Colonial Bird Bottle

Walking around in Williamsburg, Va., I noticed curious clay bottle attached to the sides of houses. Spying a table in a gift shop with lots of these clay bottles, I learn theses replicas are bird bottles, a unique colonial birdhouse!

These unusual birdhouses were apparently quite popular in 18th-century Williamsburg. Fragments have been unearthed throughout the area, and a 1746 inventory and 1752 advertisement provide further evidence. Though it's tempting to attribute their use to an enthusiasm for bird watching, bird bottles served a more practical purpose: nesting birds made ideal insect control around homes, kitchens, and stables. 


So I bought one and just mounted it on the shed in my backyard. I'm curious to see who moves in. 

The bottle has two holes where a twig can be inserted as an inviting perch. 

Here's a sketch in my moleskine I did of the shed last summer while I was grilling dinner.

Full Moon

Here, there be treasure!

'Treasure Island', digital.
Created for the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Classics Collection edition.

The concept of a jolly roger as a reflection came to me immediately as I was listening to the creative suggestions being given by the editor of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. As I do in most meetings, I began sketching. At this point the idea of doing the illustration myself was not even a thought. I wanted to develop the idea further and I quickly created a concept sketch in Photoshop that I would use to receive approval as well as a visual guide of the idea to provide to the illustrator that would be hired. My colleagues gave me some very encouraging feedback and even suggested that I tackle the illustration myself.

The concept sketch received an approval from the editor and I decided to illustrate. I intended to paint it traditionally since I had more than enough time. In the end, it was painted digitally in Photoshop. I had spent many lunch hours at my desk unable to go out due to how rough the winter had been. One of those lunch hours was spent playing in Photoshop on what I thought was to be a color study for the painting. in the end, I had invested enough time digitally that it made more sense to just continue on that path.

Near the end of the process, I solicited the advise of some illustrator friends. I got some fantastic direction from Claire Keane, Scott Altmann and Donato Giancola.

Original concept sketches

Concept sketch, digital

Children's Book-of-the-Month Classics Collection series

The latest edition in the series.