Children's Publishing Blog: Eric Orchard

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animals, birds, boats, drawing, fantasy, folk tales, folklore, fox, illustration, ink, ink wash, mandolin, music, nature, Nova Scotia, pencil, prints, squirrel

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Results 1 - 25 of 1,767

Small fairy tale paintings

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1. Radagast Doodle

By: Eric Orchard, on 5/17/2013
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A morning warm up doodle of the wizard Radagast from Lord of the Rings I did earlier this week.

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2. Glowing, Watercolour Eyes

By: Eric Orchard, on 5/15/2013
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This morning I got the go ahead on the newest cover for Christopher Edge's newest book. I have loved everything he's written so far and I can't wait to get to this. The publisher loves really lush inks, and i love drawing like that so it works out well! So, now I'm doing a pitch, an illustrated book and a cover. So stuff is a bit busy. We've canceled our usual annual trip out east, or back home as we call it, because of both our schedules and because my wife is hugely pregnant. I'm sad we're not going but I've recently been really into gardening so I'm excited about the idea of growing some food for the table.

Currently reading: The Night Circus (Wow! I'm about a third of the way through and it is fantastic)

And listening mostly to podcasts and some JS Bach.

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3. Bera The One Headed Troll In Ink Wash

By: Eric Orchard, on 5/13/2013
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I've been incorporating more ink wash into my work lately and getting some interesting results! I'm always keen to balance expressiveness with a certain polish and I think this helps to that end.

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4. Happy Mother's Day Moms!

By: Eric Orchard, on 5/12/2013
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Henry and I did a drawing together!

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5. Spring Fox Print Pencils

By: Eric Orchard, on 5/9/2013
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JacketFlap tags: birds, drawing, animals, squirrel, mandolin, boats, pencil, nature, Nova Scotia, music, prints, fantasy, fox, illustration, Add a tag

Another peek at my new print, coming soonish! It's all done, inked, coloured etc. and ready to print.

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6. Genie!

By: Eric Orchard, on 5/6/2013
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Here's part of a drawing I did, the genie part! This is for a card game I'm contributing to. In fact I've been crazy busy this last few weeks because I'm doing so many projects I've been neglecting my usual blogging. As of right now I'm illustrating a children's book about schooner racing, doing the above mentioned card game as well as a new comic book pitch, None of which I can share much about yet. But more very soon.

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7. Last Touches On Spring Print

By: Eric Orchard, on 5/2/2013
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Just finished up my new print! Phew, that was a lot of drawing. I'll be showing the few print soon, as well as the original pencils etc. I'm hoping it'll be up for sale in the next couple of weeks.

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8. Almost Ready To Announce A New Print

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/30/2013
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I'm just about ready to announce my new limited edition Spring time print. Here's a peek.

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9. Unused Cover Pencils

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/29/2013
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I'm currently at work on illustrating a new book and here is an early, rejected cover rough. I love doing a combination of refined lines and more expressive ones.

Had a very nice weekend with Spring starting to settle in a bit. We went on two long family hikes which seemed to partially shake out the Winter cobwebs.

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10. Cover Sketch

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/24/2013
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Working on a book cover today for Formac Publishing. Here's a sketch, the cover has lots of brushwork as well. I'm combing ink with brush and pen and watercolour for this one. And the rain is pouring here!

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11. Peculiar Thing

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/22/2013
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I've suddenly started to enjoy drawing (or am suddenly compelled to draw) little forest creatures of indeterminate animalness. They are finding their way into stories I write as well.

I've been missing the woods a lot lately. I've been in the city a long time now and that woodsy part of my imagination feels dim. It's a peculiar thing living somewhere I'd have to walk for days to see the forest.

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12. Old Panel!

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/18/2013
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I've been off the map the last bit, mostly because I'm working on new projects I'm not really able to share yet. So here's an old panel! From a Maddy Kettle minicomic.

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13. The White Witch

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/15/2013
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I was commissioned to draw the White Witch and I now this is one of my favorite DC Comics characters.

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14. Jack Pumpkinhead And The Sawhorse

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/11/2013
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A commission of Jack and the Sawhorse from the Oz books, currently making it's way west to sunny California.

2 Comments on Jack Pumpkinhead And The Sawhorse, last added: 4/13/2013

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15. Maddy Commission

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/8/2013
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Here's a pretty new commission I did , a drawing of Maddy, which ended up being a slight redesign of the flying boat...

Today I'm going back and forth between a new book cover contract and finishing my new Spring print, which I hope will be done before Summer....

2 Comments on Maddy Commission, last added: 4/11/2013

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16. A Happy Hedgehog

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/5/2013
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A hedgehog in the woods, smoking a pipe and brewing tea. He's using a steel enamel cup, which I love. This is one of those commissions where the patron said "do what you want" which is the best thing ever. It's a gift. You'll always get something interesting with that request, I think.

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17. Cabin Sketch

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/3/2013
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Another morning warm-up sketch I played with in Photoshop. I don't get to work a lot with gouache these days so I like to practice a bit when I can.

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18. The Moose & The Mouse

By: Eric Orchard, on 4/1/2013
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Here'a warm up sketch I did in watercolour, gouache and Photoshop. I'm pretty sure there's a story here...

3 Comments on The Moose & The Mouse, last added: 4/9/2013

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19. Corto Maltese

By: Eric Orchard, on 3/18/2013
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If you're waiting on a commission, thank you for your patience! It took me a while to get to them but I'm just working on commissions at the moment and hope to have them all finished in just over a week.

Here is a detail of a commission that was a lot of fun to do, