Portraits From the First Debate

The first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was a great time to work on getting their likenesses down. Admittedly, I have more work to do before my Trump looks enough like the real one but these were fun to create.

Comrade Trump

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Headline from the New York Times on July 27, 2016:

Donald Trump Calls on Russia to Find Hillary Clinton’s Missing Emails

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said during a news conference here in an apparent reference to Mrs. Clinton’s deleted emails. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

From the Observer on August 5, 2016:

Yes, American Spies Really Think Trump Is Putin’s Guy

Former Central Intelligence Agency director Mike Morell was quoted as saying: “In the intelligence business, we would say that Putin had recruited Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”

What My Kid is Reading- Dogopotamus

Dogopotamus: The Most Awesomest Pet Ever. Maybe.
Written by Michael Andrew Fox
Illustrated by Ed Shems (that's me!)
Age range: 7-10
Released: November 28, 2012

What's this book about?
A boy named Coby wants a pet, but he doesn't want a normal pet like a dog or a cat, he wants something bigger like a hippo but his mom says no (for obvious reasons). So Coby wonders: "What would happen if I combined a hippo with a dog?"

So I'll bet that doesn't work out too well, right?
Well, what do YOU think would happen if you mixed an energetic dog with an animal the size of a tank?!

So there must be a lot of mayhem!
This is worse than a tornado!
This is worse than an earthquake!
This is worse than dropping your iphone in the bathtub!

Is the book illustrated (as if I don't know)?
Yes, it is and it has some AMAZING illustrations! I especially love the cover because I love the Dogopotamus running around in the middle of the street while everyone is staring at him! 

Do the illustrations inside the book help tell the story?
Yeah! And they do it very well. I love how sometimes there are different textures to the artwork.

Why did you decide to read this book?
Duh. Because my dad illustrated it. And I could tell something hilarious was gonna happen. Especially from pages 28 and 29- you'll see what happens!

How many times have you read Dogopotamus?
I have no idea but it's at least eight times because I like the book AND because it was illustrated by my dad.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who wants a pet but their parents say no. Also anyone who likes to be creative because Coby was very creative when designing Dogopotomus.

How would you rate this book?
4.3 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

Portrait of a Camp Director

After 26 years at Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire, Director Debbie Sussman was stepping down and the camp held a celebration and created a memory book for her. Instead of submitting a few words I decided to create a portrait and include many words- highlights of her 26 years.

Kelev's Journey- My Latest Chapter Book Illustrations

I recently illustrated a book called Kelev's Journey about a dog digging up his Jewish roots, and his exploits among the neighborhood dogs, cats and other animals. A fun, gently satirical read. "...Ed Shems' art adds the perfect touch, amplifying humor and adding extra heart to Kelev." Amazon review Written by David Hammerstein and published by Wyndebirk Books.

And some sketches:

You can check out the book on Amazon.

Poster of River Song from Dr. Who

I recently visited Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee and was inspired to create some faux letterpress prints. I love the imperfection of letterpress (especially when printing old posters) and wanted to include the wonderful textures that come with it!

This print is available in my Etsy shop

River Song as played by Alex Kingston.

Quotes from the wife of Dr. Who.

Dr. Who: Fish Fingers and Custard

Feeling nostalgic today for the 11th Dr. (Matt Smith).

Thinking of selling this as a print in my Etsy Shop.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

I just felt like drawing and the first thing that popped into my head were lyrics that had been floating around in it.

And then I thought Why should only one Lucy have all the fun? so I drew three Lucys in the sky.

Tangerine trees, marmalade skies, cellophane flowers of yellow and green, flowers that grow so incredibly high, Lucys in the sky with diamonds.

Flashlight Flynn- Chapter Book Illustration

Chapter book illustration:

The lights go out in the museum as the famous diamond is stolen, and it's up to Flynn and his (super) classmates to find the thief.

What My Kid is Reading-The Terrible Two

The Terrible Two
Written by Jory John and Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Kevin Cornell
Age range: 8-12
Released: January, 2013

What's this book about?
Miles is a kid who moves to a new town and meets a boy named Niles. But they don't know that the two of them are pranksters- when they realize this, they build the ultimate prank for April Fool's Day for their school.

Is the prank really great?
Yes! By the power of the cow, they manage to pull off the perfect April Fool's prank.

Um, the power of the cow...?
Miles' principal gave him a book called 1,346 Things You May Or May Not Know About Cows and you need to read the book to figure out why cows are so important.

This sounds like a fun book. Is it really funny?
Yeah, it was full of jokes and pranks you'll never forget.

Is the book illustrated?
There were a couple of illustrations on every few pages and they really helped the story and also made me laugh.

How did they help the story?
They helped the story by showing me what the story means and by giving me more details. It also made the story more fun because the drawings were so playful.

