Let's try this again.

Alright lets try this again. I thought I was done with everything awhile ago. Then my anal retentiveness took over and I had to add two more pages. I'm finally comfortable sending everything out to publishers now. I actually sent the first copy in this week. (wish me luck) Now the hard part.....waiting.

I still have a few pages that I want to do over and tweak a little bit. But I had to at least get it out there and see what people think. I have to admit, I'm having a blast. Here's a pic I did this week while sketching with my buddy Jay, he's an amazing local artist here in Cleveland. The image didn't scan that great, but I gotta get some sleep before work.

I kinda feel like a big kid and love doing this suff. That's what this sketch represents. Hope you like it, take care.

Rock on little man, rock on!!!

OK, who can honestly say, that at some point in their life they haven't rocked out on an air guitar. Yeah right....liar. I'm guilty as charged. And in case you are wondering, yes my wife and kids think I'm strange. I figured I'd post little Joey in a private jam session. Just made me laugh for some reason, figured I'd share it with everybody.

I know what you're thinking. Here it comes, that cheesy rock ballad you listened to in high school. It's sneaking up on you, and before you know it you can't get it out of your head. So go on, pick up that invisible six string, and Rock on little man, rock on!!!!!

Take my hand and come with me.

Well, I just finished the last images for the "Widdly Wink That Lost it's Wunk". I had to add a few last minute pages in order to get the text to line up. Here is one of the new pics. I'll be sending everything out in the next two weeks. Wish me luck.

If you like what you see, take a look at joeromano2.blogspot.com . I set this one up so I could post some of my other art work that is not related to Rocco and Joey. Hope you like it. Take care.

Bink the Widdly Wink

Here is another page from "The Widdly Wink That Lost its Wunk". This is poor little Bink who lost his Wunk, he's feeling quite sad and in a funk. The basic premise of the story is that Rocco and Joey are trying to help little Bink find his Wunk. It would be alot easier if Bink could just remember exactly what is Wunk was! Let me know what you think, feel free to leave comments. More to come.

Thanks Troops

I wanted to post this image for July 4th, but I got a little busy. I just wanted to take a moment and thank the men and women serving our country. I have some family that made a career in the military, and a cousin Brooke that is currently serving in the Navy. Thanks to them I get to come home every day and hug my wife and kids. It's so easy to get caught up in the daily frustrations of work and life, and forget about some of the simple pleasures we take for granted. Last week I got to sit on the beach and play with my kids. I was able to put them to bed at night, and wake up with them in the morning to pull smooshed pancakes and syrup out of their hair. I can't imagine the sacrifice our soldiers make when they don't see their families for months at a time. They put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. So, to each and every one of them, Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your bravery and everything you do to keep us safe. May God bless you and get you home safe to your own families.

Ahhhh Vacation!!!!

Just got back from the Outerbanks. We go every summer with my wife's' family. 10 adults and 8 kids in one house! Yeah, it's a little crazy, but we have a blast. There is nothing better then escaping from work for a week to watch your kids on the beach. It was my daughters first time and she loved it. She probably ate about ten pounds of sand, but watching her play with her older brother was worth digging out every grain of sand from her suit (and mouth). Here is a quick picture I did while the kids where sleeping.

Post Cards

Here is a postcard that I am working on to send to a few publishers. I still have to tweek it a little bit and add the text. I'll post the final copy when I'm done. Hope you like it. I love this stuff, makes me feel like a kid again.

First Take

Well this is my first time blogging so here it goes. I have always loved to draw and doodle on what ever scrap piece of paper I could find. I never really had a direction or any formal training. I just loved to see what would spill out of my mind and onto the paper. About three years ago my wife and I found out we where going to be parents, and at that point I found a direction. My wife gave me the idea of trying to write a childrens' book for our little one on the way. I had never written anything before, and I had never worked with anything but black ink and pencil.

Shortly after that conversation an idea popped in my head. In the next fifteen minutes I wrote the first book in our Rocco and Joey Series. "The Widdly Wink that Lost its Wunk". I liked the concept but something was missing. So I recruited my amazingly talented wife to work her magic. She took what I had written and improved the flow and meter and just made it work. I spent a few months trying out different mediums before I finally settled on colored pencil. I found it was the easiest to work with for someone who never used color before. It took awhile before I was comfortable enough to do the final page layouts and share it with anyone besides my wife.

So, almost three years, two kids and a few job promotions later here we are. I set this blog up to share some of the images and to spread the word that we are trying to get this book published. Since this little projected started we have written six books for the Rocco and Joey series. Each one deals with a different character value that we want to pass on to our kids. I have also started a few other projects that I'll talk about later. I'll be setting up a different site for that.

In the mean time, here are a few of the images with more to follow. Thanks to anyone taking a look, I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoy creating them. Any feedback is welcomed, feel free to contact me at joeromano31@roadrunner.com.