Given I basically only had a name to work from, and that it was one of the last things I’d ever do for the company, I decided to go a bit over-the-top with the art. And by over-the-top, I mean I blindly charged beret-first into the gaseous cloud of the arty farty.

Essentially, this piece is an exploration of the phenomenon of anthropomorphism. Here, the professor considers a butterfly that has lighted upon his book. The title of the book, A Sound of Thunder, is a short story by Ray Bradbury (or, I guess in this case, Ray Bradbirdy) in which a time traveler accidentally changes the course of history by stepping on a prehistoric butterfly . The implication: even the most minor change to universe’s history could have resulted in another species gaining the evolutionary upper-hand instead of humans. Think about it.

“A Sound of Thunder” also refers to the noise your head made when I blew your mind just then.

So many layers.

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All the images in this post (except the header), © Copyright Her Interactive, Inc.

How To ID: Lesser Williamsburg Warblers*

• Found nursing hangovers amongst city arbors
• Their life ambitions are vague and quixotic
• Their t-shirts and mustaches: all ironic
• Subsists on a diet of warm PBR
• Tries to migrate on fixies (though never gets far)
• Will often fall prey to nasty fauxhawks
• Never chirps, only taps out a tweet that mocks:

*Lesser Williamsburg Warbler’s not its name the world over. It’s known back West as the Great Portland Plover.

How to ID: Existentialist Vultures

• Rarely seen without a volume of Sartre
• Sport black, crooked feathers and matching beret
• Prefer perching in Parisian cafes
• Nihilistically gnaw on carrion-stuffed croissants until nauseously bloated with gristle and angst
• Their gaze: deicidal, and shrouded in smoke
• Their call: a cantankerous death rattle croak:

It’s funny how, when you get paid a salary to draw for a living, your hearing is the first thing to go.

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All the images in this post (except the header), © Copyright Her Interactive, Inc.

That is, until I discovered the Hair Club For Birds.

Yes, the Hair Club For Birds. Since 1987, HCFB has been fitting every genus of bird with stylish, natural-looking hairpieces. Not convinced? Look at these satisfied customers.

In fact, I loved the company so much, I became its president. After, of course, I devoured the former president on a buoy in Alaska.”

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Remember, you can always find me on Twitter!

I’ve been frequenting the children’s book blog Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves for a few months now, and if you visit the site (which you should) it’s easy to see why. Burgin, who runs the blog, posts near-daily scans and summaries of some of the best-loved and sometimes unjustly-forgotten gems from the 50s to 80s — everything from Mercer Mayer‘s non-Little Critter titles (I never knew he did anything but), to Leonard Weisgard‘s gorgeous illustration work. The image-rich site is a treat for anyone even remotely interested in kids’ books, but also for anyone interested in art and design from that era. Really, how much more am I going to need to talk the site up before you visit?! JUST GO ALREADY, YOU LOVE IT!

So I was surprised a few weeks ago to get an e-mail from Burgin asking if I was available for a commission. Her husband’s birthday was coming up, and Burgin thought an original illustration featuring their son would be a good gift. She also thought my penchant for drawing birds would lend itself nicely to the job, since the boy is a huge bird fan (he’s also a huge fan of “enchanted animals,” which is nothing short of awesome). The above illustration is the result.

Burgin’s own write up on the piece features some of the nicest things anyone has said about my art, which was very kind of her (honestly, it was enough to be mentioned in the same post as Ward Jenkins and Cory Godbey). Hope the painting will bring lots of joy to her household, and that her son finds it sufficiently enchanting.

FUN FACT: Did you know a group of Red-Breasted Sapsuckers is called a “Slurp”? Did you also know the core audience of this blog isn’t mature enough to be trusted with any of this information? It’s true!

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Remember, you can always find me on Twitter and Etsy!

It’s a leper Khan.

You’re welcome.

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Remember, you can always find me on Twitter and Etsy!

Practicing the new drawing style by rendering some of my favorite local birds. The Bald Eagle from last week was originally supposed to be included in this collection, but I decided I didn’t want him harassing all the cool birds.

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Remember, you can always find me on Twitter and Etsy!