Why did we buy this book?
Because my dad (that's me!) loved the cover of the book (and the inside art!). And the title.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who wants inspiration for April Fool's Day pranking. Or for anyone who wants the power of the cow (just kidding).

Are you interested in reading book #2?
I already did and I thought it was even better than book #1.

Wow! We'll have to review it sometime!
Sure, why not!

How would you rate this book?
4.7 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy The Terrible Two from Amazon
More book reviews from Leo

Obi-Wan Cannoli

Update: I've updated this design into a graphic t-shirt. Available in my ETSY Shop.

Just having a little bit of fun with Star Wars...

Girls in the Grass

Picture book illustration

All ABout Books Event at Preschool

On April 3, I was the guest illustrator at the JCC Newton's preschool All About Books event (and also, ahem, pajama party).

Each classroom previously explored and created their own versions of a favorite children's book and then displayed their final work at this event. It was really fantastic to see different interpretations of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Book with No Pictures and Pete the Cat (among others).

With the help of my four year old daughter, I did a presentation for the 2-5 year olds on creating a character (they wanted him/her to be silly) and then the kids helped me write the story as I drew in front of them.

We ended up with a one eyed silly monster/king named Yuni with a uni-brow and spots who had three arms and travelled around on a spring and a wheel.

Once I was finished, a number of kids continued the drawings I had stuck to the walls while others made their own stories and turned them into books for me to see.

It was a fantastic event!

A Girl and Her Horse

I never get to draw horses so for this illustration I put in three. Yay!

This is an interior black and white illustration for a chapter book.

This was loads of fun- I hope you enjoy it as well.

What My Kid is Reading- Fortunately, the Milk

Fortunately, the Milk
Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Skottie Young
Age range: 8-12
Released: 2013



What's this book about?
It's about what really happens when your dad goes out to buy milk.

He just buys it from the store, right?
Yes. HOWEVER, fortunately the milk helps him on a journey through time and space.

So there's more than just groceries in this story?
Yup. There are also dinosaurs, "Wumpires", volcanoes, aliens and whole lot more but I don't want to ruin the story. Oh, and there is also a time machine and that's how you're able to see the previous list of characters.

I love how one of the main characters gives unusual names to things we know. Wet white hairy crunchers = coconuts. Floaty ball person carrier = hot air balloon. But a button is a button.

Is the book illustrated?
Oh, it has some of the best illustrations I've seen. I love his drawing style- all his lines are messy and he makes the weirdest looking characters possible.

Thinking about the illustrations, who's your favorite character in the book?
I really like the drawings of the Wumpires because their bodies look like rubber being stretched out.

Why did we buy this book?Because you suggested it to me.

Have you ever read anything else by Neil Gaiman?
No. Because most of his books seem to be for older people. Or not as funny.

(I think we'll have to check out some of his other titles so I can prove Leo wrong.)

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone would like this book because it has adult humor and kid humor.

Was it easy to understand the time travel aspects or would some kids find it confusing?
It was really easy to follow because they didn't talk about it as time travel- rather more as teleportation (even though it really was time travel).

How would you rate this book?
5 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

Kidlit Group Gallery Show

Update: Here's an article from Artscope Magazine about our show with a few quotes from me. 

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I'm currently in a group gallery show with 3 other talented children's book illustrators at the Hess Gallery in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

I have 9 book illustrations in the show. In the bottom photo you can see my son reading below my illustration with a quote by Neil Gaiman: "A book is a dream that you hold in your hands."

On March 9, we gathered for a conversation with students from Pine Manor College to discuss how we create our work and how we get work in the crowded field of illustration. It's always interesting to compare notes with fellow illustrators!

Each of us does very different work:

Priscilla Alpaugh Cotter works in watercolor and colored pencil

Wayne Geehan works in acrylics and oils

Toby Williams works with cut paper

The show is up until August 1, 2016. If you have a chance to check it out, let me know what you think!

Frizzy Girl Who Might be Hayden Panettiere

Sketch of a girl who looks a lot like a young Hayden Panettiere circa Malcolm in the Middle. Totally by chance, btw.

Here's a screenshot from Season 7, Episode 5 for comparison:

Donald Trump is a Troll

Considering his hair and his fear mongering and xenophobia, how could I resist depicting Donald Trump as a Troll doll?

Groundhog Day 2016

Happy Groundhog Day 2016!
Welcome to another episode of the groundhog and the shadow!

This year I cut out the shadows from the illustrations so that we would get a shorter winter and it seems that it worked! Early this morning, Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow which means an early spring!

There are MANY more Groundhog Day illustrations on this blog.

I have a collection of my favorite Groundhog Day illustrations on Behance.

Neil Gaiman Quote poster

Sometimes kids just need to be reminded how much they love to read so I illustrated and hand-lettered this poster and posted it on Etsy.

The quote is by the indefatigable Neil Gaiman, fan favorite writer of books and comic books (such as The Sandman from DC Comics).

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 Here's a detail. Click on the image to enlarge.

