Merry Christmas!

Bob and his llama are making the barn festive with glittery garlands.

Merry Christmas,

Miss Ingerman,

the illustrator 

Bob's Library

We just got our first snow here, and what better weather for curling up with a good book (and a wooly llama). In this picture, bob is in his pajamas and dressing gown and his llama is keeping it old-school in a victorian smoking cap. The original has lots of gold on it, so you will have to imagine all the sparkling bookends, tassels and brocade.  

At the ONE Arts Center

 Hand embellished prints of the last two paintings and greeting cards printed with ten different illustrations have been included in the ONE Arts Center Holiday Market!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hitting the Shops

This is my second full page stand alone illustration and it has a little backstory. I recently read a very foolish article in a local newspaper that implied that shopping was un-manly. I disagree. In this picture, Bob (in a wool trench) and his Llama (under pack saddle) are making careful purchases from their favorite businesses.    

Dance Party

I'm taking a little break from the story book illustrations to experiment with more metallic colors. 

Costume Party

Happy Halloween!!

Fall Foliage

They rode briskly past fields, through woods and over streams. The sun climbed higher and higher and Bob and his llama traveled farther and farther along Sugarbush lane.

It's the season for crisp weather and beautiful leaves and Bob and his llama are still on their quest to return the missing notebook.  

A Pen and Ink Sketch

      I've been devoting most of my 'Bob & llama' time lately to working on the text for the book. I realized that I've not put any illustrations up here for a while though, so I made one for the blog today. It's an experimental piece. I am experimenting with my pen, and Bob is experimenting with finger waves.

Bromeliads

In this latest illustration, a rainy day has interrupted Bob's quest for the owner of the missing notebook. He bides his time and cultivates bromeliads with the llama. 

Three new Illustrations

After making the super detailed living room scene last week, I wanted to rework some of the previous pages to match. 

Bob got a new sweater vest and his Aunt Cynthia switched to a blue dress. I gave them a simple white background to help them stand out. 

I made the horse in this second illustration a little more wild. 

And this third illustration shows Bob on a mission to return lost property. 

Armchair

At last he held the book up for the llama to see. "Well, pal. What do you make of this?" 

Character Design

      As fun as they are, Bob and his llama can't really carry much of a plot by themselves. I have had to sit down and add more people and critters to their world. Too keep organized, I've made some very rough sketches of those new characters, which you can see below. The small creature on the lady's shoulder (top, left) is a cockatoo, and and other small creature being held on the lower left is a min pin.  

-Miss Ingerman, 

  the illustrator 

Pruning the Plants

The llama thinks the flowers are looking overgrown and could use a trim. Bob isn't too sure.

Bob and his llama have been on vacation for the last couple of weeks because I've been illustrating for Winter Moose. You can see what I've been doing here: www.wintermoose.com. They are back now though, and I have come up with a new project in which to feature them. Actually my friends and followers came up with a new project, and I've finally given in to their whims/demands/requests. Bob and His llama are going to appear in a book.

I've got a little plot for them, a few secondary characters, a sprinkling of suspense and a dash of adventure. It's going to take a while for me to put it all together, but I will be posting here as I go along.

I hope you enjoy watching my process and thank you for the suggestions,

-Miss Ingerman,
  the illustrator

Billiards

Bob and his llama are playing billiards again.

Bikers

         Bob and his llama have their helmets on and are ready to roar off on another adventure, kicking up a ruckus and leaving behind a trail of dust and astonished glances.

        This illustration has taken more reference material to complete than any of my others to date. I used five  photos and advertising illustrations to figure out the motorcycle and side car, another one for the helmets and goggles, and a whole bunch more to figure out what Bob would be wearing. 1930s motorcycle jackets are really diverse, and all so stylish that I couldn't decide on one for Bob. I ended up combining features from a couple different models.

       Of all the reference pictures I used, one stands out as my favorite:

-Miss Ingerman,

  the illustrator

It's Cultural

            Hallo, bonjour, hola, hi there! Everybody's got their own way of saying hello and llamas are no exception. In this picture, Bob is preparing to tack up for a nice ride. He's wearing an alpaca sleeveless sweater, boots and jodhpurs. The llama has been spending his morning lounging in a cheerful wool blanket. His blanket is inspired by Sears & Roebucks "Zev" horse blanket catalogue copy (c.a. 1926): "The young fellows like a nice plaid blanket for their horse and we have not forgotten them this year."


