Children's Book Art

Welcome to my collection of children's books, children's book art, and other recent concepts that made their way to the portfolio.

I'm passionate about art, especially art for stories that elevate the imaginations of the world's most important asset, our children. I strive to plant no ideological or societal flag other than the essential importance of imagination. Encouraging flights of fancy crosses all boundaries and prepares us to move from what is to what can be.

I'm a professional pen and ink artist who also loves creating digital art that doesn't look "digital."

Currently seeking a publisher and/or representation.

(Digital) Watercolor Whimsy and Story Concepts

Here's a collection of my most recent work, as I adapt to a 100% digital workflow.
These pieces showcase my work in bringing a warm, natural media look to children's book art through digital means. Some of these pieces may result in fully-realized books, but for now, I'm playing with ideas and refining technique.

Click the previews below for a full-sized image with navigation for the entire 8-piece series.

Fred and Ethan's Spectacular Discovery

A story about a boy, his dog, his imagination, and the discovery of a weird bottle.
15 illustrations originally in pen and ink, digitally enhanced and colored.

Click the previews below for a full-sized image with navigation for the entire 6-sample series.
Or, check out the Dummy Overview and the Teaser short video on YouTube.

Fred and Ethan's Troll's Bridges And Nasty Ogres

A story about a boy, his dog, his imagination, and his secret mission to save the Troll Princess.
17 illustrations originally in pen and ink, currently being digitally enhanced and colored.

Click the previews below for a full-sized image with navigation for the entire 6-sample series.
Or, check out the Dummy Overview and the Teaser short video on YouTube.

Fred and Ethan's Misadventures With A Magic Wand

Ethan has a big birthday party and discovers that the bizarre magician left his magic wand behind. What follows is a hilarious series of accidents, as the wand has a mind of its own, turning everything it touches into more and more fantastic things. Was it real or Ethan's wonderful imagination? In the end, his big sister discovers something that causes a lot of confusion.

Work in progress, the third title in the Fred and Ethan series. A few of the preliminary sketches are shown below.

A very unique magician shows up at Ethan's birthday party.

Ethan finds that the magician forgot his magic want. It makes Fred's ears way too long.

Ethan places the wand on his bed to get a closer look at Fred, and his bed turns to stone!

He picks the wand up and accidentally touches his wall, turning his bedroom into a barn.

Being chased by a goat, the wand touches the hallway and turns it into a spinning funhouse tube.

They manage to get out of the spinning tube, only to turn the stairs into a big slide. They tumble down the slide, turning the living room into a jungle.

Milton Muldoon And The Ogre That Smiled

A story about accepting friendship, even when you're not looking for it on your first day of day care, and paying it forward.
25 illustrations in colored pencil.

Now available on Amazon, Kindle/Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZD5YKWN
Watch the book trailer.

Milton is not looking forward to his first day of day care.

He's not interested in the funny story that the teacher is reading.

In the end, he has three new friends, one of them is the first Ogre who ever smiled.

The Magic Gateway

A story to inspire imagination and the love of art. 12 illustrations in colored pencil.

Originally published by Essex Corp. in paperback, hardcover, and CD-ROM in 1993. Awarded Mac Home Journal's "Children's Title of The Year" in 1994.

Now available on Amazon, Kindle/Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZ3ZQRH9
Watch the book trailer.

A curious man is splashing paint with a magic paint brush.

It becomes clear that his magic paint brush has created a gateway.

Our unseen narrator accepts the magic paint brush.

Working With Me

Highly autobiographical end scene from my story, Fred and Ethan's Amazing Discovery.

My Unique Experience

When I started aspiring to be a children's book author and illustrator, I did something few do, went straight to the market. Before concocting my first story or illustration, I spent nearly a hundred hours as a volunteer story-time reader at schools and pre-schools. I gained invaluable experience in understanding what children love and the type of inspirational stories teachers would like to have.

While being a volunteer reader, I consumed a ton of children's books with my kids. After all that, I found my artistic inspiration for children's book art in Maurice Sendak and Chris Van Allsburg.

Then, as it happens, life threw me a fortuitous curve, a lucrative career in marketing and advertising. For more than thirty years I enjoyed a fulfilling, albeit demanding, career as a creative leader working with many of the companies and brands you know. I became intimately familiar with creative briefs, hard deadlines, creative consistency, branding, design, and a host of other professional and leadership skills.

Today, I've come full circle back to being a full-time artist, and my first love of children's book artwork that inspires young minds. When you work with me to bring your story to life, you get the combination of my passion and professionalism. Your story has earned it, but more importantly, the children deserve it.

Send me an email at wmpirvine@gmail.com, and let us discuss your project.

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