election time

So I finished the Obama/McCain piece, and sent it off to The School Library Journal. I was in Douglas giving school presentations when the call came in that they had received the painting. Yes.... I still deliver traditional whenever possible. Long story short, they really enjoyed the painting and I can't wait to see it in print. Sometimes you do work for someone that you really enjoy, maybe it's the subject matter and sometimes the art director. In this case, it was both.

I love working for SLJ. Mark Tuchman is a great guy to work with, and seems to get great work from his stable of illustrators. I am honored to have another cover for them and hope to do more in the future. These are a few of the in progress shots and the final painting with revisions. Still working in oil and can't see myself changing medium any time soon.

I don't know about you, but I've been enjoying this season of politics. From Saturday Night Live to the attack ads on television, I'm enjoying it all. This past Saturday, I was searching around on the internet for some reference for the next painting and ran accross this sketch for change website. I researched a bit further, and found out that this was a way to donate to a good cause and really do something for the greater good. I decided to submit the original sketch of Obama for this cause. I loved the sketch and wished it had been used on the cover, but it will get some longevity in someones life. All the proceeds go to the Obama campaign, finally something that I could do as an artist other than cold call and buy merchandise. Thanks for the opportunity to give what we do. http://sketchforchange.blogspot.com/