The Gekkard Gazette

Moving On

2009-03-24T21:55:00.000-06:00

The Gekkards have moved. Check out our new blog over on Squarespace.com.

Plumb Your Skull

2009-03-07T13:09:00.004-07:00

Let me start by saying, I'm a huge fan of the horror movie genre. A few nights ago, my wife and I sat down to watch "28 Weeks Later". The film started off pretty good, initiating a few intriguing premises for plot development. However, to our chagrin, the writers went a completely different direction and turned the movie into a complete gore fest. Sad to say, another potentially good horror flick gone astray.

I digress no more. After any horror film, be sure to plumb your skull before retiring to bed. You must rid your brain of any spooky or gory imagery. Watch some Seinfeld or King of Queens reruns. Avoid any true-crime shows. Otherwise you'll suffer the consequences of bad dreams. You've been warned.

Baby Ansyl

2009-01-24T18:01:00.005-07:00

With our new baby girl arriving is in less than a month, I decided to sketch up momma and her impending newcomer. At moments like these, I believe that deep down, my wife really wishes I drew people instead of lizards.

Onward & Upward

2009-01-09T20:48:00.004-07:00

This is an illustration from my first book, The Gekkleberry Tree. If you know the story, then you know the Gekkards have pretty ambitious goals. It seemed a fitting metaphor to start the new year. Here's to bigger goals and better results than ever!

Tempe Festival of the Arts

2008-12-08T18:20:00.005-07:00

The Gekkards participated in the Tempe Festival of the Arts this past weekend. Its always one of my favorite shows of the year with lots of great art to see. However, with a meager 10x10 booth space, things can get pretty crowded as seen above. The crowd was full of lots of old friends and plenty of new ones. The Gekkards thank our customers for their generous support.

The best part about local shows is my son occasionally comes to visit. He brings the Gekkards or (Bo-Bo's as he calls them) good fortune by giving each painting a kiss before it gets packed for the show.

Pirate Ship

2008-11-05T17:32:00.004-07:00

This concept was presented to me by one of my customers. Although the whole Pirate fad has come and gone, the idea was intriguing and challenging enough to accept. It took a long time to complete, so by all means enjoy "The Curse of the 8-Legged Creature".

The Chomp Toy

2008-10-07T12:14:00.010-06:00

Remember those grabber toys with the trigger, long arm and the animal head on the end that would bite?

That toy was the premise for my latest work. Every year in October, I attend an art show during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. I create a new piece dedicated to the hot-air theme for the show each year. The work got lots of laughs last weekend. Laughter seems to be what people need right now and it reminds me how much I love my work.

To See the Sea

2008-09-03T20:28:00.006-06:00

Here is the new bookmark to promote my next storybook, To See the Sea, coming out in the Spring of 2009.

I spent two years working on the idea for this book. It had a great concept, but not an easy one to execute. The story was suppose to be humorous, heartfelt and concise, but the first forty drafts contained none of those things. However, I was resolved and didn't give up, I turned to my SCBWI training and used those tools until a breakthrough came. Then, there it was. A clever and mildly unusual path to the final page turn. It beckoned my characters to navigate it with their personalities and determination. So they did.

Its has been almost three years since the release of my first book, but I hope this book is worth the wait. I took my time and did not write until I felt I was ready. I was committed to finding a deeper potential as both an author and illustrator.

Olympic Swim

2008-08-05T18:15:00.015-06:00

In celebration of the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Games, I thought I would share Chopper's journey to becoming an Olympic swimmer.

Step 1: I always begin with a sketch. I create about half of my sketches with pencils then scan the drawing into the computer. If I'm more comfortable with the content, I will sketch it digitally as I did here.

Step 2: I create my digital art in three rounds of work. In the first round, I block in color. I try not to think too much about details in this phase, but I have a tendency to overwork areas if I don't keep myself moving. My goal is to establish the color, shape and value of the painting.

I will also make any necessary adjustments on composition. The critical part of this piece was getting the perspective of the lane lines correct.

Step 3: In the second stage, I begin developing details. Here it was adding clouds, making the water more believable and trimming Chopper's head. I also added reflections in his goggles and completed some missing details in the background.

Step 4: In the final step, I like to amp up texture and fine tune areas that need attention. I thought splashing water across his snout would add more drama and realism to the work. I spent about 13 hours on this illustration.

I chose swimming because I grew up in a family of competitive swimmers. I swam in high school and college and the Olympics is like the Super Bowl for swimming. Breast stroke was my specialty, so I chose it for this illustration. His arms cutting through the water gives the piece nice action with the right amount of believability.

Chopper wishes our Olympic athletes all the best at the Summer Games.

Business Card History

2008-07-26T14:34:00.006-06:00

Thought I would post the history of the Gekkard business card. They are listed in chronological order from top to bottom. I had all the digital files except for the very first one. That one had to be scanned in, as I always save a few samples from each design. The first card was produced in 2001 while I was still straddling the fence between art and graphic design.

After that, my strategy was to design cards with my info on one side and a piece of art on the other. I wanted to give the customer something they would not easily discard. It seems to be working as many returning customers tell me they still have one of my cards from years ago. Let me know which one your favorite might be.

Vacation Inspiration

2008-07-09T19:34:00.005-06:00

My family and I took a much needed vacation the past 10 days, heading to southern California to escape the Phoenix heat. It was very relaxing. My activities included laying by the pool, eating plenty of seafood, watching fireworks and going surfing for the first time.

However, my vacation had a purpose too. I returned to Dana Point where I found the trees pictured in the photos. They were the inspiration for my first book, The Gekkleberry Tree. They look like they came straight out of a fairytale and it was comforting to see them continuing to thrive above the ocean shore.

