Revelations

I've been learning a lot lately.

I've got two big illustration projects on at the moment, and just received feedback on some roughs from both of them. One of them got hacked to pieces, and the other was almost perfect. I was walking around going grrrrr for two days, until I received the latter (positive) feedback, and now I'm flying high. Funny how another person's opinion can affect you so much.

I do graphic design as a 'day job' and am able to separate myself from my work pretty easily. I take changes or criticisms like water off a duck's back. But it's different with illustration. I think perhaps because often you are creating characters, and you live with them and get to like them, and then when someone tells you that they're wrong - that their hair should be curly instead of straight or their feet should be smaller or their eyes should be bigger - it's harder to accept because it's so much more emotional. I'm finding it hard anyway. (Especially when you send through a sample to show how you will draw X number of people, which the publisher accepts, but then requests across the board changes when you send all X illos through. sorry... I'm just bitching now. sigh.)

I'm also learning that, unless you are commissioned to do a specific style, most often generic is best. Don't stylize or interpret. If they ask for a red doghouse, don't give a red doghouse with white trim, a sign saying "fido" and a little doggie satellite TV, cause they'll just request you change it to a red doghouse. Plus they're probably not paying you enough to add all the extra details, so save yourself some time, finish early and go enjoy the evening with friends instead of slaving over a hot light box all night.

I can't say these are happy revelations necessarily. I love putting in all the little details. And I did actually have the thought when I got the negative feedback: "Is this what I want? to do artwork only to be criticized for it? to draw what i'm told to draw and that's it?" but then i remember: I'm getting paid to draw. I don't have to monitor the stock market or pick cotton or package fish fingers. I sit at home at my drawing board, looking out at my garden, and paint. and that's a pretty good life.

The Artspot Fruition

Well surprisingly, my design was selected to be one of the chosen 'artspots' in a community art project. In all honesty, they didn't get enough applicants so I think everyone was accepted. It was an honour just being nominated.

But it was announced late and I had assumed I hadn't gotten it - which didn't bother me because I've got a lot of other stuff on at the moment and wasn't sure how I'd fit it in anyway. I almost pulled out, but then realised I would have this weekend free, as I seem to be at the 'in between roughs and finals' stage or still 'waiting to begin' stage for my current projects.

So, I got the word on Wednesday, went and picked up the 'spot' to be painted on on Friday (a 1m piece of primed plywood) transferred my design to the spot Saturday, and painted it on Sunday. I took a few pics along the way so I thought I would show The Artspot Fruition.

Now, a 1 metre round piece of wood - I thought ok, no problem, I can do 1 metre. But I don't think I had really thought about exactly how big that is. Let me tell you, it's BIG.


So my first challenge was to figure out how to transfer my design onto the spot. Thank god for computers! I enlarged my design to the right size, then took it into Illustrator and printed it out with the page tiling option. It worked like a charm. It was fun watching all the sections come out of the printer!

So then I taped them all together and cut the circle shape.

Right. So I've gotten the design to the right size. How to transfer it? I don't think my light box is strong enough to shine through plywood. And then a-ha! I remembered Annette's trick (pictures 2 and 3). Thank god for the internet!

Transfer complete. Breathe a sigh of relief and sleep a dreamless sleep.

The next day (today) I went out and got acrylic indoor/outdoor paint, (never worked with acrylics before!) mixed for me by the friendly neighbourhood paint guy who was very helpful and very into his paint. (ohh, those paint companies they don't know what they're doin. You ask me, they should have done this and this....) Luckily I only needed three colours so I wasn't there for too long ;-)

Andy helped set me up outside facing the garden seeing as it was a fairly nice day. Then i was off!

two coats of yellow

then green

then brown

and then the black lines! (which was a glossy paint and like painting with tar.)

