The 600 (with apologies to Lord Tennyson)

The 600 followers of my bird blog Ornithoblogical might have noticed a big milestone approaching — I was about to paint my 600th bird! And then there was a long pause....

My apologies for the delay; brainstorming takes time, and so does execution, but I’m hoping I’ve come up with something worthy of the occasion. 

Speaking of execution, if you’re not familiar with the refrain from Lord Tennyson’s epic poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” here’s some historical background and a link to the poem. Perhaps it’s not the most uplifting subject matter, but it certainly is epic. And at the very least, a challenge for my mostly minimalist illustration style on the blog.

A BIG THANK YOU for all the support to my 600! In celebration, I’m hoping to get my etsy shop back up an running this week, with offerings of prints and other stuff. And there are more birds to come. Meanwhile, below are some details from The 600—Charge of the Egg Brigade.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
    All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the Light Brigade,
    Noble six hundred.

some birds of paradise

If you haven’t visited Ornithoblogical this week, stop by for my take on a few birds of paradise. I’ve been saving up these crazies for when I had time to do them justice. And I’m fast approaching bird #600, with plenty of ridiculous ideas to go. 

MoCCA Arts Festival 2013 - April 6th & 7th

April is the busiest month ~ This weekend (April 6th and 7th) is the annual MoCCA Arts Fest at the 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington Avenue and 25th Street—open both days from 11am to 6pm.

Stop by table D97 where I’ll be selling a new, limited edition, hand-bound book featuring art from my bird image blog Ornithoblogical, called What the Duck? (You may remember earlier this year, I devoted an entire week on to ducks.)

My other MoCCA offerings will include a new set of hand-painted children’s t-shirts;  Ornithoblogical magnets, buttons, and prints; and a new line of notebooks featuring hand-painted tip-on images of robots and martians. And of course, I’ll be selling and signing copies of World Rat Day and Sylvia’s Spinach.

Once again, the lovely Sophia Wiedeman and I will be sharing a table. What table, was that again? Table D97. And just to make it easier on you, here a map. See you there!...

duck week! (February 9–16)

It’s official: I’m proclaiming February 9–16 “Duck Week” on Ornithoblogical. That’s right, seven ducks in a row. Look for an original duck illustration to post on the blog each day at noon. I really hope it gooses your gander.

drawings from a fan: madeline, aged 11

Every once in a while, you get an email that makes your day—maybe even your week. That’s just what happened to me last Saturday, when I opened up a message from a friend. Apparently, his 11 year-old daughter Madeline, has become a huge fan of Ornithoblogical, and spends long stretches perusing the site, laughing at all the ridiculous puns. Best of all, he told me, she’s made up a few birds of her own. 

And how thrilled was I when I asked Madeline if she would permit me to share them here, and she said “Yes!” So—with great admiration and thanks—I present to you the drawings of Ms. Madeline of Millis, Mass. 

Wow...do I wish I’d thought of these!...Still laughing over Turkey Bakin’...

the ornitholympics!

It’s the Ornitholympics! That’s right, for the remainder of the 2012 Summer Games in London, fresh-faced-yet-fierce, sporting birds will be strutting their stuff each day on Ornithoblogical. Glory was cut short for today’s competitors, due to that controversy of Olympic proportions earlier this week. I present to you, “Angry Birdies.”

And if that’s not enough for you, I’ll also be featuring some feathered competitors from bird days past on the Ornithoblogical Facebook page, such as “Foils”—seen below—a favorite of my brother’s, who was once a fencing coach. 

So take a gander. I hope you have as much fun viewing these as I did making them.

taking it on the Rhode - see you @ ICON7

It’s been a very busy spring. What with my scant bird posts since the end of April (aka Chicken Month), and my infrequent updates to this page one might think it more of a silent spring. Far from it...

I’ve been at work finishing up the art for J. Patrick Lewis’s World Rat Day, (due to be released by Candlewick in March 2013), and preparing for this year’s ICON7, the big illustration conference in Providence, RI later this month. Also I’m participating in ICON’s Rhode Show Bazaar on the evening of Friday, June 15th. The show is open to the public, so come on out if you’re in the area. A great group of illustrators will be displaying portfolios and selling their wares.