          I debuted some new illustrations at a nifty little art fair hosted by Battery Street Jeans. (A great big thank you to everyone who made it happen, It was awesome!)
          Below is a picture of my table. I decided to put today's featured picture on my business cards because I was so pleased with how it turned out (and because it was small and I could fit more information next to it). I sold a few cards and greatly enjoyed seeing the public's varied and sometimes strong reactions to my pictures. Some people seemed disturbed by them (I really couldn't imagine why), some people were delighted and others even saw themselves or friends of theirs in Bob.

Overall, I would say the art fair was a great experience and I would definitely go again.

Miss Ingerman
the illustrator

Beach Gallop

     Smooth, sandy, beaches are one of the best places for galloping a leggy friend and Bob has found a choice one. He's in his green wool bathing suit now, with matching espadrilles, and the llama's got on a simple bridle. They are thundering along, carefree and bareback, through the surf.

Miss Ingerman,
the illustrator
 

Out on the Lake

    I decided to cut back on the inking, partly because all the little black lines weren't making a smooth transition to the computer and partly because I really want to go for that continental style that I mentioned earlier. The result is a new look for Bob and his llama. What do you think?

    In this week's picture, it's warm, it's summer, and Bob and his llama are plowing along in their sailboat. Bob has switched out his plus fours for a pair of light flannels and he's tucked his sixpence away, where it won't blow off in the wind. His trusty llama is acting as skipper for the day. 

Miss Ingerman,

the illustrator 

Pals

     Here is the second picture in my 'History of Freindship' series. The word 'pals' can be traced back to the late 1600s. According to online dictionaries, it is a variation of continental Romany's 'phral', which basically means brother.

Brothers, of course, are family, and one thing that I think plays a very important role in most families is food. So, this week's illustration has to do with food. Bob and his llama are chilling in their garden, sharing a pear.  

Miss Ingerman,

the illustrator

Chums

This illustration is the first in a new little series which I'm calling 'The History of Freindship.' We have a wonderful abundance of terms in the English language that describe friendship. Each picture in the series will be titled with one of these nifty words (or acronyms as the case may be), and I will try and tie the subject matter into the word origins. It's going to be a challenge, but a fun one.    

This weeks picture is titled 'chums', a word which, according to a few online dictionaries, originated sometime during the late 1600s. It's basically a shortened version of chamber mates and most likely got its start at Oxford university. In this illustration, Bob and his llama are, of course, chilling in the same room. Bob is cleaning a bridle and the llama is kushing on a soft persian rug.


Miss Ingerman,
the illustrator


 

The Hammock

Hammocks can be tricky beasts but they are oh-so-comfortable. Somehow, Bob and his llama have both managed to settle into one and are relaxing their way through a hot afternoon. Bob has not spilled his glass of lemonade either. I think they are very talented.

A note on the shoes: As wild as they might look today, Bob's little espadrilles were actually a thing.

Miss Ingerman,
the illustrator

Terribly Stylish

Sometimes a fashion trend comes along which takes the world by storm and makes everyone giggle at the same time. Now that I think about it, these usually involve some kind of over-the-top pants; bell bottoms, harem pants, and of course, Oxford bags. Bob and his llama have come across a pair of the latter while shopping. I don't think either of them are getting a pair anytime soon, but, of course, I could be wrong.  

You may notice that this painting is a little different than the previous ones. I wanted to solidify the style of the Bob and his llama paintings a little more, and decided to go with a 1930s Continental fashion illustration inspired style. It's new to me, but I think if fits these pictures well. I will keep practicing. Our Facebook page also has a new cover picture, which you can see below.

Happy Mother's Day,
Miss Ingerman,
the illustrator

The First Weekly Bob: Pool

Here is a picture of Bob and his llama sharing a friendly game of pool. It is the first in my new Weekly Bob series. Every week, Bob and his pal will appear here, taking part in some new escapade. If they inspire you, feel free to share the pictures with friends and followers. Comments and caption ideas are also welcome.
Enjoy,
Miss Ingerman
the illustrator

Who is Bob?

    Bob is a gangly youth who loves big glasses and a good pair of plus fours. His fluffy sidekick cares more for culinary delights, but together they are game for any carefree adventure that crosses their path.

Humble Origins:
    Bob began as a simple fashion illustration, lounging alone across from a page of sketches.  He had way too much personality, though, to stay where he was. He needed excitement, diversion, and above all, a trusty companion. What more natural choice than the aristocratic llama. Sporting his own lux wool coat and tasseled ears, the llama waltzed onto the page and the duo set off on a whirlwind of scintillating adventure.

   I hope you enjoy the pictures on this blog. Feel free to share them with friends.
Miss Ingerman,
   the illustrator