CBI class #4

This next to last children's book illustration class wasn't anything to write home about for me, as it was about watercolours, which I have been experimenting with for the last 6 months. We had yet another teacher this time, as Lorette was sick with gastro. The teacher (on one hour's notice) this time was Judith Rossell.

The best part of the class for me was talking with her about illustration in general, looking at some of her books (sorry, couldn't find any good links to them, but my favourite of hers is called "Harriet and the fox") and talking about different techniques. I really want to create more texture in my gouache paintings, and asked her advice. She suggested underpainting with some acrylic gouache which is more permanent than normal gouache, and then painting over it. She seems to really like coloured pencil on top of gouache as well, and showed me some cool paintings of hers where she painted on pages of a book, so that some of the text shows through. I thought that looked really cool, so I may have to find some 50 cent (not fitty cent!) paperbacks to try that out on. It's all about experimentation.

We also watched this video from Dromkeen of a few illustrators doing their craft. One was Sally Rippin, who I love. There's one of her books, When it is time, which I have been trying to hunt down. She studied some painting in China, and it just lends such a lovely feeling to her artwork. I was dreaming about it all night...