It is my pleasure to congratulate Finders Keepers illustrator Mike Lunsford on his graduation from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. It’s a prestigious school in that field, and quite an accomplishment. This also marks the end of Mike’s run of illustrations, which make a great addition to Finders Keepers and this web site. He did 10 illustrations in all (plus one I’ve got left over that I might use elsewhere), which you can check out any time on the Character Illustrations page. It is my pleasure to congratulate Finders Keepers illustrator Mike Lunsford on his graduation from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. It’s a prestigious school in that field, and quite an accomplishment. This also marks the end of Mike’s run of illustrations, which make a great addition to Finders Keepers and this web site. He did 10 illustrations in all (plus one I’ve got left over that I might use elsewhere), which you can check out any time on the Character Illustrations page. (If you want to read about how Mike became the Finders Keepers illustrator in the first place, check out the Character Illustrations page).
Our process kinda worked like this: I would give Mike some direction about what I wanted for each character, including life-size height, weight and body type; hair color; the kind of expression I wanted them to portray; any props; and I would send photo reference when appropriate to help give him an idea of what I was looking for. Mike would then do a sketch in pencil, and I would either approve the sketch, or else ask for some changes. After that, he would transform the pencil sketch–against a white background–into a full color illustration. And for each illustration he would send me three separate files: one that is Web ready (full size), a thumbnail, and a print-ready file.
About half the time we were just totally in synch, the other half took a little back and forth, although mostly because my directions weren’t nearly as clear as I thought they were (sorry Mike!). But in the end I’ve now got 10 high quality illustrations that help bring Finders Keepers to life, and I have Mike Lunsford to thank for that.
I’m not sure what young Michael will be up to next, but rest assured, he’s already left his mark, and if all goes well, he’ll be making his return to my projects soon.
Thanks again, Mike. You really delivered …
