illustration
Question: What is a KITTIWAKE (ki’-ti-wayk)?…
A) the wave created by a catamaran sailboat
B) when a cat rousts you from slumber by licking your nose
C) a seabird in the gull family
Answer: C) a seabird in the gull family
Illustration from, After a While Crocodile.
Meet the Kittiwake and other critters in my next picture book, After a While, Crocodile. Coming August 6th from Familius Books!!! It’s available to preorder now!
I’ve added a new set of Backyard Birds notecards to my Etsy Shop. The pack includes eight cards and envelopes. Each card features an illustration a different species. On the back of the card is a blurb about the bird.
My latest collection of Backyard Birds notecards.
Card front.
Card back.
This 5th edition of my Backyard Birds series features a Brown Creeper, American Redstart, House Sparrow, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Summer Tanager, White-crowned Sparrow, Gray Catbird, and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Check out Backyard Birds Collections 1 through 4, as well as sets of Waders, Ducks, Corvids, Woodpeckers, Owls, Birds of the Flinthills, and Hummingbirds. Birds aren’t your thing? Take a peek at my set of Damsels & Dragons notecards, showcasing colorful illustrations of dragonflies and damselflies!
All notecard sets may be purchased from my Etsy shop, BradSneedStudio.
It was super gratifying to create illustrations of John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, and others for the ENCOUNTERING JOHN BROWN exhibit on display at the Watkins Museum of History in Lawrence, KS until November 6th. Kudos to the creative team at Overland Traveling Exhibits for producing this informative examination of Brown’s life and legacy as seen through the eyes of those who knew him.
Like this little dude, I’m waiting for a special delivery. Details to come…
There are several important and necessary steps I complete before tackling the final “perfect” illustration. Almost always, issues are solved during these preliminary stages. By working through a series of thumbnail sketches, a comprehensive drawing, and perhaps a color sketch, I can approach the final art with confidence. I have a clear vision. Occasionally, despite having laid a good foundation, the building collapses. When I complete a painting that I’m just not happy with, there’s really only one solution; throw it away and start over.
Below, are two versions of the same illustration. The first is… okay. I felt the illustration could be stronger. Can you spot the differences in the second version? The changes are subtle but impactful. For me. the second version is more successful.
Version One
Version Two
I’m stepping away from the stylus and tablet and dusting off the ink, pens, watercolor paint and brushes. That’s right, I’m going analog for this current project (details coming in a later post). It sure is tactilely satisfying to drag ink across paper!
So… it’s birds AND bugs, I guess. I do love birds, but I’ve got to tell you, I HAD SO MUCH FUN painting these little aerialists! Damsels & Dragons notecards are for sale in my Etsy shop. The set includes eight cards. Each card features an illustration of a different species of dragonfly or damselfly.
I’ve long admired these majestic birds, though always from afar, until one day I froze while passing by a window facing the backyard. Standing in our pond (this is a decorative hot tub-sized pond) was a Great Blue Heron! He was there to poach a goldfish or two, I suppose, but must’ve sensed or seen me, for he launched and was gone. The encounter, though brief, made an impression!
Prints of this bird are for sale in my Etsy Shop.