You can pick up a print in my Etsy shop.

Tintin goes to Japan- Private Commission Poster

I just finished a new commission for a client that continues a series that we started in 2011. This is the third Tintin book cover inspired poster I've created starring my client, his wife, their dog and their new baby.

Not many Tintin books (by Hergé- real name Georges Prosper Remi) took place in Japan so it took a bit of imagining to work out how Hergé would have drawn and colored Mt. Fuji, a samurai and the clothes necessary for this scene based on my client's recent trip to Japan.

The poster/book cover has been framed and is hanging in their home.

Here are some work in progress images:

Using reference to keep the style as close as possible to Hergé's. 

Samurai outlined. Calm gardener in the background.

Almost finished. We did a bit of back and forth deciding on the colors of her yukata. Finally ended up in the blues. Also, my Mt. Fuji needed flattening.

Check out the other posters in this series.

Snowy Penguin Illustration

To Snow or Not to Snow… that is the penguin. 

A client asked for a winter image to tell her audience about her upcoming music classes. Utilizing the colors from the company's logo (which I also designed) I created the following penguin.

Here's the version I created for GroovyBabyMusic with text in place. She posted this image on Facebook and in an email to her audience.

And here's the logo for the company. Pretty much all of the colors in the illustration are taken from here.

What My Kid is Reading- Secret Coders

Secret Coders
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Illustrated by Mike Holmes
Age range: 8-12 years
Released: September 29, 2015

What's the book about?
About two kids trying to figure out the secrets about their school.

What sort of secrets?
There are some odd things about the school involving numbers.

How are they trying to figure things out?Look at the cover! Duh! [said with a bit of sass)

This book is a graphic novel. Was it a good read?
Yes. I definitely liked the illustrations (especially because they used a lot of green- my favorite color).

So obviously, there's something about coding going on in this book. Can you explain?
By reading this book you'll learn a lot about binary- which is a computer language- but it's not a strictly informational book, it's a fun book during which you learn some coding.

The author, Gene Yang, signed the book for you- what did he write inside?
He wrote a code and then my name and once I was done I was able to decipher the code. It was definitely cool! He was very, very nice. I met him at M.I.C.E. (Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo) last October.

Why did you want to read this book?
Because my dad suggested it to me and it sounded very, very interesting. And I love coding (and video games).

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who is interested in computers, coding... you can be a beginner or know a lot already and still learn something. Plus it's a fun read.

How would you rate this book?
4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

Leaning Fox

What My Kid is Reading- The 13-Story Treehouse

The 13-Story Treehouse
Written by Andy Griffiths
Illustrated by Terry Denton
Age range: 6-10 years
Released April 16, 2013

What's the book about?
It's about 2 kids who live in a really cool 13 story treehouse and they write books together.

What's cool about the treehouse?
There's a lot of stuff kids like in it. Like a marshmallow shooting machine, an underground lab, a banana sizer (it turns bananas bigger so they're better weapons), a bowling alley, swimming pool, a lemonade fountain, a shark tank (any sharks in it? Yep!)... and that's pretty much it.

Where'd they get the treehouse?
That's explained in the second book (which I've already read).

Do they have parents or families?The background info is explained in the second book. How they met, what they're doing in the treehouse...

What happens in the book?
They need to write a book for their publisher, Mr. Big Nose- whose nose is very big- but they keep getting interrupted by things like sea monkeys, watching their favorite show, a drawing competition, a gorilla who tries to get one of their giant bananas, turning cats into canaries etc.

Doesn't school interrupt them too?They don't go to school (also explained in book 2)

What's their book about?
I don't want to ruin the experience of reading this book by telling you.

Are there illustrations?
There are, like, 3 or 4 on each page!

Did you like them? Did they help the story?They really added to the story to make it funnier. I really liked the barking dog show cartoons (shows them to me- very cute!).

What did you think of the book?
It was REALLY good. I really suggest it to anyone who likes funny stuff.

So it seems you've already read book 2. Will you be reading book 3?
Duh.

How did you choose this book?
I was looking through the bookstore and my mom grabbed the book and made me check it out. I ended up really liking it.

(To Leo's mom) How did you choose this book?
I think I chose it because of the cover. Something about the colors and the lettering made me think it would be the type of thing Leo would like.

(Back to Leo) How would you rate this book?
5 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

Monster Who?

Book cover illustration of a globe-trotting, exploring monster who follows mysteries and discovers intrigue.

SCBWI Book Launch Party for Elephitten

Today, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators launched a new section of their website highlighting books that have been published in 2015.

My most recent book, Elephitten, is one of the launched books! It's a story of a boy trying to find the perfect pet so he creates interesting amalgamations and this third book in the Petimals series takes an interesting turn.

Click the images below to go to the launch page (and click the like button!). To see all 450 of the books in the launch, just click the "Return" button at the top of the Elephitten page.