New Year, New Project

...or maybe I should say "different," not new. This illustration project for a chapter book was actually started a few years ago. The drawings were put on hold while the writer searched for a publisher. She has decided to return to her original plan to self-publish, so the project have been given the green light again. My next post was to be the progress of the illustrations for my own story, but I'm putting that project on hold while I finish this one.

These illustrations will be created in my favorite medium: charcoal. This photo is a shot of the storyboard area in my studio. I'll share more of this project as the drawings develop.

Sketchbook: A Little Help From My Friends

I've created a drawing in my sketchbook each day (almost) for a month and a half. I've finished a sketchbook for the first time from cover to cover. In the past, I've stopped drawing in a sketchbook about halfway through after getting bored with it only to come back to sketching later on in a brand new sketchbook.

One thing that's different this time around is the "words from friends" drawing exercise I explained in my last post. The words give me a drawing challenge. I also have friends who ask to see what I did, so there's encouragement too. Without the words, I might still be working on my first sketchbook. Instead, I've started my second sketchbook. This is a drawing from that book.

Sketchbook: 5 Friends, 5 Words

I've been asking my friends at lunchtime to say a word. Just one word, without thinking about it much. I then have 10 minutes (or more) to turn their word and the words of my other friends into an illustration in my sketchbook. Usually about five of my friends participate, which is a good list of words (not too short, not too long). This is my latest effort.

This drawing took about 15 minutes to finish, but then I decided to add color...

...which took a bit longer.

Sketchbook: 10 Minutes

I've been keeping a sketch journal these days. I've made it a point to take at least 10 minutes to draw in it each day. For two weeks, I've been doing just that. The other day I came home from work with a headache and I was exhausted. Drawing was the last thing on my mind, but I decided to draw for 10 minutes anyway. This drawing started with the eyes, glasses, nose and mouth. I drew the face and the arm supporting the head. When I started drawing the hair I realized I was drawing myself, more or less. So, I decided to add the words about how I felt. 10 minutes turned into a half hour and my headache was almost gone by the time I finished adding the blue color.

Children's Book Illustration Process : 01

I went to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Iowa conference earlier this year. I met with an agent who likes a picture book story I wrote and is interested in seeing my illustrations for it. I need to create a book dummy with line drawings of the illustrations for every page and one finished illustration. Without giving away the whole story, I've decided to share some of my illustration process here on my blog. I plan to post thumbnails, rough sketches, the finished illustration and the process that goes along with it.

This is an ink drawing from my sketchbook of Simon, the main character. It's too realistic, but I feel like it's close to the look I have in mind for him.