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What happens to all that rejected art?

Nov 20, 2017
1 min

What happens to all that rejected art?

I’ve been in business a long time. For every project I create there are at least three or more sketches that are rejected along the way. It goes without saying that in that vast pile there are a few I feel shouldn’t be in there. I mean, I get it, it’s all part of the process but that doesn’t mean I have to like it . The Bob Folder for Misfit Sketches That’s where the Bob Folder for Misfit Sketches comes in. Not every rejected sketch makes it to the Bob Folder for Misfit Sk

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From the sketchbook

Nov 15, 2017
1 min

From the sketchbook

Back in the day I drew in a paper sketchbook but now I do all my sketching on the iPad. It is better in almost every way. I’m sure there are some artists out there who might argue with me but honestly I’d have a hard time agreeing with them. I won’t bore you with all the details but for those of you who are interested this piece was done using the Procreate app. So far this has been my favorite iPad drawing app although last week Clip Studio for iPad was just released so we’l

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Superhero Day Three

Apr 12, 2017
1 min

Superhero Day Three

Hero #3 We’re already up to superhero three already? How did that happen? Wow is this week flying by. Too many deadlines I guess. Well as you know Superhero Week started of over on Instagram where it’s been getting a pretty good response. It’s also bringing in quite a few new followers which is super cool. At the time of this posting I have somewhere around 800 which is most excellent. It’s got me thinking that I need to create some kind of giveaway once I hit 1000. Still for

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Superhero Week at Bob Ostrom Studio

Apr 11, 2017
1 min

Superhero Week at Bob Ostrom Studio

Lesser-known Superhero... Pants on Fire Guy Staying on yesterday’s theme I thought it would be fun to keep the ball rolling with another lesser-known superhero, Pants on Fire Guy. I mean lets face it I would imagine in the superhero world, just like in real life, you have your famous heroes like, Superman, Batman, Spiderman etc and your unknowns like Pants on Fire guy. For every celebrity superhero there are probably thousands hoping for some kind of big break. They are just

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Catching up on Instagram

Apr 11, 2017
1 min

Catching up on Instagram

If you’re not on Instagram at this point I highly recommend you check it out. I find the visual emphasis so much less dramatic and frankly boring than a lot of other social sites. If you are careful about your selections you can really customize a nice feed and leave the drama of places like Facebook behind. Check it out and once your there don’t forget to look me up. You can find me at BobOstromStudio. It seems this post got a little wordier than I intended so I’ll end it he

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Penguins Procreate (It’s not what it sounds like).

Mar 6, 2017
1 min

Penguins Procreate (It’s not what it sounds like).

What’s Procreate? I’ll bet you were thinking you were going to see something different in this post. Sorry nature lovers this one is for all my artist friends out there using the iPad. This penguin art was created using the Procreate app for iPad. If you own an iPad and haven’t worked with Procreate yet, what are you waiting for? Procreate is an excellent drawing app available to iPad users especially those who are using Apple’s pencil. I’ve really been enjoying this one. It’

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Working with Textures in Adobe Illustrator

Jul 3, 2015
2 min

Working with Textures in Adobe Illustrator

There are lots of different ways to add visual interest to a digital file. I’ve been inspired by some of the unique art I’ve seen on Instagram lately. Lots of textures and lots of originality. It seems as though the pendulum has begun to swing in the direction of a more organic look these days. Adding texture is a great way to great way to add visual interest and create a unique signature. The trick is figuring out how some of it is done, and that’s the focus right now. I’ve

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Summer Vacation – by Bob Ostrom Studio

Jul 25, 2014
1 min

Summer Vacation – by Bob Ostrom Studio

It's Summer Vacation! I hope everyone is having a great summer! Last week I headed down to the beach here in North Carolina for a short little summer vacation. Unfortunately, it rained harder than I’ve ever seen it rain. It was one of those rains where you think it can’t possibly rain any harder but then it does….all day. Just as we checked into the hotel it started to let up. The sun popped out for about an hour and half so the kids and I grabbed our boogie boards and headed

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Drawing Super Heroes – Wonder Woman

Johnny Appleseed Childrens Book Illustration

Jun 18, 2014
1 min

Johnny Appleseed Childrens Book Illustration

Childrens Book Illustration by Bob Ostrom. This one was from a recent series of books I worked on last year. I’ve tried this look before once or twice using traditional art and a scanner but it was always a tedious process to get the lines bold enough. The Cintiq has helped make creating bold pencil lines very easy. My next goal is to start working on a more natural watercolor look. #illustrator #johnnyAppleseed #Illustration #cintiq #photoshop #childrensbookillustration #car

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What if the SAT's looked like this?

