Tiny Art Director

TAD's Greatest Hits

2011-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

It's always bothered me that the blog, (unlike the book), goes in reverse chronological order, so I thought I'd make a (probably final) post of greatest hits:

2 years old

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

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

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.

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!

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

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

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

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!"

3 years old

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

4 years old

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.

Collaboration: T-Rex, Superdog and Girl

The Brief: I'll show you. I'll draw it and you copy [fig. 1]. It's a T-Rex trying to eat a girl.
The Critique (on sketch, after TAD's, no longer extant): I hate that girl. You erase her and I'll draw her as I like her. I want her to be brave. She's not scared of one thing cause that's me and I'm not scared.
The Critique (on sketch, improved by Art Director [fig. 2]): I think my drawing's a little bit better than yours.
Comments on collaborative painting, above: That's my bag, and that's a puppy in it. I'm not noticing the dinosaur, but the superdog [note the 3 eyes] knows what to do. She bites it on the neck and kicks it into a lava pool -- that's the volcano.
Job Status: Approved

Dragon and Princess

The Brief: I want you to draw a dragon eating a girl.
The Negotiation: How about if they're actually friends?
The Critique: No, he has to have that girl is his mouth. He's not supposed to be a nice dragon. He's supposed to be a bad dragon. I want to see that girl's head pointing out of that dragon.
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: He has to be biting and squishing it.

Spotty's Soft Steps

2011-01-14T15:28:00.000-08:00

The Brief: A Deer. He lives in the forest. He's in a clearing. The sun is bright. It's in the summertime. He's just got a new pair of antlers. The ground is wet and soft. His hooves are quiet. He waits to hear another one of his kind. Deers live in a pack. He has a spotted back. When he hears a predator he'll jump and leap. Mountain Lions strike softly and quietly.

The Critique: I like it because his antlers are in a funny shape and he has a blaze on his forehead.

Job Status: Approved

Additional Comments: TAD has realized that the best way to get something done right is to do it herself.

TAD Original Art on Governor's Island

2010-08-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

The Children's Museum of the Arts has an outpost on Governor's Island where they hold summer camps, free art activities and exhibitions. "Building 20", below is currently showing their collection of children's art from around the world, as well as the original art from TAD.

If you're in or near New York, Governor's Island is a really fascinating place to spend a day. It's got an otherworldly feel to it, just off the tip of lower Manhattan, but completely isolated and filled with abandoned but well-maintained military buildings, including a fort. The best part though is you can rent incredibly dorky 4 person bicycle cars! (The last page of the TAD book shows us in one from a couple of years ago). More about Governor's Island here.

Secrets of the Tooth Fairy, REVEALED

2010-06-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

The Brief: I have some questions for the tooth fairy:
   1) People think you're small. Are you small?
   2) Do you wear clothes?
   3) What's your name?
   4) Are you really a fairy or just a magic person?
   That's it. Here's a drawing of me holding this note and a tooth.

The Response from the Tooth Fairy:

The Critique: I'm beginning to wonder if parents might leave these things...
Job Status: Under Review
The Backstory: TAD lost a tooth recently

Ice Cream and Frenchy on the Promenade

2010-06-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

The Brief: A dog jumping up on me

The Critique: I like it! I want two scoops of ice cream. No, three scoops!
Job Status: Approved
Additional Comments: Daddy some dogs even don't have tails! They only have buttholes!
Artist's Note: Tiny A.D. was electrified by this idea and drew 4 versions of it. Below is my favorite. This was done a while ago and is one of the pieces from the book that I hadn't posted yet:

More Silly Dinosaurs

2010-06-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

The Brief: More Silly Dinosaurs

The Critique: Does pterodactyls has feathers? I don't think so. Mine is the best. I'm a bit more talented. And I've been practicing.
Job Status: Rejected. Art director to use her own piece, below

Artist's Note: I donated the original Silly Dinosaurs to the school auction so TAD asked me to make a replacement, but I agree hers is quite good. Those are brachiosauruses, of course, but they also have blowholes like whales.

update: see the comments below - apparently TAD didn't make up those blow holes herself -- scientists did!

