New Painting

This is one of a bunch of paintings for National Geographic. I really love drawing and painting this subject. I like how this one turned out. I need to do more work like this, maybe my prehistoric ancestry is trying to tell me something...

New Christmas book

"I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day"

My newest book is done and on the shelves of bookstores, I had a great time doing the illustrations for this one, the models for the project are neighbors and friends and really helped the book come to life. The book was published by Deseret Book. Be sure and order plenty of copies for your Christmas presents this year... check it out here.

PIRATES again...

Pirates was recently selected to be on the 2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, try saying that ten times fast. It is a great honor for my book, well, our book to be on this list. I worked on this book for a long time and I'm glad the effort is paying off and it is getting some attention from kids, after all isn't that the idea.

Funny story

This image is for a funny story where a kid said that a quail flew up his leg and out his neck... what a story, it was fun to paint.

New Images

Here are a couple of new images I just finished, I like them both even though they are very different subjects. I hope to do more biblical images in the future, they are always interesting narratives and it is challenging to try to come up with something nobody has thought of.

Easter Book

I recently finished a book for the upcoming easter season for Deseret Book. Here is a sample of one of the illustrations. Some of the scenes were biblical scenes and were a challenge to put together, this one is part of the story talking about families being together after death.

I really enjoyed this book it gave me a chance to paint some things that are important to me and my faith and challenged me as an artist.

Alaska Bowhunting supply poster

The Owner of Alaska bowhunting supply called me today and let me know the posters are out and selling well. Here is a preview for you and if you want to buy one here is a link to their site.

What a fun project and we are already talking about the next one.

The White Ox

The White Ox received another good review by Book Loons Reviews, you can read it here if you want. On another note, I will be visiting several Deseret Book stores for book signings over the next couple of weeks to help celebrate the upcoming Pioneer Days in this part of the country. I will be in SLC July 18th with Ruth Hailstone at the Midvale store from 1-3 pm 1110 East Fort Union Blvd. In Idaho Falls on the 24th of July in the Ammon store from 1-3, and then in Rexburg on August 1st same time. Hope to see you at one of them.

Dan

Alaska bowhunting supply poster

Ok, Here is the updated version of the last painting with traditional archery equipment included and a few other changes, Alaska bow hunting supply commissioned the illustration for advertising purposes, I love this old retro looking art.

Re-Worked painting

This is a version of a painting that I did quite some time ago. A company I have worked with asked me to rework this image specifically for a project they have in mind, I don't know if it will happen but I had a great time repainting a traditional painting digitally, I turned a horizontal format to vertical and added the foreground, then changed the things that have bothered me for all these years. It's nice to rework old paintings, it feels sort of like a second chance, and an opportunity to clean up the mistakes you made in days gone by. I like the painting mainly because of the subject matter. I need to do more images like this one, it might satisfy the adventurer in me that spends too much time in the studio.

"Lobo, The King of Currumpaw"

I'm illustrating an article about Ernest Seton the great conservationist and co-founder of the Boy Scouts. Before he was a conservationist he  was a famous wolf trapper. He was hired to trap a very wily wolf  who the locals had named "Lobo". It's a very interesting article and a good excuse to paint a wolf. 

I hope the editor thinks so too.

From the book

Here is another from the same book, I really like how this one turned out, kids are fun to paint. Seeing how I do children's picture books I better like painting kids.

New Book

Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything, I do have a schedule to keep. I am working on a new book and here are a few details from some of the paintings, It is another christmas book and I like how it is turning out. It will be published for this Christmas and available for all to but...  I hope you like these images.

Michael Spradlin Interview post

Michael Spradlin ask me to answer a few questions for his blog about what I do and what makes my world tick, stuff like that. My answers are very brief, I guess I didn't know what I was doing at the time I wrote my answers, ( when do I ?)  After having a look for myself I  should have taken more time to expound and exhort the fine subtleties of my craft and what inspires me to do what I do. Oh well, sorry.  Here is the link. interview

White Ox again

Another nice review, this time by the Deseret News. Here  So another detail of one of the paintings. I really worked hard on this book and it's nice to hear that others are appreciating it.

The Sugar Bowl

This is a new painting for the Friend magazine, a great little story about an immigrant girl (imagine that, me illustrating a story about pioneer immigrants) I like the colors and the composition, it got a little tight (a bit over worked) but I still like it.

New Book

Here is a detail of an image I am working on for a new book. The book is a Christmas book and hopefully will be done in June. I'm still learning new ways to make the marks that satisfy the painter in me.

Dan

The White Ox

In Honor of the great (most recent) review of the book I thought I would post a detail of one of my favorite paintings from the book. Hannah, my daughter, was a terrific model for the character of Emily.  She was 11 or 12 when we started the project, 17 when I finished.  She was very patient with her dad posing for photos, she did get tired of the costumes though. Thanks Hannah for being a great model. Kids are not easy to paint, there little faces have characteristics different from grumpy old Pirates, and especially if you know the model, you want to capture some of their personality in the painting. I'm glad these turned out good. and the book is being reviewed well.

Dan

Legends Legacy Book

I recently finished 30 drawings for a great book by Mike Gaddis, entitled Legends Legacy. It is about growing up in N.C. hunting quail, squirrels and all sorts of critters. I really enjoyed reading the manuscript and doing the drawings for the book. I can't wait to get my copies.  Best book of the year so far. This is one of the drawings from the book. The drawings are all digital drawings using CS3 and some of my secret pencil tools.

Childrens Literature Festival

I recently returned from the Children's Literature Festival in Warrensburg Missouri. I was asked to do a workshop with David Harrison ( author of Pirates) we had a great time bantering about how we made the book together. David is a great guy and quite a poet, It was great to hear him read some of the poems he wrote for "Pirates". I also gave presentations to the school groups attending about my other projects and what it is like to be an illustrator.  This is the biggest Festival I have ever attended and it was great to meet so many great authors and illustrators in one place. I signed a bunch of books and met some of my fans, ( what a treat for me) . I look forward to visiting Warrensburg again , if they will have me. Here is a photo of David L. Harrison and me.

The Sepulchre

This is a new painting I did for the Ensign magazine. It was a challenge to try to capture the right expression in the characters faces and the gestures that would help tell this story. I like how it turned out. I used my neighbors for the models, When I was doing the photo shoot in my yard, a local contractor stopped by and the expression on his face was priceless. I'm sure they(all my neighbors)  think I'm nuts. I really like the brushwork in this painting, I am always trying to improve that part of my work. 

Dan

Pirates

My Pirates book was one of the greatest projects I have ever worked on. I had a great time with the author David L. Harrison working out the details, we collaborated on the book working back and forth creating the sequence of pictures and poems. All  the paintings are digital paintings using photoshop and a wacom tablet.
It is selling well and I can only hope to do more books like this one. check it out on my website, danburr.com.

Ensign Magazine Cover

This is an illustration I did for the Ensign Magazine. Lots of folks have been interested in the image, as a result I am selling prints of the image. If you are interested you can email me and we can work out the details. Thanks to Erin Taylor for modeling for this project she made my job easy.

The White Ox published by Boyds Mills Press

The White Ox is finally finished and published. I started this book in 2003 as a Masters Thesis. It was a long time coming, but in the end I really love how it turned out. The text was written by Ruth Hailstone.  She did a great job. The story is really beautiful and the pictures aren't bad either. Check it out at your favorite book store.