Growing Up and Growing Together is an ANNUAL Event!

     I decided to post on Thursday this week, because today is a very special day.  It is Thanksgiving day and it's a time to look back and reflect on the year and be grateful to be where you are and with those you are with.  I LOVE the Holiday Season: the cool crisp air, the food, the smells, the laughter, the fun, all the endless board games and playing cards,  the Holiday Shopping, the  music, the beautiful colors of all the leaves on the ground, tasty treats and good eats… the list goes on and on. 

     I will make this week a very brief post as I am currently readying myself for family time.  I spent almost 12 straight hours of Thanksgiving Feast cooking… the house smells wonderful, but I still need to go to the gym. ;0)  But I digress.

     Today I am sharing an excerpt from my Professional Illustration portfolio.  It is called simply, November.   It is part of a concept calendar I created upon leaving college to use as a promotional tool.  The calendar concept was to help children begin thinking about a future career.  Each month would feature a possible job you could pursue.  Each day of that month would be filled with a fun fact and would include a fun and simple activity you could do with you child that is in some way associated with that profession.  Each of the illustrations form the calendar consist of 3 main elements consistent with the entire series of illustrations for it. 1.) It must illustrate a possible career, as I had previously stated.  2.) It must include the major Holiday associated with the month itself and 3.) It must include an element of Whimsy Imagination and fantasy.

     I also planned to include a spot illustration of the child as a Grown Up in that profession. It would be coupled in the calendar design.  I am actually in the works of developing this calendar for possible retail sale.

     November is obviously about Thanksgiving and promoting the career of Farming.  Being that I am a Georgia resident, this seems quite appropriate to share today.  Georgia is a very big agricultural state.  We grow many of your peanuts, peaches, pecans and cotton (that we apparently sell to China then buy back from them… weird logic, but I'm not a Farmer or a politician so I guess, I'm not meant to understand it . lol.)  

     Anyway, I though it would be fun to "build" my farm out of all the wonderful Thanksgiving foods of agriculture.  I have included more than Georgia is responsible for, of course, but this illustration is meant more over for farming in general and what it's possibilities could hold.  I had a lot of fun coming up with all the many Characters for this illustration.  I wanted to create a sort of "Family" of animals for my little farmer to help illustrate the togetherness we all feel during the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Designing the farm itself and what it would be made of was in fact a real pleasure. I had a lot of fun over the course of the week I worked on it.   I have included some of the original development sketches to share for fun. 

     I must leave you all here. I still have plenty to "hunt and gather" for our Thanksgiving Journey today :0)… And I still need to go to the gym.

     Until next time, folks: Have a Happy and very Safe Thanksgiving.  Today is all about Good times, Good Food and Good Friends. ( a quote I borrow form my good friend Mia Scott.  She really hit the nail on the head with that one.)

Keep sketching, keep thinking, keep laughing and most important of all, keep making art. 
Cheers,
LEWIS