Apr 9, 2014
1 min

What if the SAT's looked like this?

I was just thinking… What if the fill in the blank questions on the SATs looked like this? I'm pretty sure I would have aced it. (Feel free to send me your answers. You will receive your test scores in the mail in about 3 weeks) #humorousillustration #doctor #Sats #medical #SAT #cartooning #Cartoon

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Cartoon Illustration – Bob Ostrom Studio

Illustration of the day!

Jan 10, 2014
1 min

Illustration of the day!

Illustration of the day – Cool cat and a pig at the gig. For Hooked On Phonics. Illustration of the day! ______________________________________________________________________________ Bob Ostrom is an award-winning children’s illustrator whose work has appeared in close to 300 children’s books and publications. If you’d like to work with Bob on your next project it’s as easy as following this link. #illustrator #catcartoon #Illustration #BobOstrom #pigcartoon #cat #cartooning

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Adobe Illustrator Tips: How to Create a Perfect Speech Bubble.

Jul 9, 2013
1 min

Adobe Illustrator Tips: How to Create a Perfect Speech Bubble.

Adobe Illustrator Tips: Tools you’ll be using: Ellipse Tool Stroke tool Pen Tool Pathfinder Tool Type Tool Step One Create an ellipse using the ellipse tool. Step Two Create a curved tail using the pen tool. Step Three Make sure the tail and ellipse are both selected (Cntrl A windows or command A Mac). Choose to unite from the pathfinder tool. Step Four Select proper stroke weight Step Five Use the text tool to set type. Place text inside of the bubble. To find the center sel

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Where are the Dinos Video Contest Winner

Jun 27, 2013
1 min

Where are the Dinos Video Contest Winner

Here is the latest video in the Where are the Dinos, Silliest Dinosaur Question contest. Where are the Dinos – Silliest Dinosaur Question Ever- contest winner Zack asks award-winning children’s book illustrator (and Fake Dinosaur Expert) Bob Ostrom his silliest dinosaur question ever. #silliestdinosaurquestion #dino #dinosuars #BobOstrom #catooning #childrensbookillustration #cartooning #Cartoon

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Cartoon Logos

Feb 11, 2013
1 min

Cartoon Logos

Cartoon Logos by Bob Ostrom Studio. On the right is a very old photo of the character used for this logo, a relative of the company owner. This cartoon logo is based on a real life character. I’m not really much of a caricature artist but when this project came along I couldn’t resist. I took one look at the reference photo and I knew we were going to have some fun. This is my favorite of several versions done of this logo. alternate logos treatments – VintageKnives.com You c

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An Ugly Comment

Jan 7, 2013
3 min

An Ugly Comment

The YouTube comment section I was talking with an author friend of mine who recently jumped into the eBook market. Her work is outstanding. Our conversation eventually turned to comments and reviews, specifically online reviews. She was bothered by a particularly ugly comment left by some pompous jerk with nothing constructive to say. I commiserated with her and mentioned that anytime I’m feeling a little cocky or too full of myself I head on over to YouTube and read my revie

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Illustrating an eBook

Jan 3, 2013
2 min

Illustrating an eBook

I’ve been working with author Julia Dweck on an eBook about dinosaurs. We’ve been having tons of fun with this book and it should be coming out any minute now. Here’s a quick behind the dino-scenes look at how to illustrate a dino-eBook. Illustrating an eBook step 1: This book is based on a poem about dinosaurs. The theme for this particular page was about a dino party at night. I wasn’t quite sure where to go with it so I sat down with my iPad and started sketching. As you

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How to Draw a Cat by Bob Ostrom

Dec 31, 2012
2 min

How to Draw a Cat by Bob Ostrom

How to draw a cat. Here is a little video for anyone who loves cats and loves drawing. I did this one down at Burning Oak Studio down in Raleigh a few years ago. I had a great time shooting these. I was a little nervous when I first went in because I had no idea what I was doing but the folks in the studio were great and helped me figure out which end of the marker to draw with and other things that seem so natural when the camera isn’t rolling. We shot these videos over a co

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