting soaked?

Check it out.

Hey friends. I finally updated my website. Take a look... please let me know if you find any problems. Please let me know if you like it. Feel free to give me a job if you're in a position to do so. Just click on the moose.

Israel Dodge Allphin

This is my great great grandfather Israel Dodge Allphin. He was an early settler of Pine Valley, Utah in 1862.





This is him again in color.

Nate the Snake

You are aware, I'm sure, of Nate the Snake. Your not? Well Nate the Snake is infact the greatest hero of all time. Movie Star, role model, Idol, all around super guy, one heck of a dancer, and he's a snake. He's the greatest thing since... I don't know what. Anyway, this is his story... well technically its the story of Steve and Jed. Steve and Jed were Nate's biggest fans. Everything they did was based on a simple philosophy: What Would Nate Do? To say they worshipped Nate would be an understatement. To make a long story short, and for the sake of time, we will just say- no one loved Nate more than Steve and Jed.
As often happens, Steve and Jed were out for leisurely drive through the desert. As you very well know, in the desert there is a rather large lever in the middle of the road. This is no ordinary lever. This lever, if switched will utterly and completely destroy the entire planet. It just so happened on this drive through the desert that Steve and Jed were approaching the lever at an incredible rate of speed. There are signs to warn about the lever of course, so Steve and Jed were perfectly safe. However, as Steve tried to slow the truck down the brakes went out. As they neared the lever they saw something ahead in the road. It was Nate. They swerved right to avoid Nate but then they were headed for the lever. They swerved to avoid the lever but there was Nate.
Oh they were in it bad. On the one hand they didn't want to flip the switch and destroy the world. On the other hand, they just couldn't run over Nate the Snake and kill the biggest star in the world, their idol, their hero. Back and forth they swerved... Lever...Nate...back to Lever. Finally the time had come and Steve had to make a choice. He cranked the wheel to the left and world was safe. Through their tears, Steve and Jed agreed: it was Better Nate than Lever.

IF: Visitors

I did this a few years back. I reworked some of it briefly today. I think it fits in the topic. Wanted to do something but am too busy this week with other stuff to try for a new piece. Let me know if you like it.

IF: Captain

I know- everyone else has already done a pirate, but who cares. So a while back I saw this pirate on the amazing Mel Milton's blog. I absolutely loved the telescope and his hand holding it so I borrowed that part and it sort of became this whole thing here. Thanks Mel, please don't sue me.