My illustrations for the book are moving along slowly but surely. I thought you might like to see a few of the finished products!
Meet Jasper
My fairy tale illustration project was recently sidetracked as a result of a book contract that I recently received entitled “Jasper Finds a New Home”. Jasper is a warty little toad whose home is ruined during an oil spill. He and his new friends need to learn what oil is, seek help and find a new place to live. I thought I’d give you all a little sneak peek into my sketches for the book dummy and introduce you to Jasper and a few of his friends! (“Jasper Finds a New Home” is scheduled to be published Winter 2012 by Folded Leaves Publishing)
The Stars in the Sky
My search for a fairy tale to illustrate finally ended with a beautiful old English folk tale titled “The Stars in the Sky”. The tale is about a young girl who wanted nothing to play with but the stars in the sky, so one evening she goes seeking the stars. When she comes to a dam, she sees the stars shining in the water and attempts to catch one, but when they keep slipping through her fingers she travels on …
The tale continues but I wanted to share some of my initial sketches as the story and illustrations begin to take shape.
Little Stories
Just a little happy daydreaming today while I sketch…
Boys Will Be Boys
As I continue to work on fairy tale and fable ideas, in the mean time I decided to do an illustration that hits a little closer to home. I received many comments and smiles from my previously posted bathroom sketch so I decided to push the drawing further and see what would become of my little boy. As I continued to sketch, the bathroom took on a life of its own. A few great comments from my critique group added to the general chaos of the scene, and before I knew it the little guy had a personality and world that fit his little smirk perfectly!
Back to the Drawing Board
After finishing work on my pandas last week I found myself wondering what was next on my artistic agenda. So in search of a great idea I sat down with a pile of fables and fairy tales, my sketchbook and some York Peppermint patties (since you always need a little chocolate to really get the artistic wheels turning!). I’m still not sure where this creative journey will take me but in the meantime I have a handful of fun and a mouthful of treats, but totally unrelated sketches to show for it…
Befriending a Panda
I realized after I finished my Sleeping Pandas drawing that I skipped a piece of the story! A little girl can’t just go sleep with giant pandas (that would just be silly), she has to meet them and become their friend first. Then they would let her cuddle up on their fuzzy belly and sleep. After all, you only have sleepovers with your best friends…
Tigers to Pandas
I had so much fun painting tigers lately I decided to continue the storyline and follow my little girl as she meets other animals and tries to find a good place to cuddle up and sleep… But that bed was too hard, and this bed is too soft! Leaving the bamboo forest she climbs to the hilltops and curls up with some giant fuzzy pandas…
The Sleeping Tiger
I had so much fun painting my original tiger that I decided to keep working in that direction. Taking the story one step further, the little girl befriended the tiger and followed her home for the night….
Tiger in the Studio
Not long ago I had the opportunity to visit Korea. The green that grows there in the spring is like no other green I have ever seen. The art that I saw there was so beautiful: sweeping strokes by brushes loaded with ink, so vibrant and fresh. I was inspired to bring those textures, lines and colors with me when we left. I wanted to bring some of the bright colors and strong lines to my own artwork. And when I picked up my sketch book, tigers sprang to life. I’m not sure where the tiger idea came from. Maybe it was their brilliant orange coats that drew me in, or the silent graceful way they move. Either way, the idea stuck, and suddenly my studio was a virtual tiger habitat.