Contest and Article at Neatorama

2010-06-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

Check out my article "At the Met with the Tiny Art Director" at Neatorama and enter our father's day contest while you're there: You can be the art director and tell me what to draw! best 5 entries get signed copies of Tiny Art Director: A Toddler and her Vision. The grand prize is the original art of the winning entry - spread the word and enter!

And just for fun here's a piece I just finished that might get critiqued soon...:
[EDIT -- see above for post!]

Our Natural Habitat

2010-06-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Extras
When we were putting the book together we weren't sure of the exact page count so I put together a few extras to have in reserve. Here is one I liked that didn't make it in:

Our Natural Habitat

The American Museum of Natural History is where we come for inspiration, and where the Art Director explains the difference between Crocodiles and Caimans, T-Rexes and Allosauruses, and wonders why they have a stupid Apatosaurus instead of a Brachiosaurus.

Proto TAD: The Bottle Fairy

2010-05-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

I've unearthed one of the inspirations for the Tiny Art Director project. When she was
just a little over two years old the Proto-T.A.D. was waking us up every night for
weeks demanding “MORE BOTTLE!” At 3:00am we complied to avoid hours of screaming.

Finally we told her that the bottle fairy was coming to take her bottles away and give them to new babies who need them.

“I’m going to be very mad at her when she comes,” she told us.

The Bottle Fairy did come and left this calling card, a toy parasauralophus and a brand new sippy cup. She loved the dinosaur and didn’t even mind the sippy cup which pretty much solved all of our sleep problems. She hated the drawing.

And she didn’t even know that I drew it!

Sneaking Away

2010-05-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Brief: A Brachiosaurus sneaking away from a T-Rex

The Critique: Brachiosauruses don't have spikes! I like how you made his teeth yellow - because do dinosaurs brush their teeth? I don't think so! I think you should do some of her babies sneaking away too.

Job Status: Approved
Additional Comments: I want to do a version!

Here's my version (that's the tip of the guy sneaking off's tail)

Tiny Film Critic: Barbie Mariposa

2010-05-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Presenting a new feature - the Tiny Film Critic
The Film: Barbie Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends

The Review: Babiest movie ever? Babier than Dora? Barbie Mariposa.

It crushed the brain out of my head!

It was about these stupid little fairies who think they're strong enough to go into the cave and all the others have to stay back and they're trying to save the queen from the stupid little fairy named Hannah who tries to give her a poison in her mouth.

And then it comes like this: So. Mariposa found the thing that would make the Queen better but stupid little Hannah pulled the petals off the flower and then she only got a little of the smell and even it made her better!

Film Status: Rejected

Additional Comments: Can we rent Barbie Fairytopia now?

A Herd of Moose and Some Other Cold Animals

2010-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Brief: A Herd of Moose (on spec)
The Critique: I'm not really a moose fan. I'm really like a deer and elk fan. but I do like the bunnies. Dadda, can you please get started drawing an elk?
Job Status: Rejected

A Crash of Rhinos

2010-04-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Brief: Like last time, but with rhinos

The Critique: Uh, why'd you do all rhinos? Why did you do their legs so skinny? What are those little wings? What, actually, do they eat -- like, what is their prey? What?!? They eat plants?!?
Job Status: Rejected

Additional Comments: Why do you like birdys on them?

The Plains

2010-04-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

The Brief: Some animals in Africa

The Critique:
"You already showed me it. Why didn't you keep the rhino in?"
"Because I didn't like the rhino."
"I want the Rhino!"
"Aside from the Rhino, what do you think?"
"All I care about is the Rhino."
Job Status: Rejected

AAARRR-F!

