new Monster Dad

I've been putting my "monster dad" character through the wringer, and wound up scrapping the old version entirely in favor of something more expressive, more limber, and more . . . well, just plain more fun to draw!

I can imagine this guy having a world of adventures beyond my current book project. I haven't even named him yet, but he's become a fast friend.

Monster Dad

One thing I wanted to tackle this week was exploring whether my "monster dad" could act at all (I mean, drawing him once doesn't tell me much. Could I draw him again? In different poses? Could he emote at all? . . . and what kind of character was coming through?).

The first thing I discovered was that there's very little difference between a cow, a dinosaur, and my monster. But I want a design that's simple and likable. This may not be the final version, but I like it enough to stay in this basic "envelope" for now. More acting explorations ahead!

Cocoon

Illustration Friday's theme this week is "cocoon" . . . and the little monster tucked safely inside mommy's little tummy is about to birth a whole new project.

This is an early study for a children's book I'm cooking up, all about a little monster and his daddy. If you asked my son Max, he'd tell you it's autobiographical . . . and maybe it is.

After all, all the best stuff comes from taking the hidden stuff out of hiding.