And how was your Christmas?

Had a GREAT time this year. I got to visit my grandkids on Christmas morning and experienced that magical uncontrollable excitement that is a child's Christmas morning. Wow, it was great.

This is a children's Christmas play featuring wisemen following the star to Jesus' birth. The dog is substituting for a camel. It's all just a little something I wanted to do to show how my "children's book" style is evolving.

Elmer

                    

Elmer was a unique character I remember from my childhood. He lived down the street and drove an old pickup past our house every day as he went searching for junk to sell and barter with around town. He always wore overalls (just overalls) and a ball cap.

I remember him driving up to our house, getting out of his truck and digging around in the back. Finally, he would pull a watermelon out and lay it down in our front yard. Then he would pull out a small machete and cut off any bad places on the melon. Then he would proudly bring it up to our door and present his gift to us. Sometimes we'd get to eat it and sometimes my mom would throw it away after he left.

Elmer always had a smile on his face, though. He was one of those characters that knew everyone in town and had a story to share with each one. He would look at us kids and start talking about how the wheel of life just keeps turning and turning.

Elmer was truly a unique character. I just can't think of anyone around who lived that simple a life and enjoyed it so much.

The Secret Ingredient Is How We Mix It All Together

Here's something different. My daughter asked me to do a set of portraits of her two dogs. Not what I've been working on the past few years, but I gave it a shot anyway. Honestly, maybe one of my problems in getting noticed by the publishing industry is that I enjoy both styles of drawing: realistic and cartoon.

I've heard that you need to stick to a certain style in art so people will think of you when they want that style. That makes sense, but, you know what? We are all made up of many parts. We all have little bits of good and bad, male and female, serious and funny inside of us. Some of these traits we want to overcome. Others we mix in with who we are occasionally just to liven things up. That's what makes us truly unique. It's not that I am an older male who tries to be good. It's that I have a tendency towards dry humor and love to watch serious documentaries. It's how we combine our ingredients that makes us each an individual.

I remember a co-worker years ago laughing about her daughter's first attempt at baking. According to the mother, she gathered all the ingredients together, then plopped them all in a pan, stirred and baked. The daughter was heartbroken at the result, but her mother finished her story by laughing, "Everyone knows that baking is all about adding each ingredient at the right time."

And I've known that ever since that day.
 It really was a lot of fun to sit down and draw these. I didn't even mention the thrill of working with pencil on real paper again. I enjoyed this so much that I decided to offer it to other pet owners. So I have a new listing on Etsy! Get your pet immortalized!

Good morning

All I need in the morning is a strong cup of coffee and a little love.

Okay, I don't drink coffee, but I have a cat (I'm also not a girl if you want to get picky). I just wanted to do something for a coffee mug. You're allowed a few liberties on a coffee mug, aren't you?

The Perspective of An Old Wise and Out-of-Touch Man

This guy has been around a long time. He's seen it all. At least that's the way he sees it. And it doesn't impress him.

This guy may be wise, intuitive, insightful, whatever, but the world has moved on. It's not interested in what he thinks anymore. He's not as sexy as the Kardashians. He doesn't sing a combination of rap and disco. He doesn't make speeches insulting whole groups of people and thrilling the anti-PC crowd.

He's just an old man who doesn't understand the world he lives in anymore.

Sometimes I feel like that old man. Sometimes I'm so out of touch I can't for the life of me figure out how to talk to people anymore. Where did I make that wrong turn that took me so far from modern society? Should I just sit there like he does and contemplate the inevitable downfall of this ignorant generation?

In a better mood I realize that what made me different is my perspective on this world and what I came to value. In other words, my spiritual beliefs. I realize there is a higher purpose to life than keeping myself entertained. I believe in something more than money. I believe there is a God.

I haven't moved into a cave and ostricized myself from modern society yet. I've been known to turn up the radio and tap my fingers on the steering wheel when Taylor Swift sings about shaking it. I just find it harder and harder to feel that passion for success in this world - not when I've caught a glimpse of the next world. I've been passionate about fads that faded away. I've watched childhood relived by my children. I've been promised and betrayed more times than I can count. I've lived through the death of those I loved so much I still wish I could have died in their place. You don't look up from that and say the important thing in life is to be at the most happening parties.

Wow, this blog took a much deeper turn than I intended. All I wanted to talk about was how I'm different. But when I look into it I'm different because I live for something beyond this world. I don't sit around moping about it like the gentleman above. Maybe I do have a place in this world. Maybe it still have some usefulness for me. That is, as long as I never forget there is more to this life than what I see in front of me and there is a higher reward than the approval of people whose eyes are focused on the world in front of them. And maybe, because of my perspective, I can still offer it something as well.

Send Someone A Hug

Just want to let you know I've branched out into greeting cards. This is a card being offered by my online store "Hapy Thots" at Zazzle.com. The idea behind it all is I want to encourage people to look on the bright side of life, support each other, and smile together. That's what sending a card should be about. You can visit my store at http://www.zazzle.com/hapythots, It's just getting started so be sure and check back in a few weeks for greeting cards, mugs, t-shirts, etc.

How Do I Get Noticed?

I've always been a shy person. As a kid it was my little sister who grabbed all the attention - not a small source of embarrassment for me. In high school I enjoyed a short sprint as a local celebrity in my church youth group, but that quickly disappeared when we entered the "no man's land" of single adulthood (You might have had to have been in churches back in the 70's to understand that one, I guess).

But the key (and this is why it's taken so long for me to become a professional illustrator) to becoming successful in the commercial art world is publicity. I have to get my stuff out there, in front of thousands of other people just like me, trying to get noticed. All of this in a world that appears anyway to be losing any interest in drawn art for the photographic kind.

Not that I'm complaining. I just want to reach my goal. I just want to be a part of the illustrative environment. I just want to tell stories through my art. I love that.

And how do I do that?

1. Practice.

2. Join organizations associated with my field. Recently I became a part of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). That automatically brings me into the same room with art directors and publishers. I love what I'm getting out of this group and the great people I'm meeting there. Certainly more to come from this.

3. Practice.

4. Up my presence on Social Media. Hey, how about a blog? That's a good idea. Twitter seems to be a good connection, too. Slowly, I'm learning to open up and talk about myself and I'm trying to learn the fine art of sharing my skills without coming across as an advertisement.

5. Yeah, keep practicing.

6. Study as much of other illustrators, their work and what they have to teach you, as I can. There is no way to express how much easier this is today with the internet. Of course, one of the first things I learned is that it seems to be very popular and easy to get noticed with porn than any other subject. Okay, let's just stroll over here to option two.

7. You're not there yet. Keep practicing. (Just a side note here: you never really get to "there." Just keep practicing.)

I'm learning to ask myself what do people want to see? That gets me noticed on sites like Etsy and Zassle. I'll get there. I'll do it. I AM AN ILLUSTRATOR. Oh, that's number 8.

8. Believe in yourself.