A Snowman Family

The Brief: A Snowman Family
The Critique: It’s pretty good. I love it!
Why do I have the smallest carrot?
Why do I have three buttons?
Why did you paint the lamppost? I’m wondering why it’s so thin.
Who built us? I think we built us.
Why can’t we build a snow kitty?
Job Status: Approved

Artist's Note: You may notice that this piece is not exactly seasonal - I've been withholding a bunch of pieces that I did over the last few months for the book, and now that the manuscript is (nearly) final, I'll be doling them out over the next few months.

T.A.D. Coming Soon - To a Bookstore Near You!

Tiny Art Director will be published by Chronicle Books in Spring 2010 (in time for father's day) !

T.A.D. says, "That's such good news, because it's all about ME!"

The bad news is, the self-published version of the book is no longer for sale. Sorry! You and I both will have to wait a whole year for the real thing, which will have additional material as well, and will be AWESOME!

Snail Renaissance

The Brief: A mama snail and a baby snail
The Critique: I'm sorry to say that you're worser than me. You gotta learn to draw as me. You just don't draw so well. Why do you think that is? It turns out that I'm the good draw-er. It turns out that you're the art director.
Artists Note: The critique is on the initial sketch, and compares to hers. She actually likes the painting.
Job Status: Provisionally Approved, pending addition of jumping fish in the lake

A quick note to all the new visitors

I just want everyone to know that although she is a very outspoken critic of my artwork, my daughter is really a delightful and well behaved girl!
Also I know the site is slow to load today - I'm trying to move the images to a faster server now so hopefully that will help.
Thanks for coming and enjoy the site. Most of these posts were from when the Tiny Art Director was two and three, and I think it actually makes sense to read from the bottom up, but it's up to you

Purple Gatorade and Uger

The Brief: Purple Gatorade [The Tiny Art Director's Fish] The Critique: Why did you draw Uger? [Her sister's fish] I hate Uger! Why is his eyes like that? It looks like he's mad. What are you writing down? Grownups never lie, right Daddy? Dad, that doesn't look like Purple Gatorade. Only mine looks like Purple Gatorade. You're going to scan it, and then when you're done with it, it's going to be scrappled up and thrown in the garbage. And then mine will be our final picture. Job Status: Rejected Our Final Picture: at right

X-Ray T-Rex

The Brief: A dinosaur in a X-Ray
The Critique: I just want to see a little mousey in his tummy
Job Status: Approved (after addition of mousey)
Additional Comments: That's what kind of bones dogs like to chew on. Dinosaur leg bones.

Tiny Art Director Book!

The Tiny Art Director Book is now available!
I just got the proof back and it looks great! It is 52 pages 7.5" x7.5" full color printed by lulu.com. Even the Tiny Art Director likes it - she gave it her highest rating: Approved! See the cover picture and links at right to buy it.

Alphaphageosaurus

The Brief: A dinosaur eating a R and an O and an S and a I and a E
The Critique: That's not what I want. That's a Brachiosaurus. I want a T Rex. He's supposed to have the other letters in his mouth too. See look! He's only eating that one. What letter is that?
Job Status: Rejected

Dog Legs

The Brief: I'm going to tell you what to draw. Draw a dragon sneaking up on a girl. She's picking flowers.
The Critique: Daddy it's not supposed to be like that! He has dog legs! I'm so mad at you! I'm going to erase those legs! Daddy why did you do those legs??? [collapses in tears]
Job Status: Rejected


Second Attempt:
The Critique: No I hate the dragon's head! Because there's two dragons - see look: this is a dragon and this is a dragon. That one has paws and this one has paws. See look: That is the difference. Now draw it on the back! Get that one away. Erase it daddy - erase it now. Don't put it on the computer!
Job Status: Rejected

Late Update: I added the oil painting of the first one above and it's actually APPROVED! The rejection is from the sketch.

A Duck and a Crocodile

The Brief: A Crocodile
The Critique: What's he going to do to that bird? Is he going to eat him? That's not what I want. You have to do it with him killing that bird.
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: Killing Daddy killing! Can you do it killing him?

Kangaroo Rat

The Brief: A cat killing a rat
The Critique (on the preliminary sketch - no longer extant): No! He's supposed to be in the cat's mouth! That rat looks like a kangaroo! [Art Director grabs my eraser and succeeds in erasing the entire sketch before I can stop her]
Job Status: Rejected and destroyed.

Second attempt (above):
The Critique: Yeah, like that.
Job Status: Approved.

Stupid Ugly Angry Monkey. I Hate Him

The Brief: A Monkey
The Critique: Stupid ugly angry monkey. I hate him.
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: His tummy and his belly button and his eyebrows and his hands and his feet. And his head too.

