More Maquettes

04/14/2012

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Here's a new maquette of the main character. After some discussion, we decided to give him dreads and up his age a bit. I think he's pretty cute and will use the first one for something else, because, well, I am fond of him.

I ran out of red clay and had to get white, which is a bit harder to photograph, because the detail gets blown out in the highlights. Sigh. Anyway, here is the full complement of characters for the book, below. Can you guess my favorite? I'm not telling.

They all are good guests and don't say a thing about my messy studio, for which, I am grateful.
I'm working on a more playful, fluid style for this project. Have been wanting to do this for a long time and these little guys have already helped me tremendously. I have a real feel for the story and can see the illustrations in my head. Now if I can get my hand to cooperate . . ..
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Maquettes for Picture Book

01/12/2012

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I'm working on illustrating a picture book and needed a visual reference for the two main characters, so I made small busts from a plasticine-like clay. Even though they're only about 3" tall, they're great for helping with lighting and character consistency throughout the book. Take a look!
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Illustration References (Books and Other Resources)

01/12/2012

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Just replied to a call for illustration references from the Illustration group on the WAE Network site (Writers, Agents & Editors Network) and thought you might like the info as well.

I have a ton of references and would like to share some of the best ones, here:

Joseph Sheppard's "Bringing Textures to Life"
James Gurney's "Imaginative Realism"

Picture book illustrators: Keith Baker, Yuyi Morales, Jim LaMarche, and Carol Heyer (especially her "Humphrey" books).

For less recent illustration inspiration, I look to Elsa Beskow, John Bauer, Tove Jansson, N.C. Wyeth, the d'Aulaires, Wanda Gag, and Ivan Bilibin.

Fine artists:  Duane Keiser, Karen Jurick, Jeffrey T. Larson, Carl Larsson, Mary Cassatt, Alphonse Mucha, John W. Waterhouse, Degas, Gauguin, Lautrec, Klimt, Picasso's minotaurs and doves, and a Finnish artist named Askel Gallen-Kallela.

YouTube tutorials for painting: http://youtube.com  (search for the media you use, there are too many to list)

Tutorials for Photoshop: http://psd.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/illustration/

Tutorials for Illustrator: http://vector.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/illustration/

Other online inspiration: http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/

And, last but certainly not least, the Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs Collection for historical reference: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/

Hope these fire some inspiration!
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