by David Croatto, Illustrated by Anthony Conley

My latest illustration work for Random House coming Jan 03, 2023 lets young Batman fans leap into the Caped Crusader’s adventures with this full-color storybook inspired by the All-terrain Batmobile RC vehicle toy.

Batman has to upgrade the Batmobile with big tires for some big action when a group of motocross bike riding jewel thieves hit Gotham City. Unfortunately, these bad guys are teamed up with a Super-Villain that may prove to be too much even for an All-terrain Batmobile to handle.

Over on Facebook there’s a group which hosts monthly character design challenges sponsored by www.characterdesignreferences.com. This month’s theme is Marvel, Heroes and Villains and we’re encouraged to reimagine what a Marvel character could look like. I chose The Black Panther and designed him wearing a Vibranium armor suit!

I was contracted by Penguin Random House to illustrate a new board book, I Love My Hair (Sesame Street) which is coming December 6, 2022!

Sesame Street’s Gabrielle lets everyone know how much she loves her beautiful black hair in this joyful board book. It’s based on the song of the same name and the popular Sesame Street video, viewed more than 19 million times on YouTube.

I’ve got two SUPER projects for Little Golden Book that are completed and set to be released in September 2022. Since I’m impatient as hell, I’m going to share the covers for each now and then more of the interior illustrations after the book’s release dates!

Shazam! and Black Adam team up in this Little Golden Book starring the beloved DC characters!

Even the smallest DC Super Hero fans can learn all about teaming up to lend a hand in this Little Golden Book starring Shazam! and Black Adam. The hero and villain are brought together to solve a problem, and in the process, discover what they have in common. This Little Golden Book is perfect for children ages 2 to 5, as well as fans and collectors of all ages!

Two heroes are better than one when Marvel’s Black Panther and his sister, Shuri, team up in this action-packed Little Golden Book!

The threats to the African nation of Wakanda are many, so Marvel’s Black Panther teams up with his little sister, Shuri, to defeat their foe! Boys and girls ages 2 to 5 will love this Little Golden Book, which features Black Panther, Shuri, and lots of other great Marvel characters. The friendly eye-catching retro art style is the perfect way to introduce little heroes to the Marvel Universe, and is equally loved by adult collectors and comic book fans as well!

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Black History Month is celebrated in February as an homage to the triumphant achievements of African Americans and their contributions to the world. Designed in collaboration with talented Black artist Anthony Conley, the Black is Beautiful card is a tribute to the legacy and rich cultures of the Black community.

Happy New Year everyone! I just received copies of my latest project with Penguin Random House and writer, Sonali Fry. COOKING WITH THE LORAX, which is available on Amazon, Target and other retailers. I’ve had a busy year and I’m grateful for each new opportunity that’s come my way. Looking forward to sharing my new projects that I have lined up for 2022!!! 🥳 🍾

Hello to any new onlookers and followers here on my website. I posted a video of the new book that I illustrated, A Pony Called Spike (Finnish title: Poni Nimelta Spike) on TIKTOK that went viral so that’s probably how a few of you found me! 😉 Welcome!

Artist, Gary Baseman shares a birthday with my mom (Sept 27) and his pet cat Bosko’s birthday is just a few days before! I made this illustration as a tribute! Three cheers for @garybaseman 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

New book alert. I’m currently illustrating a new book for Hasbro’s My Little Pony. The book will be printed in Finnish and may print copies in English soon after. Here’s a brief description of the story…

A Pony Called Spike

In the richly illustrated, easy-to-read children’s novel, Princess Twilight Sparkle’s beloved dragon helper Spike turns into a pony for one day.

The little dragon Spike is a loyal friend and helper of Princess Twilight Sparkle. He knows the habits of the ponies well, and one day he becomes annoyed that dragons don’t have cutie marks too. Spike wants to find his own special skill, so he turns to magic! There is a rather surprising cutie adventure in store!

I created this illustration for a Neopets fan page called Sun and Moon Featuring a customized Draik, Kougra Petpets and Petpetpets

Bringing Black History fun to everyone with my latest card design for @LovePop ,

Playpop Card™ We Are Black History

Black history month is coming up so be sure to go to lovepopcards.com, search BLACK HISTORY and order your cards today!

Check it out. A Stranger Things illustration I created for licensees is now available at retailer, Pull&Bear as a tote bag! Pull&Bear

Some logo and character design work for a new project I’m involved with. Stay tuned for more to come…

Practicing a little faux CG painting in Photoshop. You can’t go wrong if you’re always brushing up on your skills.

It’s finally here! Payson Hendrix’s children’s book that I illustrated, Rabbit, Worm and the Giant Carrot is fresh off the press! This book is perfect for teaching kids to ask for help, support their friends and to never give up! Go to https://www.ooplemade.com/ to pick up your copy!

Below are some character concept drawings I did early on when developing the style for Rabbit, Worm and the Giant Carrot.

With the world in a frenzy and everyone being asked to keep their distance, I find that sitting by the window, sketching and drawing is a perfect way to take my mind off of things. Stay safe, be kind to one another and DRAW!!!

I designed this intricate Nightmare Before Christmas pop-up card for LovePop . I’m happy to say it was a top seller in 2019!

Designer backpacks will run you a few stacks $$$. Enough to make you sick but at least you’ll look good.

~I’m feeling the heat. Just let them try to cool me down!

Getting back into drawing comic style and fantasy characters more. I like how this character inspired by Hawaiian warrior tribes and tribal tattooing turned out.

The Bodega Boys, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero.

SpongeBob + The Punisher MashUp!

A perfect MashUp to honor SDCC2019, HELL-KITTY

Below are a few of my responsibilities as an Art Director when working with book cover art. I get the ball rolling by creating a concept sketch for approval. Then, another artist takes that sketch, creates a tight drawing and submits it for feedback. I’ll give overlay notes and suggestions and then final art is created. Most times I’ll get to add some final touches like lighting enhancements or small placement shifts of characters or props.

For no other reason than rabbits are fun to draw, here is brown rabbit, yellow background!

Random fact: While I was with Nickelodeon, my art team was asked to add flames to an already completed illustration of SpongeBob. We had no idea what this was for but soon after, I saw the art featured in the Moschino collection. Pretty cool.

The Nick team is sometimes tasked with developing a character publishing style for book partners like Little Golden Books. Here’s a stylized look that I developed for Dora and Friends on the right.