Monday, September 30, 2013


Just sent off the first set of layout sketches to my editor at Disney for Doreen Rappaport's new book about women's suffrage. A very cool manuscript and, oh ya, I am having fun drawing grouchy 18th century men!


Saturday, September 28, 2013

Editorial illustration for the "Wall Street Journal".

Editorial illustration for the "Wall Street Journal". The article was about plans being discussed to develop a lottery system for entrance to the most popular national parks. At the time, I found this outrageous. How dare they consider limiting access to our national parks! Then I spend a good amount of time in Yosemite. Dear Gawd, the way people have turned that sanctuary into a dumpster. I am now all for limiting access to these pristine places. A pizza joint, and all the trash that comes with it, has no place in Yosemite Valley. Watercolor, pen&ink, 1996.

Thursday, September 26, 2013


Sketch portrait of my friend and teacher, Glen Michaels, mosaicist and painter. 
Charcoal, 1997.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013


Study of Gen. Andrew "Stonewall" Jackson's face. The phrase "killer angels" as applied to the generals of the civil war in a book written a few years back is so chillingly appropriate to men like Jackson. Just where did these men come from- popping up out of the our American mid-18th century farming communities? Where did Jackson get the license to do all the miraculous military things he did? Where did he acquire the mindset that allowed him to destroy thousands of men's lives with a nod or a grunt? 
God, please keep him and his kind on your side, 
happily playing war with angels who 
never suffer and die. 
Pencil, 1998.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013


Ok, not exactly sure what I was sketching here but I think it's a samurai on his horse. 
They both look just a tad startled. I think that's the samurai's foot in 
a metal stirrup on the right side of the sketch.  
Pencil, 1998.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Final art for the title page of "The Monster Who Ate My Peas", written by Danny Schnitzlein, illus.d by me & publ.d by Peachtree. Good ol' Pea Monster is still on the shelves after 13 years and has won multiple awards including the children's choice picture book award from the kid's of both Indiana and Virginia. 
Pencil, water color, gouache, 2000.

Friday, September 20, 2013


Final art for "The Pirate Meets the Queen", written and illus.d by me and publ.d by Phylomel. I do like rendering them sunbeams, yes I do. Water color, gouache, 2003.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Final art from "The Pirate Meets the Queen" written & illus.d by me and publ.d by Phylomel. I wasn't as happy with the rendering of the Pirate (Granny O'Malley on the left) and the Queen (Red Liz on the right) as I was with the crowd in the background. Love painting backlit scenes and animated faces. Erin Go Bragh! 
Water color, gouache, 2003.



Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Final art for "Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln" by Judith St. George, illus.d by me and 
publ.d by Phylomel/Penguin&Putman. In between chores, young Abe would write 
letters for his not-so-literate neighbors. 
Water color, gouache, 2006.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Final art for "The Pirate Meets The Queen", written and illus.d by me and publ.d by Phylomel. When young Granuaille's mom forbid her to sail aboard her father's ships. So Granny cut her hair, pulled on some boy's clothes and shipped out anyway. 
Water color, gouache, 2004.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

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! Pencil, 2001.

Saturday, September 14, 2013


A color sketch to sell the 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. Doing research in Ireland in 1999 and 2001 I learned that some thought of her as a traitor and others as the very best example of Irish courage. Granny was a complex figure, but what a dynamic person! This border treatment never made it into the final product but I like it and am inspired to use this method of multiple storytelling on a page in a future project. Erin Go Bragh! Water color, gouache, 2003.

"Gaijin: Amercian Prisoner of War" website header


This is the header to the website which my friends Samantha Clark andKirsten Cappy at Curious City are helping me get up and running. And, btw, if your book project is in need of some fantastic marketing guidance, Kirsten is the person you'll want to turn to!

Friday, September 13, 2013

A panel for "Gaijin: American Prisoner of War", written and illus.d by me, publ.d by Disney/Hyperion. Koji's dream. Water color, gouache, 2012.

Thursday, September 12, 2013


Final art for "Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln", written Judith St. George, illus.d by me and publ.d by Phylomel/Penguin&Putnam. That Abe was a rascal. Water color, gouache, 2006.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Final art for "Black Belt", written and illus.d by me, edited by Andrea Cascardi and publ.d by Knopf. Water color, gouache. 1999.

Monday, September 9, 2013

 A dream sequence frame from "Gaijin: American Prisoner of War", a graphic novel written and illustrated by me, publ.d by Disney, April 2014. Koji is worried about his dad. Maybe he was one of those guys who flew the planes that bombed Pearl Harbor. Maybe that's why the U.S. army stuck him and his mom in a prison camp. 
Water color, gouache, 2012.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Radio talk show hosts in training. Pencil, 2004.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Reader proofs from my graphic novel "Gaijin: American Prisoner of War", publ.d by Disney, 2014. Lots of little pink paste-it notes with comments. Not to worry though. Mostly edits on text. There are, however, some fixes that need to be made to the art. Ok, back to work.A



Just got the reader proof for my graphic novel "Gaijin-American Prisoner of War", pulb.d by Disney, 2014. Always fascinated to see the comments made by the fact checker and copy editor. Their job to read into every nuance, both implied and spontaneous, of the art and words. Photo by my lovely Kris!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Back at the end of the last millennium I had the pleasure of giving a talk on my picture book work at the Yeats Festival in Sligo, Ireland. The big headliner for the presenters at the two week event was none other than recently departed master poet Seamus Heaney. I grabbed my sketch book and started drawing him prior to and during his talk. The fellow on the upper part of the left page is Michael Yeats, W.B.'s great grandson. He introduced Seamus. After Seamus' talk everyone, and I mean everyone, hustled over to one of the pub's around the corner where Seamus held court till about 4 a.m.. Somebody grabbed my sketch book and showed it to him. He liked what I'd done so I asked him if he'd sit for a charcoal portrait. Later, during a book signing, he sat for me for a few minutes. I have that sketch somewhere. I'll post it here as soon as I find it. A very nice memory. Pencil, 1999.





Thursday, September 5, 2013


During the end of the last millennium I did a daily anatomical sketch. Here's a sketch of the knee joint. Or maybe the skull. Charcoal, 1998.