Ugly Eyeballs

The Brief: A dinosaur, not too scary
The Critique: He's a ugly one! I hate those kind of dinosaurs! Where's your eraser?
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: [hits page] He has ugly eyeballs.

Tomato Monster

The Brief: A monster (on spec)
The Critique: Too scary! He's a tomato and he's yelling right in my ear!
Job Status: Rejected

Some Silly Dinosaurs

The Brief: Some Silly Dinosaurs
The Critique: I like it
Artist Angling For A Better Quote: Anything you don't like about it?
The Critique: Don't ask me that Daddy! Just give me a treat right now!
Job Status: Approved

Looking Backwards: A Dinosaur Chasing Us

The Brief: A dinosaur chasing us
The Critique: Where's us? Draw us on the picture! I'm going to fix him the way I like him. This is how I don't like him. Please, please erase him! Erase him now!
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: Get those claws out of here!
Artist Statement: The Tiny Art Director hates this more than anything I've ever done for her, with the possible exception of the crocodiles from the other day.

Crocodiles

The Brief: Crocodiles
Preliminary Sketch (no longer extant): Upon seeing the preliminary sketch, the art director, in a rather unprofessional outburst, collapsed on the floor sobbing and screaming.
The Critique: The back is so so so bad I don't even want to look at it! You always do that to the crocodile's back!
Job Status: Rejected and Destroyed

Finished Version (above):
The Critique: Good. The big one is me. You can be the little one.
Job Status: Approved

T.A.D.'s Family (Just The Good Parts)

The Brief: Biggie [her sister], Mama, and me
The Critique: It looks ugly. The top of Mommy's hair and my hair! But Biggie's hair is the right way I like it.
Job Status: Rejected

Something to Say

The Brief: A barking dog
The Critique: No Daddy! I didn't ask you to sit down! Go out of this room right now daddy!
Job Status: Rejected

On the House

The Brief: A Dragon
The Critique: It's dumb Daddy. You should erase it. Grow up Daddy.
Job Status: Rejected

Poo-Poo Airplane - by repeated request

The Brief: Can you just paint one poo-poo in a frame? The poo-poo is an airplane.
The Critique: Good. I want a treat.
Job Status: Approved

[click label "poo-poo" below for the history of this commission]

Kangaroo and Giraffe

The Brief: A giraffe and a kangaroo fighting over an apple
The Critique: Where's the dinosaur?! Draw me a dinosaur right now Daddy!
Job Status: Rejected
Artists Comments: After completing the project I documented the two year old art director's instructions and reaction. She took offense at this and tried to erase my notes.
When I took away my eraser, she yelled "I don't like your notes!", and scribbled all over them with my pencil. She then ran to the bathroom and ran water over the piece of paper. "Look at them now Daddy!"

Duck Biting Dinosaur

The Brief: A dinosaur eating a baby, like last time
Artist Negotiation: How about something other than a dinosaur?
The Brief, Revised: A duck. A duck biting a dinosaur's tail.
The Critique: I want a goat and a piggie
Job Status: Rejected

Poo-Poo Airplane

The Brief: A dinosaur eating a baby, like last time
Artist Negotiation: But you didn't like it. How about something other than a dinosaur?
The Brief, Revised: a Poo-Poo Airplane
Job Status: Commission Declined

Bone Dinosaur Eating a Baby

The Brief: A bone dinosaur eating a little baby
The Critique: No! A baby dinosaur!
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: He's just going to be nice to that baby he's got in his mouth

Baby Dinosaur Eating an Orange

The Brief: A Scary Baby Dinosaur
The Critique: No! You color him some more! Can I put makeup on him?
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: Stop Drawing! Stop Drawing!

CH and Dinosaur Mouth

The Brief: CH and a mouth
The Critique: NO!!!! CH and a mouth!!!
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: I hate the mouth and the teeth.

Octopus

The Brief: an octopus
The Critique: I don't like the scary green fish because he's bad. I want to help you. I want to erase him.
Job Status: Rejected

Sick Crocodile

The Brief: Sick Crocodile
The Critique: He is yucky. he has a snuffy nose and a cough
Job Status: Rejected

Feeding Frenzy

The Brief: Hungry crocodiles
The Critique: I don't like them
Job Status: Rejected

Dinosaur Bath

The Brief: I want you to draw me a dinosaur! Not a scary one! He's taking a bath.
The Critique: I don't like him.
Job Status: Rejected

Can I Have a Bite? Of You?

The Brief: I want you to draw me a crocodile!
The Critique: No! Don't eat me!
Job Status: Rejected