Happy New Year 2011!

Blue Goose Christmas Cobbler

Nate and Salli put my recipe on their site: theydrawandcook.com today. This is a cropped image. To get the recipe or many other amazing recipes visit their site. Merry Christmas!

WINTER

Kinda busy so here’s a quickie for Illustration Friday’s topic WINTER.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

9 HISTORY-ALTERING CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Merry Christmas to all by blogging friends. God bless you and your families!

mail

I have always thought it was just a fable about mailmen and dogs. But since I became a mailman eleven years ago, this scene has been repeated many times.

A little video I made at xtranormal.com

The discovery of the PHENOMENON known as static electricity

PREHISTORIC

GAK December issue

Here is a cropped image of an illustration I did for Guardian Angel Kids. It is an online interactive ezine for kids. Click here to check it out.

Savour

SNEAKY

(inspired by the talented Bella Sinclair’s 2nd comment on my post last week)

BURNING

As a kid growing up in Chicago, we always heard stories of the Great Chicago Fire. It was said that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern and caused the fire that destroyed almost all of Chicago in 1871.

A few buildings were spared including the Chicago Water Tower which still stands today as a reminder of how Chicago rose from the ashes. Amazingly, because of a wind shift, the O’Leary home was spared and the cow was saved.

I always had a soft spot for the cow. She took the blame, but what idiot left a lantern on the barn floor anyway!

Afterwards

SPENT

Jason's mother gave him 7 pieces of silver to go buy a cow. Jason spent the coins on a hockey mask, a butcher knife and 3 magic beans....well you know the rest of the story. However Jason's mother was never seen again!

Thought I'd stay on the fairy tale/movie theme since Ben Hare got a favorable response :o)

Thanks for all the great comments. You guys ROCK!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

RACING

As a kid, one of my favorite scenes from any movie, was the chariot race in Ben Hur.

For the Illustration Friday prompt this week of RACING, I was torn between Ben Hur and the Tortoise and the Hare. Hey! Why not do both!! So I give you BEN HARE.

I have to admit, depicting the mild mannered tortoise as the evil aggressor, left me a little rattled. After all, he was the underdog. He was the wise and patient hero/victor in the original.

Then, upon closer observation, I noticed something protruding from under the tortoise's flow-ing red cape. What is that? It looks like a...a....wolf's tail! Has The Big Bad Wolf made another appearance in yet another fable, disguised as the tortoise and anticipating the post-race victory feast of rabbit stew?

OK now I feel much better.

spooky

Transportation

World Animal Day

Have you hugged your pet today?

Beneath

Beneath his cheerful, bright, innocent green persona that we witnessed on the television screen, Gumby's hormones were racing.

Anyone remember Gumby and his sidekick, Pokey?

Old-Fashioned

Good Old-fashioned family fun! (Yes we had orange walls and a green carpet)

acrobat

I was in St Louis over the weekend for a Children's Illustrated Art Museum event and a book signing at a St Louis Borders, so when I got back tonight, I had to incorporate their famous Arch into my IF submission.

PROVERB

This explains Snoopy's unusual habit of sleeping on his roof. This proverb always sounded funny to me. It Really IS in the Bible. Look it up :o) I hope his made you smile because...

Cheerfulness keeps you healthy (proverbs17:22)

Apologies the late, great Charles Schultz

Guardian Angel Kids

Backpack Knockout written by Donna ShepherdThis is an illustration I did for Guardian Angel Kids online magazine's back to school issue.

DESSERT

immovable

Jabba The Hutt was certainly immovable!

I've been wanting to do a Star Wars themed IF....

OUTSMART

Thanks Andrew for the Smart Car info and for the Australian influenced inspiration! I've submitted it to Outsmart. The art director said it will be posted on their site in a couple days.

Atmosphere

Roberto hopped on his best friend's back and they soared above the atmosphere.

Ahhh finished!

Ahhhh! I finished this book for Guardian Angel Publishing. The name of the story is Sh Sh Sh Will the Baby Sleep? It is written by Kathy Stemke. It's about a boy who dreams of great adventures while trying to keep everything quiet so his baby sister can sleep. It should be out early next year.

Star Gazing

The mouse wishes he were tall.

Elephant wishes he were small.

We can keep wishing our lives away,

or thank God he made us this way.

CAGED

Due to a bad cell phone connection, Andrew's mother misunderstood what he told her.

Can you figure out what Andrew told his mother. I will repost on Wednesday with Andrew's words in the empty balloon, or before.... if someone gets it correct. ..........CLICK TO ENLARGE

A big CONGRATS to Bethanie! She figured it out including the hamper. Check out her blog. She has a very fun style and a delightful imagination. Click here.

ARTIFICIAL

The rescue team tried to urge Herbie down with an artificial mother duck.

double

In the early days of film, actors like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin did all their owns stunts.

When the actors became too "valuable", the studios started hiring stunt doubles.

Now DreamWorks has begun hiring stunt doubles for their "valuable" animated characters.

What next?? Really... I just wanted an excuse to come up with my own version of Shrek :o)

BREAKFAST

HMMMM..... I wonder what Smokey the Bear has for breakfast?

DIARY

Inspired by Vittoria's giant Illustration Friday submission. Check her out at FARUFFANDO

Sammy contemplated his next diary entry.

Giant

GALLAGHER"S TRAVELS

I always loved Max Fleischer's (1939) animated feature Gulliver's Travels. My favorite part was when the night watchman Gabby tries to convince the town that "There's a giant on the beach! There's a giant on the beach!"

In the 1980's a popular comedian named Gallagher would smash watermelons on stage as part of his act. The front rows would always get covered in watermelon at his shows.

After one of his shows, he was so exhausted from all that smashing, that he found a secluded beach and fell asleep..... the rest is history ;o)

I "borrowed" the original Max Fleischer's background for this piece..... and doodled up my own version of Gabby.

SATELLITE

In the early evening hours of June 26 1827, Nick Brimmly rode his trusty pony, Old Sputterfly through the old west town of Kettle Junction. Mr. Brimmly was showing off his latest invention, the saddle-light. The saddle-light however, never became the horsehold name that he hoped it would.... and here's why.While swatting the moths that were circling the saddle-light, Old Sputterfly's tail got too close to the flame and caught fire! Nick held on for dear life as the two of them shot through the town like a rocket, flaming tail and all! Nick Brimmly and Old Sputterfly were never seen again.

Legend has it that they were jettisoned into space and can still be seen at night circling the earth to this very day.That is why a smaller mass that orbits a larger mass is now called a satellite. (saddle-light)

interesting side note: In 1957 the Russians launched their first satellite into space. They named it SPUT-NIK ( after Sputterfly and Nick Brimmly).

paisley

Those paisley patterns always remind me of bacteria... I don't know why... just me i guess :o)

Help the WILDLIFE

Kelly Light over at ripplesketches.blogspot.com has gotten together with a bunch of artists to donate an illustration to help the wildlife clean-up project. Check it out for more details.

TRAIL

Learning a lesson from "the bread crumb incident", Hansel and Gretel left a TRAIL of carrots instead.

Banjo Pig #3

SLITHER

I don't know about you, but when the Grinch slithered around the house stealing all the Christmas goodies.... that gave me the creeps! Here's my version of that snake.