2010-04-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Brief (From Facebook contest winner Kelsey Quiring): A pirate puppy on a pirate ship. And he caught a colorful fish in the ocean. And there's lots of blood.
The Critique (From TAD as usual): Well I was wondering, why did he catch a butterfly fish? Why didn't he catch a goldfish? You should draw it like: blood streaming down the butterfly fish. Where's the blood? I want there to be a bit more blood. I want there to be like blood streaming down and dripping.
Job Status: Approved
Artist's Request: Please keep your feet off the painting.
Additional Comments: How's the pirate going to get that alligator off the ship? Probably stick his hook right through his heart. I hope the puppy wins. Can you draw some more blood streaming down? Please?

Guest Artist: Lunch Bag Art

2010-03-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Lunchbagart draws awesome pictures on his kids' lunchbags. He bravely took a commission from TAD:
The Brief: A pug puppy being fed a bottle

See what she said here: http://lunchbagart.tumblr.com

Buried Up In Fire

2010-03-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

The Brief: A dragon blowing fire all over

The Critique: Whoa! that's awesome! I like the way he's so mad - and I think you should draw his claws sticking out of the fire. He'll still be really buried up in fire.
Job Status: Approved

Artist's Notes:Thanks to Mark at boingboing for posting about TAD! Also the contest winners have been announced at the TAD FB Page - as a result I'll be painting a pirate puppy!

Contest - you be the art director!

2010-03-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Best 5 briefs get signed copies of the book. Best one gets painted and you get the original art! Post your brief at http://www.facebook.com/TinyArtDirector or via twitter to @tinyartdirector #tadcontest .there's already a lot of good ones!

Also just sent this and 3 other pieces to the UAG gallery for their Context show opening April 2nd - If you're in Albany,NY, check it out!

Interview

2010-03-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

My interview on the Chronicle Books Blog - I talk about a visit to the Met Museum, and an upcoming Tiny Film Critic piece we have planned:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/?p=4628

Stuffed Metallic Diner Vinyl Rocketship

2010-03-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Brief: A Stuffed Rocket (On Spec - I did this for myself, of course)
The Critique: Zooooom!!! Rocket Blast!!!
Job Status: Approved (She loves it!)
Additional Comments: Dadda, you better put this up high where I can't reach it
Artist's Comments: More pictures here:http://www.billzeman.com/bz/vinyl.html

Tiny T-Rex

2010-03-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

The Brief: I don't even want a drawing. Do whatever you want.

The Critique: Now that's what I like -- That guy! He has such tiny hands! Let's pretend another dinosaur is fighting with him and he's scaring it!
Job Status: Approved

Flying Chital - A Collaboration

2010-03-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

The Brief: Flying Chital

Artist's Note: Chital are apparently a kind of deer. These ones fly.
This is a new kind of collaboration for us - I scanned in her drawing, let her color it in photoshop and then put my background on it (it's also the background for the TAD twitter feed).

The Critique: I asked her what words we should add -- meaning what we should say about it on the blog:

"I don't think we should put words on it. It's my picture and I get to take care of it and decide if there should be words."

"No, I mean what do you think about the picture? The words are just for the computer - not on the picture itself."

"Oh. Ok... I didn't want there to be volcanoes. I just wanted there to be snow mountains. So Dadda can you please erase the volcanoes and I'm going to see how it looks with the lava gone and the smoke gone?"

Job Status: Approved anyway

The Keep

2010-02-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Brief: A Bad Dragon

The Critique: What's he going to do to that castle? I think he's going to eat the princess. Is he mean? I think he should be mean. I think the princess is stuck in there for her whole life and then the dragon family came and went swimming in the lake and got eaten by crocodiles.

Job Status: Approved

Artist's Note: I have books! All the pre-orders ordered from me are in the mail - more info here: http://www.facebook.com/TinyArtDirector

Lone Lion

2010-02-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

The Brief: A Lion

The Critique (on the inked version, above, after some fussing with details by the artist): You showed me that a million times! I think it's awesome, but I don't want to see it again. I don't like all of that ink. So take all that black away except the black of the out-lions... Hey - out-lions of the lion!

Additional Comments: You're not supposed to color in with black. That's what my teacher says. You're doing art the wrong way. Hey, talking about ink can I try using ink? Please please please?

