please don't do this.

Sometimes you regret teaching them certain words.

Happy Holidays.

My send off yesterday.

Two things i never knew were missing from Xmas until Mia invented them.
1. Christmas trees with flames and lava shooting out of the top (from her love of volcanoes).
2. Christmas Zombies (from her love of Halloween).

The headline "Mars Rover 'Curiosity" Team Reportedly Will Reveal Major Discovery In December" has definitely piqued my interest, here's what my Money is on.

Sleeping during story time... is not allowed.

Had a fantastic time talking at Illustrator's Day yesterday!! Thanks so much to SCBWI for having me. Here's a highlight from the talk, my "Chart of Artistic Achievement", any similarity to any persons living or dead except me is purely coincidental. 

A brief interlude from Halloween decorations. This was tonight's game.

and Mr. Pinky

today's Halloween Decoration.

More Printable Halloween Decorations from "Skeleton Cat" collect them all.

Halloween Decorations Anyone?
1. Drag 'em
2. Print 'em out (Photo paper preferably)
3. Scissor 'em up
4. Tape 'em up all over the house.
Instant Halloween Spirit!

this afternoon.

something Mia said the other day.

I was just digging through some old files and found these, my first pass on what i thought "Skeleton Cat" might look like. I originally envisioned him as a kind of scruffy older Scatman Crothers type character who loved to drum on trash and would get shoes hurled at him, a little insight into the behind the scenes of illustrating a picture book: the date on the file said 4/30/09 as in 2009 and that book just came out in July that's almost 4 years from initial sketches to "on the shelf".

Dear Game of Thrones TV show, if you weren't sure what Khal Drogo and Dany looked like why didn't you just ask? Khal Drogo does not wear maskara or get Brazilians and Dany is 13 and a waif. Happy to help!
Love,
Dan

Another New York moment, Mia discovers bones.

SCHOOL VISIT
Last Friday I went to the Cererity Troika Charter School in Eagle Rock LA to do a reading of SKELETON CAT and draw pictures with the kids for a few hours. It was super fun!! Here are a couple pictures of me reading and some of the kids' drawings. I met some really talented and imaginative kids who all came up with great ideas for more books about cats, i'll try to draw one of my favorite ideas a little later and post it. Thanks to the school for having me over, it was a great time!

Tomorrow is the release date for "Oh, Nuts!" written by the hugely talented and very popular Tammi Sauer and illustrated by me. Check out this trailer with fantastic original music composed and performed by the incredible Mike Stern and animated by the astounding Joel Trussell. i love it more every time i watch it, be sure to have the sound up!

The moment they found out.
5 days

Still working through some New York sketches. Here's Mia making friends wherever she goes.

And with his advance from "Oh, Nuts!" Bob went ahead and got that Bret Michaels makeover he's been wanting.

Also preparing for his Sept. 18th debut in "Oh, Nuts!" Blinky has been working on his 6 pack.

I'm brave.

in preparation for her big debut, "Cutesy" had some glam shots done.

spotted loitering anxiously awaiting their debut.

More from New York. Mia made up her first story, which I had to illustrate. I would give anything to bet that creative.

Some choice moments from New York.

Here are 3 of the 7 pieces i did for an art show i was just in. The show was in New York at Powerhouse Arena and was titled "Slighty Strange: Unusual personal artwork of 5 contemporary children's book illustrators". The other illustrators in the show were Michael Slack, Jim Pailot, Mike Moran and Wednesday Kirwan. It was tons of fun, i got to be there for the opening on Aug. 2nd. It was all conceived of and curated by Michael Slack, thanks for thinking of it, finding the space, doing all the work and answering the millions of emails to make it all happen!!!
Pieces will be on sale on Powerhouse's website until Sept. 3rd (grab your wallet and click here)

Here's the first pass on a cover for SKELETON CAT, the publisher ended up opting for the simpler image that's on the book now. I'm finding that's actually a pretty common thing in the publishing industry, to go for a "less is more" "iconic" image. I know it's all based on marketing and i have no doubt they know exactly what they're doing, but still i liked this better as an image and wanted to post it. Maybe i'll make some posters out of it and give them away at book readings or something.

SPOOKY CREEPY SKELETON CAT

IS ON IT'S WAY!!!

Coming July 1st, SKELETON CAT

written by Kristyn Crow

illustrated by Me

published by Scholastic

Check out this awesome trailer

made by Dave Woody of

Tigers Can Bite You

original music composed by Dave

just for the occasion!!

thanks a million Dave!!!

this happened today, be careful working in front of fans.

What 2 year olds dream of.
Mia was talking in her sleep last night, mumbling something about raccoons, when she woke up we asked her if she had a dream. "Raccoons jumping in the bouncy house."

I found this article about Mitt Romney so disturbing i had to do a drawing of it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-prep-school-classmates-recall-pranks-but-also-troubling-incidents/2012/05/10/gIQA3WOKFU_story.html

Old Joe Clark

Black Eyed Susie

I've been picking up the banjo again which means I've been listening to a lot of old-timey banjo music, those songs are so rich with "colorful characters" and "depressing scenarios" i thought it might be fun to draw a few.

Monday morning.

Here's a story Mia told me this morning.

and then there's this.

A couple times a week.