YATIMAH is here

Yatimah is about an Arabian mare, and the story takes place in the Bedouin desert, so I had to do lots of research for costumes and backgrounds.

I bought an outfit online for my model, who is the daughter of a friend and an Arabian horse fan.

I found a newborn Arabian foal at a breeding farm in Massachusetts.

A friend of my daughter agreed to pose as one of the Bedouins. I had to take his picture separate from the foal due to logistics and availabilty of the parties - and he was not a horse person and might not have wanted to attempt to hold a new born foal!

My farrier had a friend with this Arabian costume. Cool!

Here is the same foal at around three months old - the horse in the story ages and I needed to show the changes in my drawings as she got older.

Here are a few desert photos I found on the internet.

This is the cover sketch for the book.

Here are a few finishes. The photos for these are above.

GOLDEN SUN cover art

Here is the book! I hope you enjoy the story!

Coming soon will be sneak previews of YATIMAH, an Arabian story.

GOLDEN SUN INTERIORS

Here are the reference pictures and finished illustrations for a number of the illustrations for GOLDEN SUN. My daughter Whitney, the author, is holding THOR, our horse who was the model for GOLDEN SUN.

GOLDEN SUN (#5 -coming in fall 2010) in progress

Here is the photo of our horse, THOR, that I used as reference for the back cover painting.

 Here are the sketch and final painting for the back cover of GOLDEN SUN.

Here is my daughter, Whitney, the author of GOLDEN SUN, riding THOR.

MAESTOSO PETRA IS PUBLISHED

MAESTOSO PETRA HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED!

Order it online or look for it soon in your local bookstore.

GOLDEN SUN Book#5

Here is the cover sketch and final painting for GOLDEN SUN.

This will be my daughter, Whitney's first book. It is a Native American/Appaloosa story and stars our own Appy, Thor, as the model for Golden Sun. I am incredibly proud of her writing ability, to say the least, and the publisher was very impressed by the quality of her writing and her professionalism. 

MORE MAESTOSO PETRA

MAESTOSO PETRA interior illustrations

Here is a sketch for the "Capriolle" - one of the "Airs above the ground" that the Lippizanners learn to perform.

This is the finished illustration, and a sneak preview of a few more.....

MAESTOSO PETRA back cover

Here is the sketch and the finished painting for the back cover of MAESTOSO PETRA, the Lipizzaner book that will be #4 in the series.

MAESTOSO PETRA - COVER!

HORSE DIARIES #4 is a terrific story by Jane Kendal about a Lippizanner stallion, MAESTOSO PETRA, set in Vienna during World War Two. Here is the front cover and sketch. I am currently working on the interior sketches and will post some soon! The book will be out in early 2010.

KODA IN PROGRESS

I am working on the final illustrations for KODA. Here are a few of the pictures, all still in progress...

FIRST REVIEW OF ELSKA!

Horse Diaries: Elska.
Hapka, Catherine (Author) , Sanderson, Ruth (Illustrator)
Apr 2009. 144 p. Random, hardcover, $11.99. (9780375946776 ). paperback,
$5.99. (9780375847325 ).

"The first in the Horse Diaries series, this lively chapter book is set in
Iceland around 1000 BCE, where the filly named Elska tells of her life,
from her birth in the short summer months to her fun with the herd,
running and playing through the long, cold, dark winter, and
then her pride as she grows bigger and works, circling around to gather up
all the sheep. The setting is always a dynamic part of the novel, and there
are photos and notes at the back about the Icelandic horse and its
cultural significance. But there is a real story, too, as Elska bonds with
a young girl and then is wrenched away.

Sanderson's occasional, beautiful drawings add to the drama.

A must for horse lovers, the cozy and exciting adventure will draw a wide audience."

- Hazel Rochman
-BOOKLIST 2/15/09