Blog
August 5th, 2016
It’s weird. Jessica and I have been working on this thing for two years now—imagining, planning, dreaming, drawing, writing, drafting, rewriting, editing, designing, redesigning, lettering, illustrating, editing again, photographing, curating, gathering, fact-checking, editing some more. But even though we did all of that, and for so long, only now does it actually feel like it’s really happening. Because now I’m sitting here with the actual book in my hands. We just received our advance copies, and for quite a while all I could think was, “It’s real.”
There are still two months to go before the book is real to everybody else, as well, but in the meantime we have a whole lot of snippets, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes stuff to share. But if you’re champing at the bit like we are, you can pre-order your copy now.
July 13th, 2016
Jessica and I are on pins and needles this week, as advance reader copies of our book will be arriving any day now. So while we wait to get our hands on the real thing, we figured now was a good time to share the cover of the book with you! I got to do the illustration and lettering on this puppy, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to see it in person. Getting to this point was a long, long process (and a story that’s worth sharing, so we’ll get to that another day), and it feels good to hear that people are already responding favorably to the design.
We’re pleased to announce that the book is now available for preorder (it’ll be hitting stores on Tuesday, October 11). You can find more info and preorder links to lots of retailers on our book page. And if you’re a shop owner interested in carrying our book in your store, you can find all the info on bulk ordering direct from the publisher inside my wholesale catalog.
More details soon!
October 14th, 2013
It’s funny how totally different projects can converge into a single theme. This summer and fall I’ve found myself to be doing a whole bunch of similar commissions for completely different clients. The theme this time? Book covers.
First up is Erik Hanberg, who is not only the tech genius behind my new travel blog, but also Tacoma’s own Parks Commissioner and a fabulously talented writer. Erik has just finished his latest novel, The Lead Cloak—one of the best parts of being asked to illustrate the cover was that I got to be one of the very first to read the book. (It’s a page-turner!) This design was a departure for me again, because I got to mix a very graphic, slightly abstract sci-fi style with a more painterly background. It ended up being an uneasy combination, which we both loved—because it matches the tension and unease of the book. (If you want more details than that, you’ll have to pick up your copy at the book launch tomorrow!)
Next is a how-to travel book by my friend Mary-Alice, author of the wildly popular blog, Dog Jaunt. M-A is the hands-down expert on how to bring your pup along on your adventures, and she’s written what I think is the Bible of pet-travel advice. This was a fun project for me because (for once!) I got to design something clean, spare, and simple—and indulge in some serious punnage. And as an added bonus, M-A let me redesign the look of the Dog Jaunt blog to match—woot! (I mean…woof!)
Last, but never least, is the magazine cover I was asked to illustrate for Eastern Washington University. From beginning to end, this project was an absolute joy—because I was able to do exactly what I would do if I were standing at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge with a sketchbook in hand. My art director was inspired by the sketches I was posting on Drawn the Road Again, and asked me to replicate the style for the magazine.
Now all that’s left for me to do is to visit the place in person—and start filling the ol’ sketchbook.
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