My table (lucky #23 - for all you Michael Jordan fans out there) will feature a first glimpse at Sylvia’s Spinach by Katherine Pryor, a picture book I had the pleasure of illustrating. My publisher, Philip Lee, has generously granted me permission to show it off, even though it won’t be published until later this fall.

In addition, I’ll be hawking hand-painted kid’s shirts, books, and some Ornithoblogical products including—by popular demand—a magnet featuring “Mixer,” last seen in American Illustration 30. I know what you’re thinking...your refrigerator is naked without one.

See you in Providence!

what the cluck?! just one more week of chickens...

Feathers have been flying high over on Ornithoblogical this April—a.k.a. “Chicken Month.” And there’s still one more week of new cluckers on the docket. Pictured here are a few of the high/low-lights so far (from top to bottom: Chicken Wire, Chicken Heart, and Chick Pees.) Very sorry to say, I really don’t have to stop after 30 days—there are countless more chicken-related opportunities—but all good things must come to an end.

And with the end of Chicken Month, I take a brief hiatus from birds to focus on rats...specifically, World Rat Day, by the wonderful J. Patrick Lewis. You can read more about that here, and for further reading, Kirkus Reviews posted a great interview with Patrick a few weeks ago.

frederick douglass + chicken month

While the concept of the internet was most likely not at the forefront of his mind, I’m also pretty sure Frederick Douglass never anticipated being part of a blog post announcing a month of illustrations devoted to chickens. In case you’re wondering, there is absolutely no connection. More on the honorable Mr. Douglass in a moment...

Yes, you heard right: April is Chicken Month on Ornithoblogical. Every day, a new chicken...no foolin’. Go ahead, cry foul—just try and stop me. If this doesn’t rustle your feathers, and if you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe to Ornithoblogical by clicking on the RSS icon in the lefthand column on the site.

Now for Mr. Douglass. I was happy to contribute to the Book Cover Club again this month for their selection, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Himself. Here’s my take:

Presently, it’s back to the drawing board for me, where I’m up to my ears in rats for World Rat Day. Believe me, it’s not as unpleasant as it sounds. :^)

another peak @ sylvia’s spinach + bird 500 + more

 Happy Friday! Also Happy Birthday to Theodor Geisel, one of my idols.

This week, I’ve been finishing up the final art for “Sylvia’s Spinach”, and finally met my delightful editor/publisher Philip Lee of Readers to Eaters in person. Another teaser from the book is pictured above.

In other news, Ornithoblogical reached a big milestone yesterday with the posting of bird #500. There’s been lots of heavy-lifting going on in my studio this week. Not the least of which has been trying to find a place to store all of that art.

Also, I’ve got series of spots in the current issue of Kiwi Magazine, another installment in their cooking with kids series. This time we wash and trim mushrooms! Living the dream...

wrapping up 2011...rapping about 2012

I must admit, in many ways, 2011 was quite kind to me. In case you missed my earlier blatherings, here are a couple of highlights:

A few birds from Ornithoblogical found their way into some exhibitions and illustration annuals, and I began work illustrating two children’s books.

The first book (mentioned here previously) is a collection of poems by J. Patrick Lewis, the current U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. Published by Candlewick, World Rat Day is due out in Spring 2013. The second book, Sylvia’s Spinach, with children’s publishing startup Readers to Eaters, will be available this Fall.

As usual, throughout 2012, you’ll see more birds—hopefully several each month—and updates on my other illustration projects.

And I wanted to followup on my last post about the piece I made for the annual “Postcards from the Edge” exhibition and benefit. Great news—Visual AIDS raised a record $82,200 this year! And since the blind auction and sale are over, secrecy is no longer necessary. Here is my piece below—although, where his current home is now, I do not know yet. Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

a more mobile-friendly ornithoblogical

Ornithoblogical is now even easier to follow while you are on the go. With a new mobile-friendly interface, you can quickly scroll through the latest birds on your phone, as well as read or add to the comments section.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the latest installment of Thanksgiving-inspired birds. Looking over the comments, I see no one has yet cried fowl. ;v)

cold and flu season - group health cooperative

If you live on the East Coast, you no doubt heard, or perhaps directly experienced that crazy nor’easter over the last weekend of October. Earlier that week, I completed an illustration assignment that really put me in the mood—albeit not too literally. 

