Finished the illustrations for Julie Anne Ford, an Australian author. She just published a young children’s book entitled “GABBY Loves to Talk”. It is a cute short story about a girl that talks and talks and talks.
I used a bright and free kind of style with watercolor pencils and then finished up with regular “brush” watercolors. The main character has red hair and lots to say, and she was a lot of fun to draw. You can see a copy on Amazon at this link;
If you like it please remember to leave her a good review.
little girl with fantasy background laying in of background washes.
Steps to illustrate Gabby Likes to Talk, by Julie Anne Ford. I use watercolor resist to hold out areas needing to remain white. It sure makes the painting easier and faster. You can see this shiny yellow masking material on the surface of this painting.
painting backgrounds in a watercolor painting
First I lay in thin glazes as a wash in the background. The bright colors filling up the big areas really quickly begin to bring the main character’s ideas to life by revealing their outline shapes. I don’t mind doing repeated layers to achieve a specific look.
paint objects and subjects – 3D shading and form
Now adding form and details to the main subjects will get that 3D shading thing to start happening.
remove frisket
The frisket is removed next. I am not able to share a finished image with you on this blog without causing problems with the author’s copyright. The book is available on Amazon.com.
Here is a picture of my desk with multiple illustrations being painted for this book. I tend to do characters all together in their different positions so I can get them all to look the same.
This delightful little children’s book is about a little girl that has a vivid imagination and loves to talk and talk and talk. It is by a talented Australian author named Julie Anne Ford who has many years of experience working with little preschool-age children. It is entitled, “Gabby Likes to Talk“.
Roughs
These are the messy ideas that I put down as I read through the text. Many times I am not sure if the author can really tell what all of the items in the sketch are but these usually spur us to communicate much better. Sometimes, the author will take one look at this rough sketch and suggest a total change. But, most of the time this sketch is presented and it allows open and productive discussion between myself and the writer.
A picture is truly worth a thousand words when you are trying to talk about images and concepts with a writer. Sketches make it easier to figure out what an author really wants in their book.
Final Roughs
rough sketch
It is at this step that I clean up and remove the unnecessary items, allowing a cleaner layout to look at. Changes are usually requested at this stage if they are needed.
final rough sketch
For example, the author suggested that the little girl should have her left arm extended above her head in this sketch instead of resting behind her head. I think it was a great idea because it does create a much more open and inviting hand gesture as she is speaking to us.
“Trapped in Enchantment”, is a middle school book full of imagination. A fun illustration project with unexpected images throughout.
Here are a couple of shots of the drafting table that I work on with the drying rack full of 10 finished images so far. They are all done except for the final pen work.
Ladakh-Tibet and Central Asia by A. G. Sheikh, is a textbook that I just finished the design/layout on. The author is a wonderful man to talk with and strikes me as a very kind soul.
The layout of this book is colorful including many beautiful scenic views of the country and cultural artifacts. A must-read, tabletop picture book with cultural information that will assist anyone anticipating a visit to the middle east. It would help to not appear so ignorant when you arrive.
I did not know this area of the world had so many cool landscape views and such rich heritage. I found myself reading simply out of interest as I worked on the layout. At first, the word Ladakh was just a word that was hard to spell, but now it is a land where spiritual and cultural histories astound the mind.
A well-researched book about the history and culture of Ladakh, written by one of Ladakh’s native and most prominent scholars. This book brings together 22 of his papers, originally published elsewhere, and deals with topics as diverse as a new perspective on Ladakh’s history, and interactions with its neighbors, Islam in Ladakh, and contemporary cultural manifestations. It provides a comprehensive overview of different facets of Ladakh’s rich cultural heritage, especially past historical, political, and cultural linkages with neighboring countries.
Here is a picture of my desk with multiple illustrations being painted for this book. I tend to do characters all together in their different positions so I can get them all to look the same.
