Andy J Smith

For a "Re-imagining the Classics" show in Maine

2009-10-29T20:40:00.001-07:00

Newburyport Harbor

2009-10-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

sketch Lisa Ann II in the Merimack River. I plan on doing a whole series of these, provided I can find some good brush pens soon.

dog portrait commission color mock-up

2009-09-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

rough color:

and final:

Is this a plausible scenario??

2009-09-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Would a 4-5 yr old read (or look at the pictures) of a picture book under the covers with a flashlight (in lieu of sleep)?

I know the idea of a kid with a flashlight under the covers is oft-used prototypical imagery (and that's OK with me) BUT at WHAT age do they do this? I know I did it but I feel like it wasn't until older... I don't know.

I do have to swap out the Mad magazine parody in favor of a picture book (4 yr olds wouldn't be reading mad--wouldn't get the joke)

I have to nail the age logistics.

HELP!

bobcat maze

2009-09-08T09:26:00.001-07:00

initial rough drawing:

revised rough:

and final:

A or B?

2009-08-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

the only difference is the monster kids in the "background" of the bus.

ducks unlimited

2009-08-03T19:47:00.001-07:00

quicky quackies

more old vs new

2009-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

old

new

monster character sketches

2009-07-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Fooling with some character ideas for two little monster brothers...

old vs new

2009-07-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

old (cut paper style--didn't go over so well):

new (digital paint):

too subtle a difference? i toned down and simplified the palette, worried less about line and tried to retain some sketchiness, and blotted in color with bigger brush and generally tried to be looser (like the post below).

too rough?

2009-07-09T16:15:00.001-07:00

Is this too rough a drawing/style to be considered a finished piece for a picture book? It's been so hard to let myself be this loose and simple. Does it work?

I think most immediately of James Marshall and Quentin Blake (and more recently, Mo Willems) as examples of rough but simple PB illustration.

rough maze illustration

2009-06-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

Maine Illustrators Collective: WORKING ARTISTS SHOW, Kennebunk Library

2009-06-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

WORKING ARTISTS SHOW, organized by some of the artists in the MEIC, is being held in a gallery space, at the Kennebunk Free Library in Kennebunk, ME.

Show runs July 2nd-July 31st

Artist's Reception is in Hank's Room, Kennebunk Free Library
July 8th 4:30-7:30pm The public is welcome.

In addition to myself, the following artists will be participating in the exhibit:
Gabe McPhail www.workshop31.com
Joel Zain Rivers www.obioncomics.com
Nicole Fazio www.nicolefazioillustration.com
Nancy Cooper Funk www.nancycooperfunk.com
Jamie Hogan www.hoganbraun.com.
Jessica Lynn Clark http://jessicalynnclark.blogspot.com
Judith Hunt www.huntjudith.com
Patricia Sharp SHARP DESIGN’S STUDIO & GALLERY Milbridge, Maine
Pat Wooldridge www.wooldridgeequineart.com
Leticia Plate www.leticiaplate.com
Christia Siravo www.csiravo.com/
Katie Diamond www.katiediamond.com
Michael Boardman www.coyotees.com/illustration
Helen Stevens www.helenstephens.com
Roz Davis www.rozdavis.com
Wade Zahares /www.zahares.com

MEICwebsite is http://www.maineillustratorscollective.org Blog: http://mecollective.blogspot.com/

School Is For Nincompoops pages 8,9

2009-05-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: 6/18/09--Editors aren't going for the color palette and "mass market" look of this illustration and others I've done like it... I'm going to have to take a hard look at my stuff and reevaluate my strengths and weaknesses... I've GOT to figure SOMETHING out!

Bear Food

2009-05-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation, I've opted to go with a less is more approach regarding line work...

ROUGH cover thumbnail for new PB

2009-04-27T09:05:00.001-07:00

sample dummy image--Schmucks, anyone?

2009-04-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

did the finished line drawing only to realize i need to rework the entire page layout to better accommodate the type.

As it stands here, the point of view could be interpreted incorrectly or at least be a little confusing. I'll post the revised rough image once it has been realized...

Also, CAN YOU SAY "SCHMUCKS" IN A PICTURE BOOK (for 4-8 year olds)? Is there any better (funnier??) words that would fit? I've dabbled with "dweebs" but it might not sound as good in the given sentence (which is also the title, tentatively) as well.

Ideas??

WHICH ONE DO YOU PREFER?--hey it took 3rd place! Not too shabby

2009-02-26T07:09:00.000-08:00

Two illustrations I am actually happy with... each for the same theme: "Many Voices". Which one do I go with?? The 'Many Vises' design with the teacher/student was the first one I cooked up but I felt it was maybe a bit too obtuse a concept?... so, I then conjured up the more generic but hopefully still fun dinosaur poster. Please cast your vote on the right -->

WHICH ONE DO YOU PREFER?

sneak peek at some illustrations for Zumis Espresso website

2009-02-07T16:14:00.001-08:00

Look what I made now!

2009-01-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

(My wife helped too)

So that's been my last BIG creative endeavor. Hopefully, will be posting some new illustration work soon!

Library of Tomorrow CHARACTER DESIGNS

2008-10-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here's some ROUGH character designs for the main characters of my newest book dummy i am starting to work on.

They are based on the roughs I posted from an earlier sketch.

finished spread

2008-10-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

finished spread from my new picture book dummy, "Yuck, Put That Back Where You Found It". The story is about a little boy who's not allowed to have any pets. He's befuddled and upset when his parents get to take home and keep a pet of their own: A baby sister.

GADGETS GALORE! updated 10/9/08

2008-07-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

To the right is the latest installment. Discarded iconic library icons, which have become obsolete compared to their high tech replacements

These sketches are for a picture book project I've been working on/writing for a few months now. I've put it on the back burner temporarily. In the meantime, I'll keep posting some of these rough drawings...

Below are random background characters with their gadgets.

Below, are the main character, Preston, his Grammy, old weathered librarian and new cyborg librarian... and oh yah, a monkey (cuz libraries have monkey bars now!)

new cover art for Buzz Beaker #6

2008-06-27T05:07:00.000-07:00

still a working title but i laid in the type just to get an overall sense of the thing...

Just One More Book Logo (final)--DAY 7 of 21

2008-06-06T04:55:00.000-07:00

Here's my illustration for JustOneMoreBook.com's call for entries.