Domesticated Dog

Grammar, Illustrated: Heroine vs. Heroin

This was just posted on the Creative Relay blog.

There's a lot of bad grammar and misuse of words out there- we'd like to fix one recurring mistake:

Groundhog Day 2011

It's that time of the year again when the Groundhog comes out of his den and looks for his shadow. That is, unless he can't get out of his home because the exit is plugged with icicles and covered with 4 feet of snow...

I live in Boston and we've been inundated with snow to the point where I'm running out of places to put the white (and sometimes yellow) stuff. And that's why I created this particular Groundhog Day cartoon this year. Enjoy!

*You can check out a bunch more Groundhog Day illustrations on this blog by clicking HERE.

By the way, you can check out the official website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club here.

Children's book scenes

Below is a copy of the email newsletter I just sent out to my list of book editors and publishers showing off some of my illustrations of kids doing activities in various parts of Israel.

Climbing Mt. Masada; Visiting the Western Wall, Walking along the wall surrounding the Old City; Floating and getting muddy at the Dead Sea.

Ella's Thank You Card

My niece's thank-you (folding) card.

Happy Groundhog Day 2010!

Welcome to another Groundhog Day. I'll just bet it's felt like so much more than 365 days since the last Groundhog's Day and I appreciate you coming by to check out my yearly GH card.

I've been creating a card for this rodentastic holiday since 1992 (To be honest, I've skipped a few along the way) and I'm happy to come back to it in 2010 despite the crushing deadlines, a sick 4 year old and lack of enough sleep. But enough about me...

See you again next year!
You can check out a bunch more Groundhog Day illustrations on this blog by clicking HERE.

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Happy Halloween!

(Click the image to see it LARGER)

I'm really looking forward to seeing all the Trick-or-Treaters running around Saturday night, especially because this will be the first Halloween in our new house! My son is going as an astronaut (he's so cute in that costume with the HUGE helmet) despite his obsession with superheroes (can it be fueled by my obsession with superheroes? Hmm...).

As an added bonus, I've included a sort of before and after to show how one of the characters looks with all the shading and lighting taken out. That's the most time-consuming part but also one of my favorites: A different area of my brain takes over so I get to listen to podcast after podcast of This American Life and it doesn't distract me.

Happy Halloween! Please make sure your trick-or-treaters stay safe, and please drive extra slow Saturday evening.

What I'm Working On: Damn Batcave

I've been working on this Batman illustration for a t-shirt design and finally came up with what I want on the iphone. It's late at night and he's trying to drunk dial (you don't have to have been drinking to drunk dial someone- just very, very tired) but his choice of headquarters is thwarting his hook-up attempt. 
 


It was fun to illustrate just a small amount of the character to let the viewer figure out who he is (hopefully without hitting anyone over the head with it).



Whattaya think?

 Anyone want Catwoman's digits?

my photo reference 

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Illustrations from calendars I've illustrated

Thanks to those who sent me messages on yesterday's post of an illustration for the Jewish New Year. I've posted here further illustrations from a few different calendars I've illustrated (and designed) for PEJE (Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education). There are SO many more illustrations!

At the Dead Sea.

A map of Israel with the favorite sites or things to do.

Kids learning from the Torah.

At the Wailing Wall.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Jewish New Year! 5770

Happy New Year to all my Jewish friends.
This is an illustration I did for a calendar for PEJE (Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education). I illustrated each month with images from holidays which fell during that month.

Apples dipped in honey is traditionally eaten for a sweet year.

HELVETICA

I saw the HELVETICA movie this week. Yes, it's a movie about a font, but it has a rich and interesting history and the movie is interspersed with a variety of designers (a few big names and then a few smaller ones) who either extoll the font's virtues or rip it to shreds.

It was nice to see how excited some designers were when they described HELVETICA while others were quite funny in their criticism (either of the font or those who use it).

I walked away uncertain whether or not I wanted to use the font ever again- and that's what this drawing is about.

Harvard Square

My tribute to Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA where you will always find a musician performing, usually right near the Harvard Coop (pronounced Coop, not Co-op) which is the building I depicted.

Nationally known performers who got their start in Harvard Square include Tracy Chapman and Joan Baez.

When you're not watching the street musicians, there are SO many great restaurants and stores to check out (Favorite restaurants: Border Cafe, Fire and Ice, Grafton Street).

Keys

Perhaps because my wife and I are closing on our new house tomorrow I decided to finish up this illustration. What more need be said?

Wolverine's secret identity...

In honor of the new Wolverine movie, I was sketching the other day in my book and started playing with the idea: What if Wolverine had a secret identity (old-school style)? So I pretended that he's a normal-looking guy (with glasses and all) with a 9 to 5 as a real estate broker or a lawyer and when he hears the scream of a mugging victim he transforms, Hulk-style, into the feral, hirsute Wolverine!

My favorite part: The familiar 'SNIKT!" that you hear when he pops his claws also occurs when his sideburns pop out.

Oh, and those forehead lines are inspired by Art Adams (for those of you who remember his kick-ass Wolverine from The Asgardian Wars).

Hope you enjoy this make-fun piece...

French Windows

A bit of a departure from my usual 'ED' (cartoon-y) stuff, this photo-realistic 'FRED' image based on a photo I took in Paris is one I've been working on for quite some time. I'll open up the file from time to time and just work on bits until I get distracted and put it away for another time.

I really like the yellow-ish color of the building and how the areas where the sun hits get bleached of any color. Someday I'll finish it up...

Snowman wants coffee. And no more winter.

Okay, I've had enough of this winter already. I'm not usually a cold weather complainer but enough is enough. I mean we're halfway through March and I should be able to leave my coat at home when I run to the store. Or leave a window open while I sleep without freezing the leg I habitually leave outside the covers. Sigh.

So I got to thinking I probably wasn't the only one- in fact I could probably name 127,354 others who feel the same way, but the snowman is a very poignant extreme and that's why I chose him for this book/editorial illustration... 'cause if HE'S sick of winter then there's a problem!

To Spring!

There's a Donkey in the Tree!

An illustration I just finished for a book that my agent is hocking. It's based on a story that my father loves to tell us (and his father told it to him and his siblings) about the Jewish holiday Tu B'Shevat. The holiday is the new year for the trees and as the story goes, all trees, bushes and plants bow down to God at midnight on Tu B'Shevat. Well, it's at this time that a traveler ties his donkey to a tree and goes to sleep at an Inn. He wakes to find his donkey is now at the top of the tree...

Math Map

Here's an interesting map I illustrated for a math book. In order to find the proper route from Start to End, you have to finish 10 math problems correctly and match the answers with the streets. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Map illustration

This is an illustration I was working on yesterday. It's for a very large 4th grade math book. I have a couple of other maps in this book which I may post another time...