Character design is a real job? The first professional job I ever did was a character design for an extremely  large beer company back in the 80’s. As a college student it was a very big deal. They handed me a fat check along with a contract and samples of a beer they hadn’t even released. I had no idea at the time that there were people who actually did this type of work for a living but I knew right away this was the life for me. A few years later I started my own business

The woods were totally dark except for the dim glow of the crackling campfire. The only sound for miles were the crickets and the occasional lonely howl of a distant coyote. The boys had jumped the first time they heard the howling but had managed to convince each other they were totally safe as long as nobody wandered off. Just as they were beginning to calm their unsteady nerves Missy clicked on the little light light illuminating a ghastly haunted version her former self.

Ker-floop, and just like that the little turtle disappeared beneath the surface hiding amongst rocks and stones at the bottom of the cold mountain lake. The three friends shuffled back to their cabin empty-handed. They would have to look elsewhere for a friendly swimming pet they could call their own. #illustrator #Illustration #BobOstrom #procreateapp #digitalart #childrensbookillustration

Donut Boy smiled and looked up at the bright blue summer sky. The world was filled with possibility. Neither spoke for fear of breaking the magical spell, they simply took in the moment as the ancient city transport shuttle lurched and sputtered its way up the steep gravel road. The young driver searched in vain for a gear that would ease the strain but the hissing rattling engine refused to yield. The transmission complained loudly as the shuttle belched thick black diesel e

Hey Kids, I wanted to share some really cool news with you! Remember that post I wrote a while back about trying to find a new digital watercolor style using Photoshop? You don’t? Well basically I was looking for a way to replicate the look and feel of a watercolor illustration done using a combination of just my iPad Pro and my iMac… 100% digital, no paper, no paint. The New Books are in! Since the time I wrote that post I’ve completed two new books using that very same digi

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

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

Character Design From the Blue Sky Folder – Wonder Woman in Adobe Illustrator CC 2014 by Bob Ostrom Studio #illustrator #art #superhero #Illustration #adobe #artist #BobOstrom #childrensbookillustration #cartooning #Cartoon

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

Illustration Work in Progress Every once and a while it’s fun to post a little illustration work in progress. Here’s quick sneak peak at my latest: #illustrator #art #Illustration #artist #BobOstrom #childrensbookillustration #cartooning #Cartoon

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

A few of my artist friends were asking me about the tools I use when I create my sketches and drawings so I compiled them all into this phot

It’s time for sketchbook Friday. There’s nothing that helps pass the time away like drawing in the ol’ sketchbook. Here are a couple of sketches I did while waiting for my son at the orthodontist a while back. Sketchbook – Friday #illustrator #learn2draw #sketchbook #Illustration #sketchbookfriday #sketch #BobOstrom #childrensbookillustration

Did someone mention Shark Week? Here’s a little how to draw a shark lesson for all you shark loving cartoonists out there. Have fun and happy drawing… #illustrator #how2draw #learn2draw #Illustration #SharkWeek #howtodrawcartoons #howtodrawashark #catooning #childrensbookillustration

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

This is a little cartooning tutorial I wrote a few years back about creating an illustration using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. You’ll notice I begin my drawing in pencil, then move to illustrator for line work and finally Photoshop for color. Although the tutorial is a little old and the programs have advanced since then, it’s still pretty useful and works just as well now as when I wrote it (assuming you’re familiar with the basic functions of both programs). For more a

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