Although the media may similar to that used in drawing and painting, an illustration is a way to answer questions, rather than to ask them. Here I try to visually explain ideas, from simple diagrams to show a process to more complex ones showing the parts of a plant, or the characters in a book, or even enticing the viewer to place an order online.

Illustration Coptic
Lark Books produced Eco Books, for which I was a technical advisor. These illustrations show the Coptic binding.
Illustrations Coptic Binding
This is a complex binding, and I have shown the step by step details for learning it from a book. There were detailed instructions as well for each step. NB. These illustrations are not in order! The graphic designer arranged them on the pages.
Illustration Book Cover
There were many line drawings in my book, The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering. I tried to keep them simple, and used no rulers in order to reflect on the hand made spirit of the book
Illustration Book Pages
Setting up margins for a manuscript book, and planning the use of a parent size paper. These drawings were all labeled with type in The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering.
Illustration Broad Pen
Illustration showing the thick and thins of two kinds of lettering pens.
Illustration Thumbnails
Examples of thumbnail sketches showing potential designs with word and image.
Illustration Magnifque Hand
Hand holding a magnifying loup. Pencil on paper
Illustration Shampoo Bottles
These illustrations of various sized bottles that all hold the same amount of shampoo serve to show how letter spacing can be variable, but must still keep the same amount of space between letters. Used in my book, The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering.
Illustration Pepper Twists
Some journal pages can be quite interesting, with odd bits of unrelated text included on the page..
Illustration Crocosmia Flowers
Working with Redenta Soprano on botanical illustration has brought me to a closer view of flowers.
Illustration Orchid Heaven in Pencil
A pencil study for an illustration of an orchid
Illustration Honey Locust
Tree study journal, observing trees and documenting details. There are over 150 tree species near here, and I'm just at the beginning of learning about them.
Illustration Fats Japonica Tree
This lovely tree grows by a friend's house in San Francisco. My journal entry tells the story of the day that I drew and painted it.
Illustration Norway Spruce
My tree journal has many studies of various local trees, and some not so local.
Illustration Loblolly Pinehurst
These dominate Pinehurst, along with long leaf pines. Only by drawing them could I Iearn the differences between the two.
Illustration American Holly
This lovely tree is a native here in WNC, and I have transplanted a few to my yard.
Illustration Yellowstone Ecosystem
A commission showing the various plant species in Yellowstone National Park.
Illustration Okra Shell
Pencil drawing of a collection of interesting shapes: an anemone shell, lunaria, okra, some twigs and seed pods on a folded piece of paper.
Illustration Bug Beetle
This began as a study of the beetle and the beans, but as I drew them, I could see that the beans were intimidated by the ferocious beetle.
Illustration Pawlonia Weedy Tree
Pawlonia is a weedy tree imported from Asia. Lovely, but invasive. Still, great fun to draw the seed pods.
Illustration Binewski Fabulon Poster
A poster based on a book about the Binewski Fabulon, illustration done as school work during my MFA. Colored pencil on board.
Illustration Shopping Santa
In an illustration class in graduate school, I worked with an airbrush to illustrate a dilemma that Santa might have as Christmas nears.