A Lovely Anhinga Sketch

The Anhinga is also known as the Water-Turkey (for it's broad tail, and being a swimmer) or Snake Bird (because only its head and neck can often be visible while swimming).  They can be seen spreading their wings out to help them dry and a nice dip.

Random Pen and Ink Abstract Warmup

Only so much time in the day.  Here's a warmup that came out pretty interesting. Enjoy.

Animation Quote of the Day! Walt Disney Risk Taker and Ward Kimball

"Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive."

Walt Disney

Despite how safe and formulaic Disney movies eventually became, Walt was a risk taker who did experiment with different kinds of animation.  Movies like the Skeleton Dance,

Fantasia, Song of the South, and one of my personal favorites The Three Caballeros. And pretty much anything Ward Kimball directed or had a hand in at the studio.  Here are two Kimball movies that won Academy Awards!

"Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom"

"It's Tough to be a Bird" and educational movie, but awesome. Look it up and watch it. Big time fun factor.


Ralph Bakshi is another fellow who pushed animation into new territory.  His collaborative work with legend Frank Frazetta on "Fire and Ice" is my favorite of his work and a must see!

The point is Animation is a medium not a genre, it can be used in any genre.

More recently, I thought "9" was a very good, dark, and not child friendly movie.  I am looking forward to the director Shane Acker's new movie "Beasts of Burden" and any other movies that want to break the current mold of animation as strictly a family friendly medium (even though I do have a soft spot for the looney golden age stuff).

New Year Pinnups! Oh My

Some fresh pencil sketches, a little workout.

Dinosaur Illustration: boy meets Deinonychus family

Here's the first page of a dinosaur adventure kids book I'm working on.  It's something I would have loved to read when I was a pup.

I chose to use the most cutting edge ideas about dinosaurs.  Certain dino fossils have been found with feathers covering their entire body!  Most famously Archaeopteryx seen below.

No big surprise, Archaeopteryx had a bone structure very similar to modern day birds.  Therefore, one can assume that other dinos, like theropods who also shared this bone structure, very well had feathers covering their bodies.  I would guess for camouflage, communicating, and/or mating.  For a kids book, I chose to go with the more visually ravishing tropical kind of color schemes.

Cupid's Conundrum Concept Art

Here's some concept art I did for a little movie based in San Francisco.  It's a fun story about online dating.  These paintings show the difference between what is first perceived and imagined, and what the reality is.


First she imagines he is a wild adventurer, taking her to highest romantic towers with breathtaking views.

But in reality, he most often explores digital worlds in video games from the safety of his couch.

And now it's his turn to imagine her finishing up her final theatrical performance of the season to thunderous applause and adoration.

But in reality, she talks at the vagina monologues to a mostly empty dark little room.

Check em out at http://cupidsconundrum.com/

Late Night Tiger

A little late night tiger lurking in the tall grass.