The ironic part is that in my second book, which is beginning final art, the characters visit the ocean. Again I found plenty of inspiration, took lots of photographs, but most of all just absorbed the atmosphere of seeing the sea. I am excited to begin the final process and complete this new work.

The Hills Have Eyes

2008-06-19T14:49:00.007-06:00

Last weekend my home was visited by three vultures. Although I've seen them circling in the sky many times, I have never been clear on exactly what they look like. I think I've always imagined them like the ones in Gary Larson's Far Side cartoons. Unfortunately, they more closely resemble characters from "The Hills Have Eyes" movies.

I wasn't really sure what brought them to our house. My brother-in-law shed some light on the subject when he reminded me that the dead body must be buried at least three feet deep to keep the vultures away.

Fly-fly

2008-06-13T15:42:00.004-06:00

My two-year-old son calls all dragonflies and butterflies, fly-flies. With a vibrant sing-songy enthusiasm, he announces any visual confirmation of such creatures. This dragonfly happens to be a new character in my upcoming book. Lilac.

Bogus the Pirate

2008-05-25T14:25:00.007-06:00

Found this sketch of Bogus Froglouski very appealing, so I scanned him in for some full-color work. I also explored some new brushes in Painter to create the fog-like effect.

Beach Volleyball

2008-05-06T18:52:00.004-06:00

Working out some illustration ideas for the new book. This probably won't end up in the final art pile, but I thought it might satisfy the many request for Volleyball art.

Bookmark Sample

2008-04-24T11:49:00.005-06:00

In response to SCBWI message boards: This is my sample bookmark. It was two-sided. I used Printing for Less. It is a great tool for promotion, handing out at school visits and getting people fired up about your latest work.

Gekkard Warrior

2008-04-15T19:53:00.005-06:00

I always been a fan of Don Seegmiller's work. One of my favorite illustrations by Don appears on the cover of his book on Corel Painter. It inspired me to create the Gekkard Warrior.

Winter Sunset

2008-04-03T16:28:00.002-06:00

This is an unusual time of year to be posting winter-theme art, but I've had so many request for a figure skater. It took some time to find her a satisfactory pose, then I had to create enough drama in the environment to make it effective.

Generation to Generation

2008-03-17T10:32:00.006-06:00

I was in Albuquerque last weekend for an art show. Shows are always hard work and lots of fun. There were plenty of good compliments throughout the weekend and they always provides good motivation. I also appreciate the many suggestions from my customers on new ideas for the art. The best suggestions from this show were:

• The Gekkards dressed up as Pirates.

• A Gekkard flying a helicopter.

I just wish I had enough time to complete all these great ideas, but I will eventually. I also had a customer email me after the show and tell me of their plans to pass down my art work to their grandchildren. That was the best compliment of all.

Camping Out

2008-03-12T14:04:00.004-06:00

Here is a second illustration from my upcoming book. I always enjoy the challenge of illustrating night scenes.

Wish You Were Here!

2008-02-25T10:47:00.003-07:00

The Gekkards decided to vacation by the sea this winter!

Actually, this illustration is one from my new storybook. It is one of two final art pieces for my book dummy. As for the story, well that must remain top secret, but clues may already be appearing...

Journey well my Gekkard friends!

Retro Play

2008-02-15T15:53:00.002-07:00

This cartoon was created about six years ago. I didn't even own an ipod yet, but I wanted one. Music has always been a big inspiration for me and a great deal of my work has been created with iTunes playing in the background. Thanks Apple!

Gekkards Rule!

2008-02-05T11:25:00.001-07:00

This post is about my first school visit of 2008 to Rancho Gabriela. It was an action-packed 2-day visit with 8 presentations per day. The kids were great. They paid attention, laughed when they were suppose to and even interviewed me on their morning news broadcast.

I also met some really gifted artists-in-the-making. These first two drawings were from a talented 8th grader who goes by the nickname Panda. I thought her Japanese anime style brought a whole new look to the Gekkards.

This drawing was from a young lady by the name of Valerie. I think the glitter was a lovely touch. I also lunched with a fascinating young 5th grader named Jordan. He brought his sketchbook and we spent the time looking at his art and talking about his ideas. His big, bright smile and abstract concepts really impressed me. I was fascinated at how much understanding he already has about art.

The visits are always fun and I often think I learn more than the students. Thank you to art teacher Stephanie and librarian Janelle for making the visit a success.

The Adventure Continues

2008-01-16T14:40:00.002-07:00

I drew this sketch about eight months ago when I began working on the manuscript for my second storybook. The original idea for the story came to me while I was working on The Gekkleberry Tree three years ago. It was a great concept, but I couldn't create a funny, page-turning manuscript from the idea.

It sat for several months while I noodled with two other story ideas. However, I felt very strongly this idea was meant to be the second storybook in the Gekkard series. So I returned to the idea and hammered away until several good possibilities appeared. I worked the material over and over, but nothing satisfied me. It wasn't funny. It wasn't clever enough. It just wasn't exciting. Then, as I continued to work, it happened.

I don't know how. I don't know why. But there it was, a clever, concise stroke of genius. A manuscript that I would have never imagined was born. I discovered a new way of writing. I discovered a new way of being funny. I discovered that writing is a lot of hard work and it deepened my admiration for those who do it well.

Now let's hope the publishers can see what I see.

Naughty Spot

2008-01-11T11:08:00.001-07:00

My 20 month old son has been acting out recently and finding himself in the naughty spot. We are teaching him the rules of the house and that throwing and hitting are not okay. Sometimes he cries and other times he just looks at me with those big eyes. He is still a bit young to fully understand the process, but he is learning. What I appreciate most is his ability to snap back, give me a hug and get right back to the business of playing.