Beakapoo - How-to-Draw Page

It takes patience to create a kids' book on the side. I wish I could work on it full-time and move through it quickly. But this is my late-night, early morning project. I'm pecking away at it as I can squeeze it in between my regular projects. But it's been fun to watch it steadily grow from week to week. It should be out for at least some of the school assembly programs that I have coming up this year.

I have written and/or illustrated many books over the years. But this will be my first ebook, hopefully the first of many. 

For this monster I wondered what a big beak with legs would look like. Now I know.

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles? Check it out.

Tyranopus - How-to-Draw Page

My Monster Safari book is slowly taking shape, one monster at a time. I  have now reached about the halfway point in my monster pages. By scrolling down you can see all of the previous monsters that I've drawn. 

The drawings are done with a 2B lead, using a Pilot mechanical pencil, nothing else. I darken the value slightly in Photoshop. 

The only other device that I use with the drawings is a section of newspaper upon which I put my drawing paper, to act as a cushion. It's much easier to get soft gradations when you're drawing on a cushioned surface. I never read about that technique...I just discovered it myself. The above drawing was drawn in such a fashion.

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles? It's an illustrated journal  that I found in the Quinault Rain Forest about ten years ago. It was written and illustrated by a Trowbridge shrew, who journaled life in her rain forest village about 200 years ago. Her name was Violet Trowbridge. I have admired her delicate watercolors so much that I must admit that my work may have been influenced by her. I especially like her elegant calligraphy work.

Snaggle-Tooth Crab - How-to-Draw Page

Here's the next creature that got signed for the part of the Snaggle-Tooth Crab in my up-coming book, Monster Safari. This is the only species of crab ever found that doesn't have pinchers. But those nasty canine-style teeth can leave a nasty set of puncture wounds. 

This is perhaps the most difficult of all the creatures to draw, mainly because of the six legs that are crunched together. That may be a bit difficult for a young artist.

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles? Check it out.

Snoot - How-to-Draw Page

Another Little Beastie joins the monster cast as I draw my way toward the completion of my new book, Monster Safari.  I'm posting each spread one by one, as I finish them, until the book is completed. Then the book will be available for sale. It will probably be released first as an ebook, then a traditional book.

On the right side of the spread will be the how-to-draw page, as seen above. I hope to make a video of each monster, showing how to draw him, then release it on YouTube. I'll keep you posted as I progress through the book. 

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles? 

Skworm - How-to-Draw Page

One of the Little Beasties that didn't make the cut was the snake covered with fur, which you may recall. A furry snake seemed a bit creepy for my taste, so I sent him packing and hired the Skworm on the spot. He's part worm, part snake, part scorpion, and his mug is so ugly only his blind mother could love him.

I'm already thinking of what happens after the Monster Safari book. I'm thinking maybe a How-to-Draw Monster Safari series on YouTube. Perhaps a Dragon Safari book to follow. 

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles? Check it out.

Circumnavigating Mount Rainier

Taking a break from the Little Beasties that I've been posting for my Monster Safari book, I thought I might break from the art world and post a couple of pictures of yesterday's motorcycle trip.

Yesterday I "circumnavigated" Mount Rainier, in Washington State (USA) by motorcycle...I rode my motorcycle all the way around the mountain in a day. Buried in the forest just beyond the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort parking lot (above) is a restaurant. That's where I had lunch. I had a nice visit with my server, who was a Russian college student  This was her second summer on Mount Rainier on a Russian-American work/study program. She discovered peanut butter here in America, and loves it...they don't have peanut butter in Russia. My bike's in the foreground.

I stopped along highway 410 between Greenwater and Crystal Mountain to photograph majestic Mount Rainier. After having lunch at Crystal Mountain, I continued on around the east side of the mountain to Packwood, Then westward to Morton, north to Elbe, Eatonville and back home to Puyallup. You can see from the above pictures why Washington is known as the Evergreen State.

Hornball - How-to-Draw Page

Here's the next page in my new how-to-draw kids' book, Monster Safari. I found it a challenge to come up with a dozen different monsters, and have them all look different with their own distinct characteristics. It helped to bring variety by creating different creatures to inhabit the land, sea and the air.

I made the decision to create this book because after visiting schools for many years, I learned what kids are interested in. In elementary schools kids love monsters. The Make-a-Monster Game that I perform on stage is always a hit. So I knew that a how-to-draw monsters book would be a well-received title.