Yes, it's real! You may remember seeing a few of the illustrations for this book as I painted them-- some here & some on my process blog, Curious Art Lab. Well, the book isn't quite out yet, but the advance copy is! Below it is the original acrylic painting for the cover for comparison. As you can see I like to work actual size.
The book is due out next month, & I'll be sure to let you know!
Some originals from the book will be on display at the Cabarrus Art Council, Concord, NC, October 22 - December 20, 2012. More details on that soon.