The Critique (on the colored version, above): Whoa! That, my friend, is awesome! ... I've been wondering: why does this side have 3 whiskers and this side have 2 whiskers?

Job Status: Approved

Artist Notes: Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the facebook page about the different versions of this! If you haven't checked out the facebook page or the twitter feed yet, you should - there is stuff there including upcoming contests that won't be here!

A Lion of Lions

2010-02-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Brief: A Line of Lions...It's the same word! Line and Lion! Hey, how about you draw one of their prey, like a dead antelope that they want to eat?
The Attempted Assistance: Hey, want me to do the horns for you? And they bit her, so I'm going to make a little hole of blood. Can I do that at the end?
The Critique (of completed work): Coool - but you didn't do the little blood spot... What about lion cubs? I want you to do it with the lion cubs. And the mother right next to them. Why did you do it all boys? I wanted you to do some mothers.
Job Status: Approved

Dragon and Princess

2010-01-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Brief: I want you to draw a dragon eating a girl.
The Negotiation: How about if they're actually friends?
The Critique: No, he has to have that girl is his mouth. He's not supposed to be a nice dragon. He's supposed to be a bad dragon. I want to see that girl's head pointing out of that dragon.
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: He has to be biting and squishing it.

Book Announcement!

2010-01-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

I recently got my advance copy and it's awesome! It's a little black hard-cover, beautifully printed -- I'm really happy with the way it turned out:

It will be available in stores and online in March (official pub date is April 1), but preorders are already available from Chronicle Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, or direct from me.

What's next for TAD?
You can look forward to more frequent posts (by my standards anyway) over the next few months, as I post some of the last ones that are in the book as well as a bunch of fun extra stuff that didn't make it in. After that, expect to see more collaborations as TAD is more interested in helping now than in critiqueing. She says she plans to be an artist when she grows up. And a scientist. And a rock star. And a Jedi Knight.

Also... Tiny Tweets That's right - you can now follow the wit and wisdom of the Tiny Art Director on twitter.

What is it?

2010-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

The Brief: A cat eating a fish
The Critique:
"Cool! What is it?"
"You can't tell what it is?"
"No."
"We were just talking about it..."
[No Response.]
"Do you like it?"
"Sure."
Job Status: Approved?

Collaboration: T-Rex, Superdog and Girl

2009-09-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Brief: I'll show you. I'll draw it and you copy [fig. 1]. It's a T-Rex trying to eat a girl.
The Critique (on sketch, after TAD's, no longer extant): I hate that girl. You erase her and I'll draw her as I like her. I want her to be brave. She's not scared of one thing cause that's me and I'm not scared.
The Critique (on sketch, improved by Art Director [fig. 2]): I think my drawing's a little bit better than yours.
Comments on collaborative painting, above: That's my bag, and that's a puppy in it. I'm not noticing the dinosaur, but the superdog [note the 3 eyes] knows what to do. She bites it on the neck and kicks it into a lava pool -- that's the volcano.
Job Status: Approved

A Crocodile Swimming to Shore

2009-08-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

The Brief: A Crocodile Swimming to Shore

The Critique: That’s not a crocodile, that’s a caiman!
I like the noses - they’re called nostrils.
How do you like mine?
Do you like yours?
I hate yours.
Job Status: Rejected

Comments on her own piece (right): That’s a caiman, that’s an American alligator, that’s an alligator and that’s a crocodile. They’re all kinds of reptiles. They’re all a family of crocodiles but that one is looking for his babies.

3D!: If you can view cross-eyed 3d images click below for a bigger version
(But I'm not responsible if your eyes get stuck that way!)

A Snowman Family

2009-06-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

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

Purple Gatorade and Uger

2009-02-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

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.

Alphaphageosaurus

2008-10-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-26T16:12:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

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)

2007-12-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-25T16:57:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-10-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

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

Feeding Frenzy

2007-04-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

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

Dinosaur Bath

2007-03-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-03-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

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