Since kicking off the Swampy’s Florida website/comic strip/etc started last July, I was hoping to introduce a coloring book. It all came together Friday evening at The General Store in Downtown Lakeland. Co-owner of The General Store, Teresa Glover, put it all together and also contributed a lot to the coloring book. Terisa’s little dog and a Downtown Lakeland icon, Sparky, also stars in the coloring book. Above is a photo of me, the coloring book and Sparky in front of The General Store.

Here’s the cover. If you’d like one, please contact The General Store in Lakeland (863-688-5900). It is currently the exclusive seller of Swampy’s 1st coloring book.

I did

In front of The General Store Friday night I did drawings to help promote the coloring book. The photo above is of me handing a drawing to June, who happens to double as Sparky’s manager (Negotiations with Sparky came down to kibbles and bits). Below is the only photo I took all night. It’s a drawing for one of the coloring book recipients.

I was pretty exhausted Friday night after the night before (See the blog entry before this one). So tired in fact that I did no Facebook or Twitter posts and took only the one photo of artwork above.

Come by and visit the first Swampy’s Florida booth at Pine Castle Pioneer Days this Saturday and Sunday in south Orange County! I’ll be drawing Florida scenes, have some Swampy mini-comics & debut Swampy’s first coloring book. There’s lots more than me at the event to see, so come out and experience the Florida Cracker lifestyle with music, friends & fellowship!

Learn more by clicking here!

Here are the pencils.

Then some paint…

… and the final version with an inked line.

Finally starting to pencil this years Christmas card. Hope to have it done by Wednesday.

October 16th, 2010 – Childrens book illustrator, and one time editorial cartoonist, Stacy Curtis has been posting “Dueling Banjo Pigs”.

Click here to see the art work on Stacy’s site. There is a ton of banjo picking pigs on the site! Be sure to see ’em all!

I’d wanted to add one to his collection strumming in the swamps of Florida. At the Festival of Cartoon Art in Columbus, Ohio, he mentioned folks might be doing their own renditions at the bar of the hotel Saturday evening. So I said, I’m in! That night at the bar I drew the above. Below is a photo of Stacy with the artwork. By the way, in the background is another friend, Frank Mariani.

I met with my friend Peggy Jo van den Berg to create a painting for another friend, former Orlando Mayor Carl T. Langford at a Perkins in Mount Dora.

Here Peggy Jo is with the final painting.

I love when this happens: 3 friends who have never met, Dick Daniels, Ken Culotta and Peggy Jo van den Berg. We all had a good time at Perkins!

Here’s an illustration I did awhile back that I came across and thought I would share.

I intend to post parts of projects I’m working on here and then forget. Here’s part of an illustration I’m working on.

A underground exploration as illustrated for the word ‘Subterranean’ for Illustration Friday.

Here’s my newest Genuine Florida painting that I made while filming on UStream. Prints are available and please contact me to get yours.

Click below to see the UStream video.

Click here to see me make the next one tomorrow, February 23rd.

The Illustration Friday word is clumsy. As I drew this live on UStream last night, two viewers, Coffeeness & HotPopcornWater, suggested the critters. I then cobbled together the drawing. You can see the film by clicking here. It’s the last ten minutes.