Warm Fuzzies

You can never have too many warm fuzzies this time of year...unless you're heartless and frozen inside. ba dum chhh. Merry Xmas all!

Kapi Awards

Great news! The Bedtime for Sarah Sullivan app has been nominated for a highly competitive Kapi award! I didn't design the app, but my illustrations are used. Please follow the link below and click "like" on the Kapi site. Thank you for your vote!!

http://kapiawards.com/2015kapi/bedtime-for-sarah-sullivan-app/

Running to the Sun

Running to the Sun, Another Collection of Rhymes Without Reason: 

A new book o' poetry is being sent to the printers, and will be available soon! If you liked the first collection, Swimming to the Moon, you'll love this one even more...chock full of naughty children, parties, bizarro creatures and shifty-eyed cat killers. Get a peak at my cover and sample illustrations...

Piping hot clipart!

I have a new section on my website for digital downloads, showcasing my growing collection of stock illustration. Hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza for all! Oh yeah, there's some healthy food in there too somewhere...

Digital Downloads

Robots and Tigers and Tea Cakes Oh My

Check it out, I got to do some artwork for a Dell commercial. Thanks to the talented duo Sam Akina and Jules Jones of Attackships On Fire (www.attackships.com) for giving me this fun project to work on!

The color illustration for the project: 

Happy Halloween from the deep...

I hope you all enjoy a creepy, but safe night free of deep sea tube worms and cavernous-mouthed merfolk bottom dwellers.

On a totally unrelated note, pictured below is my latest mermaid illustration featuring a cavernous-mouthed bottom dweller:

My inspiration:

Get to the point!

What I've learned in illustration Tip#1:

Sometimes I find that I have a great idea for an illustration. Maybe its a great character with the perfect gesture or an unusual object that would be perfect for the message I want to convey. But as I start sketching, I find that I get wrapped up in the scene behind the focal point portion of the illustration instead. Its like I keep putting off the best part; the punch line so to speak. Something in the back of my mind wants to save the best for last, to build up the scene around it just right and make sure everything's in place and planned out perfectly before drawing in the most important part. 

I've learned to stop doing this. 

For me, building up an image with the focal point first allows everything else to fall into place naturally…almost magically. When I try to plan the scene first, the drawing becomes forced, less powerful, and the focus gets lost and the message watered down. In the past, I studied single panel cartoons, and noted that this type of art delivers its message very quickly, within a few seconds of viewing the image. Everything about the image must deliver its message clearly without any distractions taking the form of extraneous or oddly placed background material, or out-of-character... character details. Cartooning lessons could be applied to any artistic discipline. Sometimes our great ideas get lost when we over think it and smother them out with our over planning. If you have an exciting bit of inspiration, don't beat around the illustration bush. 

Sneak Peaks

I've posted some teaser images from a recent illustration project. Any ideas about what's going on here? I'd love to see what you think the story is...The full image will be posted when the rest of the project is complete!

The Arctic Walrus Whisperer Redux

The Arctic-dwelling mermaid species is beloved among her distant walrus ancestors who gather near to enjoy gentle caresses and the occasional clam scrap. Her hefty physique, tough, leathery blubber tail and seal fur support bra make this mermaid impervious to the harsh, frigid climate.

Buy a print from Inprnt

My Interview

I feel honored to have had fantastic illustrator Rani Bean interview me and showcase my work on her blog. If you feel so compelled, you can check it out here:

My Interview

Check out her enchanting work at http://ranisart.blogspot.com/

Book Project Sneak Peek

Grandma, stuffed monkeys, the beach and cute kids...some key ingredients to a current book project in the works.

Society of Killustrators

Check out my work on The Society of Killustrators:

http://societyofkillustrators.com/post/93519416390/no-29-killustrations

Mermaids In The Rough

My mermaids project is still alive and well, just a bit on the back burner. Check out some rough roughs of new species to come featuring the deep sea and Amazonian variety:

SCBWI

So SCBWI published some black and white spots of mine in this recent July-August newsletter. Yay!

 

A new Chum brothers sketch

Likes: watching scary movies, garlic marshmallows, their cat Claudia (although Claudia only likes their Dad)

Alien Flora and Fauna

Flowering spiroschoot from a distant planet.
The lizard-type guy takes care of the plant's parasites that buzz around the stagnant acid pools that collect inside the foliage nooks.

Bad little boy...

More black and whites for poems written by Jeff McMahon:

Peppermint Burps

I just do what I'm told and illustrate what the words tell me to do. In this case, its a poem called peppermint burps.

The bitter elderly

New birthday greeting card available soon:

Badass Lady Creatives

Melanie Richards and the folks of the very cool blog, Badass Lady Creatives, has featured my work today. I am truly honored to be included. Here's a big internet "thank you!!"
Check out the post here:

http://baladycreatives.com/jessica-warrick/

Christmas Elves make great pets.

Arctic Walrus Whisperer

Another mermaid illustration.
She is a tough broad...thick skinned, equipped with blubber tail and fur bra for the freezing, Arctic climate. Walrus's do her bidding, coming from miles around to bring her gifts from the sea and nuzzle by her side.

Lost Santa

Lost Santa from today's sketches: 

Updated final version Santa

Pie and cake factory

A quick sketch of a pie and cake machine from the poetry book project I'm working on:

Orphan or Magic Doll?

Dug up this little sketch and gave her some color. I can't decide if she looks like a privileged orphan or some sort, or a doll that came alive and looks at everything with human-eyed wonder....you be the judge.

Walruses can't read

It is what it is, no explanation...

Alien Plants

So I like drawing alien plants. And I think I'll keep doing it...

Eat your meat!

Sometimes, we just need to see a  pile of meats. Another image for my stock collection, and also thought this would do nicely for Illustration Friday's "red" theme.

The Chum Family Portrait

I'd like to share a recent family photo.
Yes, the mother carries a recessive, fish head gene.

Prints available here: https://www.jessicawarrickart.com/store/the-chum-family-portrait

Running to the Sun

Recent work for the new poetry book, Running to the Sun (Swimming to the Moon series):

sketchy

Its the sketch phase for a children's book I'm working on. It's surprisingly fun drawing mischievous little girls who love to terrorize their father's hair:

Stock Illustrations

In my free time, I am going to be gradually increasing my stock illustration library. And by that I mean starting...because all I really have right now is this hotdog with a distracting watermark. Yay!

The Dr. Is In...

And he accepts all forms of insurance.