I wear a lot of hats. I like that aspect of being a freelancer. Some days I am building a website for someone, and other days I am creating character designs or background art for animated projects. And some days I am writing – for others, or myself.
I very much enjoyed writing “Neener, Neener, Neener!” for The Magic House in St. Louis. I’d never before been commissioned to write a 120 page chapter book and it was a great experience. I love the nearly total freedom that Lion Forge gave me and am proud of the story that was hatched. Three kids chasing an alien creature through the museum, and figuring out that kindness is a really powerful net. I understand that it is for sale in the museum gift shop. I didn’t illustrate the book – they handled the illustrations in-house. The turn-around time was short so it made more sense to handle it that way. I tend to take a bit more time when it comes to illustrating a book. But it is a fun adventure. Lion Forge is full of good folks who are extremely talented.
This summer I have been designing art for Health Nuts (who do animated shorts for the medical industry), and Evertrue Productions (who also create animated content). I love projects that inspire kids to learn and to dream.
I also helped Phyllis Sues with her book “My Trip to a Healthy, Active 96: 22 Tips to Change Your Life” and am now starting a website for her. She is amazing. She is 96 and living an extraordinarily rich life. Her dedication to physical fitness is a kick in the butt every time I get out of bed and don’t feel in the mood to work out. But I think I may be getting closer to excavating my six-pack.
I wrote a book about a year ago that has been out to readers and I have received some excellent feedback on it. I’ve been working on illustrations for it since… still have about 14 to go I think. I wrote the adventure story I wanted to read when I was fifteen. I’m looking forward to reading it with a fresh eye next month and do a final edit. But I still have a lot of drawing to do before I will publish. It has been a labor of love and a heck of a good time to create. The final book with 30 or so illustrations will be nearly 500 pages – quite the big adventure.
So, anyway… that is pretty much what I do every day. Lots of drawing. Quite a bit of playing with code. And a bit of writing as well. Keeps me busy.
