Junkyard Sam's Uploads

There's a big drop of black ink spilled near the center... It's like that bit of ink just couldn't wait to be part of the art. Sometimes a rough sketch takes on a life of its own.

It's not shown in this drawing, but seconds later the trees ate all these people.

"The Tree People" finished line work. Pen = Sailor Pro Gear, EF nib. Pilot Black ink. I love this ink... if only it was waterproof. Works well with markers though.

The kids jump, and call, and send koo wees up to the koo wee sky! When I draw happy characters like this I find myself smiling and I don't even realize it. I hope that happiness comes through in the art. - From "Graham's Up the Tree"

So Mum goes for the phone and these guys slip out the door to see what Graham is doing up in the tree... I can't believe they'd just leave their food behind like that. I mean... look at it. Mmm.

There's a phone in Graham's Up the Tree and kids will have no clue what they're looking at or how those "buttons" work.

When Rebelle 3 by Escape Motions came out I wanted to create something that really shows off its power. I normally draw in fountain pen first, but this was created entirely from scratch in Rebelle 3. Digital art tends to be cold and impersonal, but Rebelle's watercolor simulation looks & feels like real paint... and you can undo! That's critical for illustration work, as clients often request changes... But even for personal work- it means an artist can achieve a watercolor look without being at the mercy of the medium. So the result is more true to his or her vision.

I colored this in Escape Motions Rebelle 3.

Ghosts, Ghosts and More Ghosts. Drawn with a Pilot Custom 743 M using Noodlers 41 Brown ink. Watercolor coming next.

Looking out at that crazy Graham up in the tree!

It's cool how the internet can bring people together from far away places to make things. "Graham's Up the Tree" is based on a true story from the life of author mbpardy ... He's in Australia - I'm in Seattle area. When he posts these images at his page I see comments from people who grew up with real life versions of these characters I drew -- People that actually looked out the window and saw this little guy high up at the top of a tree... where no one else could go.

Graham's Up the Tree! ("and there's nowhere else he can go!") - my 4 year old ran around the house for weeks misquoting the story with his own interpretation of an Australian accent. Calling it out over, and over, and over again.

"Billy gets there last, wiggles up a spot..." from the Graham's Up the Tree book. I grew to love these kids after drawing them so much. They sort of became real to me.

For these Grahams Up the Tree drawings I used a Pilot Custom 823 with FA nib. This pen is legendary. It has a very soft nib and a giant vacuum filled tank of ink so you can write and draw for days.

"Her cricket kids traipse in to wash their hands." Cricket is a popular bat-and-ball game in Australia where the winning team gets to eat crickets at the end of a match.

"At 6 o'clock the window squeaks and mum calls time" from Graham's Up the Tree. It must have been strange for mbpardy to see his his story interpreted through my illustrations... but page by page these characters came to life, with both of our contributions somehow adding up to something bigger.

This was my first drawing for the Graham's Up the Tree book. I used my most trusted pen: Metal Pilot Falcon, Soft Extra Fine.

Australian author mbpardy & I have a children's book coming out soon called "Graham's Up the Tree." This illustration from the book makes a good countdown to release.

They gather around, grateful, sending prayers up just to thank. (Directed at the man selected to be in the tank.) Who knows why that man is bare in there, and to be frank- They're thankful that it's him, not them. You can take that to the bank!

New drawing in the works, ready for color.