I was asked by the Group Heath Cooperative in Seattle to create an image for their cold and flu season outreach, encouraging members to get their flu shots. Below are a few of the sketches. The final solution (above) is more straight-forward, but the message is less dire than say, skiing off a stuffy nose mountain, or fending off a storm of birds and swine. Although, I think you’ll appreciate the humor of those sketches (below). Here’s to staying healthy this winter!

national day on writing - nytimes.com

Thursday, October 20th was the official National Day on Writing, and the Twittersphere was abuzz with writers, educators, journalists, students, and poets (to name just a few) answering the question #whyiwrite. Above is my illustrated contribution, as featured on Ornithoblogical and The New York Times Learning Network blog. You can learn more about the day, and read some fantastic quotes here.

etsy updated, and a little etc.

 

Summer’s end finds me busy with several small, ongoing projects and one really big one. But more on that in a later post. In the meantime...

It’s been a while, but I finally updated my Etsy shop. There you’ll find a selection of digital prints from Ornithoblogical, as well as some etchings and other goodies. This batch features “cock a doodle do” and “cock a doodle drew” (seen above), as well as some perennial favorites.

I take requests, so if there’s a piece that is not available in the shop, just let me know, I’m happy to put it up there.

3x3 children’s show winner

It seems the fine folks at 3x3 Magazine didn’t think one of my birds was decorated enough. So...pin another award to the little guy’s chest! In addition to American Illustration 30 and Print Magazine Hand Drawn, “In General” has received a Merit Award in the 3x3 Children’s Show and will be included in their Illustration Annual No.8, due out in December. Bravo to one of my favorite illustrators, Gary Taxali, for winning Best in Show, and to all the other winners!

american illustration 30

Excellent news received today: two images from Ornithoblogical have been selected to appear in the American Illustration 30 Annual. There were more than 7,000 pictures entered this year, but only 316 actually make it into the book. For more information about AI-AP, click here. That makes three birds (if you include me) who will be attending the AI-AP party later this fall. Woop!

MoCCA Festival 2011 - April 9th & 10th

Come on down to MoCCA Fest 2011 this weekend! (Table #i-13)

I’ll be launching three limited-edition, hand-bound books featuring art from Ornithoblogical: Bird Food, Jail Birds, and Bird House. Each includes nine full-color illustrations, and an original stab-stitch binding I’m fondly calling “bird feet.”

Also on offer will be flocks of signed bird prints, in addition to perennial book favorites such as The R. U. Fauna Department Store Catalog, and Ornithoblogical: Volume 1. And never fear—if you had your eye on a set of Gazers at last year’s festival, I have a few pairs left. Who knows? If all goes well, you might even get your hands on a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted tee. 

As in past years, I’ll be sharing a table with the fabulous Sophia Weideman, who will be launching her latest comic, the next installment of The Lettuce Girl.

MoCCA Fest 2011 

(benefiting the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art)

Saturday, April 9th and Sunday, April 10th

11 AM – 6 PM

@ the Lexington Avenue Armory

between 25th & 26th Streets

New York City

Ornitho-Blog-of-Note-ical

One day last week in the Twitter-sphere, Blogger, the blog-publishing service that is brings you this post and all of my birds, chose Ornithoblogical as a “Blog of Note.” What exactly does that mean, you ask? Well, in less than a week, subscribers, followers, and (let’s not forget) kind commentary on the site has tripled. And guess what that means for me? Yep...I have to make more birds! So back to the drawing board I go for some analog tweeting. And thank you!

nytimes.com—the learning network

Yesterday’s posting on The New York Times’ The Learning Network blog featured “100 Ways to Celebrate the 100th Day of School” with oodles of creative ideas for teachers, students and schools to mark the occasion.

Unbeknownst to me—while I was marking the occasion with a 100+ fever—Ornithoblogical got a great mention in #9. Now that sure made me feel better!

While the power of social networking sites like Twitter can more dramatically (and importantly) be measured by the events currently taking place in the Middle East, I have to acknowledge my own little learning network experience here. Through Noah Scalin’s 365 blog nod to my birds on Twitter, Katherine Schulten, one of the authors of The Learning Network, and I were virtually introduced. It just goes to show that “tweeting” is not just for the birds...or is it? Thanks Noah and Katherine!