The energy hog returns...

More drawings for the energy hog coloring book project for the Alliance to Save Energy. 

Don't leave the water running!  Unplug your appliances when you're not using them!  Properly dispose of CFL light bulbs (and of course, use CFLs in the first place)!

The Old Ballgame

Fine art prints available!

"That's the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball."  
- Bill Veeck

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." - A. Bartlett Giametti

"Baseball, it is said, is only a game.  True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona."  -George F. Will

For any baseball fan, "Pitchers and Catchers Report Day," the dawn of spring training and thus a new season, is a veritable feast day. I've celebrated the last four years by creating an original baseball-themed illustration.  After highlighting the hitter last year, I thought I'd focus this year on the pitcher, for a few reasons:  (1)  they're the ones reporting to Arizona today, along with their battery mates, and (2) for the first time since I can remember, I'm excited for the Reds' pitching.  Seriously, you guys, I have a good feeling about this year.  Go Reds!

[Memory lane:  2008, 2009, 2010, 2011]

Countdown

Here we go!  2 days until pitchers and catchers report... and, as you can see, I'm particularly excited about the pitchers this year.

A coloring book project

New year, new art!  I'm currently working on an illustration projet for the Alliance to Save Energy:  a coloring book for kids featuring the very fun, very mean character of the Energy Hog.

The project will ultimately include 8 pages showing kids simple ways they can save energy, like turning off lights, unplugging appliances, and (in this case!) closing the refrigerator door

It's been a new experience for me in a few ways (working with an established character, limiting myself to line work only) and I'm absolutely enjoying myself.   These are pencil drawings:  certainly not roughts, but not final art yet.  I'll share that when it's finished!

Illustration Friday: GROUNDED

One morning she found an unusually large turnip... When she pulled it up she was surprised to find that it left a hole
through which she could look down upon the green earth.

For this week's topic, I decided to dig into my old work a bit.  These two pieces were created back in college to illustrate the folk tale "The Girl Who Climbed to the Sky."  The story tells of a girl named Sapana who is kidnapped by a porcupine man, forced to marry him, and kept captive in his kingdom in the sky--so she's grounded but actually far above the ground itself. With a little digging, a little ingenuity and the help of a few bird friends, Sapana makes it back home safely. 

She hung there for a long time, swinging back and forth above the trees..."Come and help me," she called to Buzzard. The bird glided under her feet several times, and Sapana told him all that had happened to her.