Greatest Kid Detectives

Congratulations to Michael Beil, who's Red Blazer Girls landed in Huffington Post's list of greatest kid detectives. I've been fortunate to supply the illustrations for this young-adult series - about a smart (and fun) group of 7th Grade sleuths. Here's a little retrospective...

 

My daughter is a big fan of this series:-)

A special thanks to Kate Gartner for her excellent art direction...

... and to Michael Beil - who brought these lovable detectives to life,
and created a fantastic mystery series.

You can view my new illustration website here!

The Secret Cellar Cover...

Here's my new cover for Michael Beil's fabulous Red Blazer Girls series, out today! These adventures follow a feisty group of middle school sleuths who solve mysteries throughout Manhattan. My daughter and I are big fans of Michael's writing, so it's a thrill to contribute to these tweener mysteries. I'm also thankful to art director, Kate Gartner, who pushed me towards this bold style. You can see some interior spots from the The Secret Cellar here.

Here's my sketch process, starting with thumbnails:

After feedback from the thumbnails, it was time to create some more detailed comps:

A fountain pen plays a central role in this mystery. Here's the circular art and sketch ideas:

It's always nice to see my artwork in it's proper context. Here's an older photo of my daughter reading the second book in this this series, The Vanishing Violin:

I'm looking forward to presenting her with a new copy of The Secret Cellar!

Happy reading everybody.

You can view my new illustration website here!

The Secret Cellar

Here's a peek at some drawings that will appear in The Secret Cellar, the newest installment of the Red Blazer Girls mystery series. What goes on in this this spooky cellar? Are vintage French wines hidden down there? What creepy characters are lurking in the shadows? Oh, rats! I can't tell you. For answers, you must read Michael Beil's fabulous book when it comes out later this year. One secret I can reveal is that it was really fun dreaming up these images.

You can view my new illustration website here!

...........
My daughter Abigail is a big fan of this series,
so I can't wait to give her a copy of The Secret Cellar!