Well I finally got to delve into some colour this week.... aaah... so satisfying.
Normally the first thing I would do is a colour study of all the characters and have it pinned up on my drawing table for the duration of the project, so that I am always referring back to correct proportions, colours, etc. In this case, the title page illustration serves that purpose really well, so I did that one first, as you can see here (sorry for terrible photo! - the colours are really bad, esp of their hair)
It's always so fun to 'meet' the characters in colour - their personality really comes alive...
There have been a few hiccups this week - the designer hasn't been able to open my InDesign files for some reason, so I don't know yet whether I've left enough room for the text in the illos. This most affects the pages with illustrations across the double-page spread, which is about half of them, so I've been able to start on any spot illustrations, but it's not the way I prefer to work. I like working from start to finish basically, and that way I get a really good feeling for the story. At the moment I feel like I'm putting the cart before the horse but that's okay - it's still fun and I just need to keep going with it.
I've worked out I need to be doing 2 illustrations a week, where 1 illustration can either be 1 double page spread, or 1 page with potentially 4-6 spot illustrations on it. eek! This would all be okay if I didn't also have a 3 day/week day job and still trying to have some semblance of a life! That's not true, it's still all okay, but no rest for the wicked as they say!
The other 'hiccup' has been with the cover. It is still not finalised and both Karen and I are unsure about it. I had been meaning to paint that first so that Karen could use it for publicity and distribution. but it is on hold for the moment as we mull it over. I'll keep you posted on this one. baby steps, baby steps :-)
Hope you're all having a great week and I promise to have more images for you next time! I meant to take photos of my process but forgot - I'll show you that next week and talk about what materials I use in painting.
Cheers
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A Year Ago…
2 years ago
11 comments:
hi Kim,
Color looks great, again, thanks for sharing. Have a prolific week!
woohoo! I love them in color! They look amazing Kim. So cute :o)
Yes, color really brings them to life! Looks really nice! good luck with the cover.
Very sweet, I love the smiles on their faces!
I literally gasped then. OH MY GOSH!
You kept this quiet ;) :) What a nice surprise (heheheh...unintentional plug there)
We'll get there, hon. Baby steps, indeed.
The book is lookin' great, Kim!
Funny how you mention you prefer to do the finals from start to finish. I seem to like to hop around alot and can't do them in a linear way.
Sounds like you are gonna be plenty busy!
It's lovely to see the characters in color! Your characters looked adorable in your sketches, but when you see them all painted, they do come to life, each with his/her own personality.
One question about color: how do you manage to maintain consistency from piece to piece? I find that I sometimes will mix the colors and find just the right shade, but then I have a hard time tracing back my steps and recreating that same shade. When you're doing multiple pieces, do you take notes and try to work out the color mixes first?
It's great that you're part of an online critique group like the Creative Cup, it must be really helpful and fun!
kim
these are looking great - wow on the characters in colour
Hi friend! Go visit me, there is something you might want to join in :o)
xoxo
Ali
Gosh there's so much to think about, and to consider, isn't there? It sounds like an amazing process, it's so great being able to peek in on it - thank-you :)
Thanks for your comments everybody!
I'll answer your question in my next post Monica, it's actually something i've been dealing with this week...!
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