the new kid on the blog

London Time Interview

little jo — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:41:03 +0000

The warm, talented, (author, producer) Lorna London interviewed me for her blog. All about the merging of art & story. You can read it here: London Time

I talk mostly about my work on Paris Ballad - but also about my creative process in general. Hope you find it interesting.

Paris Ballad - an update

little jo — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:03:01 +0000

I had recently been discussing this project with Agent Sam Hiyate of The Rights Factory and he thought this originally wordless novel would be better with words. And frankly, while I managed to pull of the first chapter wordless, I wasn't so sure I could do the same for 300+ pages. Plus, I think the story has strong movie potential, and being wordless that might present a challenge. So I decided this was now going to have words. I am pretty excited about where the story is going as I had already done a full outline.

Inspired by my friend and talented artist / web comic creator herself Arwen Savage (check out BobandCharlie.com ) who writes her full script before working on her graphic novel...I have decided to begin writing my whole script for this.

I had developed the first chapter in a 'fly by the seat of my pants' method...I created a page the same way I would string a sentence together. I just began drawing the story. And because it was originally wordless, that kind of made sense. But now it takes a bit more planning. So far, so good! I am on a bit of a roll. Currently I have written 9 chapters of script that I am pretty happy with. I have 12 more chapters to go! I have just got to the thriller part of the story...but it is already quite funny and heartbreakingly exciting so far. I am really looking forward to illustrating the other chapters...just need that publishing deal!

Illustration Friday - Jump

little jo — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:38:49 +0000

So, this is a bit of a cheat for Illustration Friday - though it perfectly fits the theme. An illustration from my children's book Way to Go, Kid! Here, Goat is jumping over the Taiko drummers. Around the page (and on the facing page) are 108 bells (some cleverly hidden) which symbolize the 108 sins a person must rid themselves of to gain enlightenment in Buddhism. The theme of this page is also music. (Goat is singing Karaoke at the bottom, and the song she is singing is "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music" The banner on the right in Japanese can be translated to read: "When the spirit is light, the feet are also light"

Illustration Friday - Shades

little jo — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 04:37:33 +0000

Raven

little jo — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:31:46 +0000

Working on some character ideas and sketches for one of my children's books. This one is all birds, and the main antagonist/protagonist is a Raven. I am hoping to illustrate it with a Northwest Coast Native Art feel, since it suits the story so well. I spent a good deal of time doing research on the style, and while I am following it somewhat - I aslo want to break it up and do a bit of a mash up with my own style. Not sure how it will all pull together when I am done, but I am leaning to a more realistic looking Raven with little touches of Northwest Coast symbols.

chit chat

little jo — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:19:56 +0000

I've not been able to fall asleep at a reasonable time since the time change on Sunday, but I have made use of my late night energy to create some fun illustrations and push myself with some layered compositions. This one is called chit chat.

Wedding Fashion Illustration

little jo — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:58:32 +0000

Some fashion illustrations

little jo — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:25:35 +0000

Have been adding a few fashion illustrations to my portfolio. A couple of oldies but goodies that I did way back when in ink are in the fashion section of my site, and these new ones.

A Peruvian Beauty

And playing with just line and a pop of color:

Hookah

little jo — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:09:11 +0000

A new illustration I did - just for fun. Women chilling with a Hookah. Now, in my fantasy, I have men with serving them with all sorts of delectables.

The Dance Macabre

little jo — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:32:35 +0000

The cover art for a poem in graphic format. I will be publishing Act One very soon. Stay tuned!