Single page illustration for "The Moonclock", written and illust.d by me, published by Scholastic Inc.. The book was printed in full color but the art was created in two pieces- water color and a separate pen and ink. Something that may be of interest- Early on in the making of this art I received a call from my editor regarding the sketches of the two nordic sphinxes. The originals were inspired by two tremendous bronze sculptures I'd seen in Vienna at the Belvedere Palace- a gorgeous site open to the public. Except for the winged helmets I put on the statues, I was very faithful to the design of the original sculptures, including leaving them bare breasted. It seems the marketing folk had noticed their bronze bare breasts and alerted my editor that covering their chests was essential. I argued that I'd taken reference photos of kids playing all over these statues and not a single parent was in the least concerned about the nipples. Ah well, you can see from the drawing above that the marketing folk won out. Maybe they were right... after all this is the United States, not Vienna. We do things differently here. Such as immerse our kids in ultra-violent first-person-shooter video games from toddlerhood onward. But, dear God, flash a nipple and get ready for the moral outrage. I was a tad angry about this then. I'm better now. Can you tell? Pen&Ink, 1991.
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