A Brief History of Pretty Much Everything

This flipbook is so much fun. It’s definitely worth the time (just 3:12) that it takes to watch. Be sure to turn your volume up. The music and sounds effects are well worth it.

Bouquet Toss

I recently did a wedding drawing (and a couple variations) for a good friend of mine. Rather than doing a standard wedding portrait, I wanted to capture one of the bride’s favorite moments. This is what I came up with.



The final color drawing I gave the bride was slightly different, but not by much. After I scanned this in, I began tinkering with the drawing a bit more and gave her the final originals in both black and white and color so she could choose which she preferred. I really love how it turned out, and, most importantly, she does too.

Turquoise Room

Ever since I saw this interior in the December 2010 issue of Lonny, I knew I wanted to draw it. I can’t get over that beautiful wall color.

Here’s my illustrated version in three parts:



First image courtesy of Lonny. Interior design by Eileen Kathryn Boyd/Photography by Patrick Cline.

New Etsy Shop

Since getting married, I’ve rebranded my illustration business and moved my etsy shop to a new location. I went from this:

to this:

I’ve added a number of prints that haven’t previously been available, including prints of the Eiffel Tower, Odd Man Out, and A Baker’s Kitchen, so please do stop by and take a look.

You can also see some samples of my work, including some custom pieces, on my Portfolio page.

A Colorful Welcome

I love coming upon a door in an unexpected color, shape, or combination of both. The burst of energy at an entrance is a lovely welcome.

A Few Fantastic Hats

English hats have been on my mind recently, pretty much ever since it was announced that Philip Treacy would be designing the hats and headpieces for the royal wedding party. I’ve been an admirer of his work ever since I saw him featured on Project Runway last season. He landed the royal gig because Camilla Parker Bowles is a fan—she wore one of his designs to her own wedding six years ago—and she recommended him to Kate Middleton. All three of the above hats were inspired by Treacy designs that Camilla has worn over the years

New Drawings at Forest Perk

As I mentioned here, four of my drawings are on display and available for purchase at Forest Perk Coffee on Clairmont Avenue in Birmingham. I replaced two of them with these drawings, which aren’t available yet in my shop—they will be soon.

Pascal Campion

I discovered this amazing artist courtesy of Thumbtack Press, which has the best tagline ever: So hip it hurts. It’s a great site for affordable art prints from a variety of artists. I browse the site from time to time, and today found the work of Pascal Campion, a French-American illustrator and animator. I love so many of his pieces that this selection is really just a sample of some of my favorites. His work really is a beautiful celebration of the everyday. Be sure to click on the images for a larger view—there’s a lot of magic to be seen in the details.

Check out his page on Thumbtack Press, his portfolio, and his store to see more. You’ll be happy you did.

Images courtesy of Pascal Campion.

Three Little Pigs

This drawing by illustrator Veronica Petrie makes me smile, particularly the pig in the middle.

This print and a number of others are available for purchase in her etsy shop, Painted Forest. To see more of her work, visit her website.

My Idol, Al

It’s about time I talked about my artistic idol, Al Hirschfeld, pictured below in one of his self-portraits. I discovered him a short while after I had developed my illustration style, and his artistic philosophy resonated with me. He pretty much epitomizes what I hope to be as an artist. On the surface, many of his drawings are quite simple—often black pen on white paper with minimal if any shading and occasional use of spot color. His fundamental aesthetic is said to have been respect for absolute simplicity.

He is a true master of line. A few of his pen strokes convey much more than layers of brush strokes, color, and crosshatching by other artists. It’s this absence of extraneous visual clutter that make his drawings so powerful.

He said, “When I’m rushed I do a complicated drawing. When I have the time, I do a simple one.”

One of the things I most admire is that while he was a caricaturist who distorted and emphasized a subject’s physical features, he was considered to be a nice caricaturist and being drawn by him was an honor instead of an insult.

He drew Broadway actors, casts of television shows, movie actors, musicians, dancers, journalists, politicians, and many others.

In spite of this simplicity he was able to capture true likenesses of his subjects. His drawings are fun, quirky, and continually awe-inspiring.

The drawings shown are just a miniscule sample of his work. Visit his website to see a larger collection or buy one of his books. Hirschfeld On Line is a fantastic one.

All images courtesy of AlHirschfeld.com.