PBM magazine illustration

Who knew there was an underground world of play-by-mail gamers?

Not me! Not, that is, until I was commissioned to work on a cover illustration for a small hobbyist magazine dedicated to this pastime...

For YOUR illustration needs (or Caricatures, Cartoons, etc.) just call or email today to get the ball rolling! See contact info.

Pilot and Roller Derby Girl Caricature

In this bizarro concept I came up with, we have a Roller Derby Girl leaping over the wing of her boyfriend's jet-fighter. Yep.

Who knows what I'll come up with for YOUR caricature??! Right?

Or, we could just stick to plain ol' boring vanilla faces and nothing kooky.

Or, maybe you have a kooky idea of your own. The choice is yours!

Call or email today for more info and a quote!

Professors Keep Retiring, I Keep Drawing

Here's a recent gift caricature for an Auburn professor who's retiring.

His hobby is golfing so we included that, and the subject he taught was public administration --- so we stuck some appropriate tomes in Aubie's golf bag.

Of course, I can draw gift caricatures for ANY occasion... Birthdays... Anniversaries... Graduations... And more! Call or email today! (See Contact page above.)

Rates depend on size, style, color or black & white, number of people, etc. Typically from $80 to $250, depending on the details.

Some color caricatures in different styles

Some recent commissions... The first one is done using color pencils; the second two are watercolor markers (markers that can be blended with water.)

The lighter colors drop out somewhat in the scanned image, but it gives a good idea of the bright vibrant colors possible with these techniques (especially the markers.)

Commissions like this are typically $70 to $120, depending on the number of faces, details included, and other factors. Please call or email today to get started turning your friend or loved one (or yourself!) into a silly cartoon.

Cover for Mike Raita memoir

Mike Raita just wrote a memoir about his career as a sports anchor

...and I got to do the cover!

Yes that's right, he wanted something fun and light-hearted, and had the brilliant idea (I may be a little biased...) to use a caricature on the cover.

(I think ALL books should have caricatures on their covers, incidentally. Please lobby your congressman.)

He also came up with the concept to show a news satellite van with stickers from all the stations he's worked at over his career. As well as a dotted-line map showing the cities he lived in along the way.

After an initial rough sketch to make sure we were on the same page, I proceeded to the line art and watercolor. For this part, I shamelessly channeled my cartooning idol Jack Davis (not saying I succeeded --- Davis had the skills of a 9th level hierophant. Which is pretty whack, if you know anything about hierophants.)

Then, I took the art into Photoshop and added the background map, as well as the text. What a blast to see it all come together:

Here's the thumbnail rough:

Custom Gift Caricature of Retired Professor

If you're looking for a fun gift idea for a friend or relative, don't limit yourself to the conventional!

For this recent commission, the client wanted a humorous depiction of her friend's career as a professor of philosophy and religion. She imagined him weighed down by his many Bibles in different languages, struggling to keep the stack from toppling over.

I worked from photo reference (sent by email) of the subject's face, but made up most of the rest. So don't limit yourself, and be creative. What hobbies, career, or interests would you like to highlight about the giftee? Is there a fun, cartoony way to put that across? 

Of course, I'm happy to help with ideas if you need any! Please call or email today for a quote or more information --- rocksgraphic@hotmail.com