Phew! A day well spent. It took me almost five hours to paint which isn't bad. It went by really fast and I had a lot of fun, but I was getting a bit cold there at the end! But finished just in time for dinner. Now i think it's time for a bath and a bit of a relax before the onslaught of tomorrow comes. Hope you enjoyed my little artistic adventure. :-)

I-Fri: Smitten

here are two little smitten saurusus.

just another fairly quick one tonight. I'd like to get back into doing more involved compositions so hopefully when things calm down, soon... I've had my head down completing lots of rough sketches for a grammar book I am contributing to, so it was nice to use some colour again!

I find though that I'm not as enamoured with the black ink outlines as i once was. I'm getting more control with the gouache, am happy with that stage, and then get to the lines and end up a bit disappointed. This may be because the last few illos I've done are quite small in size, so the black brush strokes can sometimes be too thick and overpowering. but I also like the look of black pencil sketchy outlines, so i might play a bit more with that...

hope you are all well and creative out there in illustration land! I apologize for not making the rounds to leave comments as often lately. Another thing I'll get back to soon I promise!

Thirsty Flowers

Yesterday I went to the book launch of Julie Knoblock's first children's book Thirsty Flowers. OK, so I missed the actual "launch" part but I got there in time to have a few glasses of champagne and get my new book signed by the author and illustrator. and you know what? it's an amazing book! Jules put so much work into it and it shows. Her orignials adorned the walls in all their glory and looked fantastic. She also had a dummy and a scrapbook of her character devlopment process on display which was really interesting to see, and so very inspiring! Congrats again Jules!!

sorry for the bad photo but you at least get the idea. you can also maybe see the fun sparklies on the cover and that are one one spread of the book - so cool!

cover illustration

This is a cover illustration for the Teacher Learning Network journal, an issue about learning and communicating through technology.


The background was painted first on 300gsm watercolour paper and then all the little guys were painted separately on 165gsm, cut out and pasted on. then the little blue 'communication trails' painted on top of that! (The space at the top is where the journal title will go.)

I-Fri: Trouble

I remember having such trouble learning to tie my shoes when i was little. I had a doll with red hair, (not unlike this munchkin) and she had clothes which had buttons, clasps, and velcro, and shoes to tie. I remember doing them up and undoing them over and over and over, learning how to work my little fingers. so frustrating at first, so easy once you 'got it'!

Just a quick one tonight with black coloured pencil and watered down gouache.

x

rabbit on a rocket

These are some samples I'm doing for an educational publisher. It is for a book about handwriting, and they want B&W illos to accompany the lettering. This one, for instance, is "R". Rabbit on a Rocket. I've been going around saying rrrRabbit on a rrRocket all day. Try it. you'll like it.

So I did a few different treatments. top left with painted ink, bottom left coloured pencil, top right watercolour pencil, bottom right coloured pencil with wash. I like the last one the best, but i'm sending them the bottom 2 to see what they say. rrrrReally. I was very pleased though that they chose what is fast becoming 'my style' to do the kindergarten level of this book, cause out of the folio samples i gave them they could well have chosen something that is not so much 'me' anymore. so it's cool, i get to practice this style more, and, perhaps more importantly, become known for it. it's going to be a big project though - 100 illustrations! and all in the span of two weeks! eek!

I-Fri: Quiet (unfinished)

i had this idea in my head of 'as quiet as a mouse in a library' - now that's pretty quiet. (until he decides to move!) ... i went a bit crazy on the sketch, playing with perspective. I'm happy with the result.

But I'm admitting defeat on this one and realising that I'm not going to get this finished by Friday due to 1) lots of work on (see previous post) and 2) a recurring pain in my elbow which has decided to flair up at this very crucial moment. naturally. i'm trying to save my arm so i can get my work done, but i do hope to finish this lil mousie at a later date. this will be the first time in months i haven't contributed a final piece to I-F which is disappointing to me, but what can i do, i must take care of myself first and foremost. i can't wait to finish it, but i need to wait for a good day!

xx l-k.