The last sketch I did for Wings of Wonder- a raptor rehabilitation center in Empire, Michigan. Check out their site- http://www.wingsofwonder.org/

This is a very small owl. Not much bigger than a sparrow.

Sketch #4 for Wings of Wonder- a raptor rehabilitation center in Empire, Michigan. Check out their site-http://www.wingsofwonder.org/
You gotta love owls. Don't you? I mean, it's in the Constitution, right? Article 7, chapter 12, line 9b of the Bill or Rights."Love owls or leave." Right? I'm posting this on Facebook so it's gotta be true. ;)
Ink, 2004

Sketch number 3 "Vulture"- for Wings of Wonder- a raptor rehabilitation center in Empire, Michigan. WCheck out their site- http://www.wingsofwonder.org/

A little WOW birding tip- "When you're driving along on the highway and you see big birds hovering high over head further down the road, the way you tell the vultures from the hawks is that the vultures are quite tippy as they slide about upon the updrafts."
Ink, 2004.

Sketch number 2 for Wings of Wonder- a raptor rehabilitation center in Empire, Michigan. Check out their site- http://www.wingsofwonder.org/
They have these long, barn-like enclosures for the big raptors. And if your real nice they let you go in and stand there while the vultures and hawks swoop back and forth just above your head. An invigorating experience.
Ink, 2004.

A few years back my son Gabriel Faulkner and I visited Wings of Wonder- a raptor rehabilitation center in Empire, Michigan. What a cool place. Check out their site- http://www.wingsofwonder.org/
They were so kind to us I decided to create a few drawings for them. Here's one. More to follow. Ink, 2004.

Cover to a graphic novel trilogy based on the childhood of Malidome Some in his tribe, the Dagara of Bhurkina Faso, West Africa. Written by Malidome and me and illustrated by me. Water color and gouache, 2006/7. The cover shows an image of a Kontomblé. Kontomblé are the "little people" or Faerie folk of Malidome's culture. 3 year old Malidome had a terrifying, life changing experience with this fellow when he chased a rabbit into the bush.

My demo for Character Design Class at AAU/San Francisco. Water color and pencil, 2008. The class was told to bring in a single object for a still life. Didn't give them any direction on what sort of object to bring in.  Gave them 1/2 hour to paint a still life with object in just brown and blue and 1/2 hour to paint a political illustration using the object as center piece in brown, blue and one other primary or secondary color.

Final art for "Gray Dwarves" for Dungeons and Dragons. Are they grumpy enough? Gouache and water color, 2002.

This was my second shot at sketching the "Gray Dwarves" for Dungeons and Dragons. The first sketch was (posted yesterday) had lots of problems and I wasn't surprised that it was canned. D and D, however, was very happy with this one. Final color illustration posted tomorrow. Pencil, 2002

"Gray Dwarves", pencil sketch #1, Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, 2002

Water color and gouache sketches, 2009. These are the finished color character sketches for the El Raton and Tooth Faerie project.

Pencil sketch, 2009 for a book I'd been asked to illustrate which covered the relationship between The Tooth Faerie and El Raton- her Hispanic counterpart. Project never came together... luckily for me as just weeks after this the contract for "Gaijin"- the graphic novel I've been working on- came through with Disney/Hyperion.

My father's eyes.

Silverpoint (drawn with a piece of silver on primed masonite), 5" x 7", 2004. On Christmas night, after everyone had gone home following the family dinner, I asked my Dad to sit for a quick portrait. He wasn't doing well by then- labored breathing, oxygen tank with him at all times, pale and tired. But he was happy to sit for me and let me draw him. And I'm so happy to have this memory of him. I miss you Dad. Happy Father's Day.

A child with her pacifier and character sketches for "You're On Your Way Teddy Roosevelt" by Judith St. George and illustrated by yours truly. Pencil, 2003.

Studies for a chess piece- "The Good King", pencil, 2003. I would take these sketches and turn them into chess pieces made of Sculpy II. Love that Sculpy II stuff. I have some photos of the chess pieces which I'll post soon.

Pencil sketch for Dungeon and Dragons "Monster Manual", 2003.  I think that D and D is wonderful and am happy to have had the assignment but I did have some difficulty in containing the giggles when I drew characters for them. They take their characters very seriously and want their artists (or at least me) to follow their character descriptions to the letter. For instance, they took umbrage with the fact that I put warts on the chest of the female warrior in the center and wanted me to clean her up a bit. I don't know. I thought she looked pretty clean just like this.

Final art for WallStreetJournal Classroom Edition article, gouache and watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold press paper, 1998.

This was the alternate sketch (yesterday's post showed the sketch they did print) for the WallStreetJournal Classroom Edition assignment. I remember the art director laughing quite a bit when she reviewed this with me but she thought the content was just too over the top for the WSJ and the teens who'd be viewing the article. Seems funny now that these would be concerns... but that was back in the 1990's.

Pencil sketch, 1998 for Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition. As I recall, the article was about an effort by San Diego to bring treated water into the drinking water system for the city. Some thought the treated water was coming from sewage systems rather than from sea and rain water treatment plants. This misunderstanding caused great consternation amongst the citizens and the treated water bond was defeated.

An island we visited.
Pen and ink, 2009

A double page spread color study in gouache and watercolor created for a book I wrote and illustrated for Knopf Publ. back in 1998 called "Blackbelt". This spread never made it into the book. Pity, cause I thought this one of the better pieces.

Illustration for children's magazine- Cricket, I think, circa 2001. Water color and gouache on 140 cold press. I think the text was about photosynthesis or maybe creeping vines. Or maybe it was about frogs that disguise themselves in checkerboard patterns.

Granny O'Mally character sketch, for manuscript originally titled "An Ban Rî" (Gaelic for "The Woman King") published as "The Pirate Meets the Queen" by Phylomel 2004. Granny or Granuaile, was Chieftainess of the O'Mally clan on the coast of County Mayo, Ireland. She raided English trading vessels and was made an outlaw for her efforts. Granny was a complex figure, sometimes backing English trade, sometimes attacking it. But what a dynamic person!

Character design for "StarElf", Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, 2003

I am a rootin' tootin' cowboy.

Workin' hard on the graphic novel. Here's an pen and ink piece from long ago- 1990, I think.

Hugs and kisses,

Uncle Matt

Flying apparatus sketch, 2009

Little sketch of Castle Island, 2009.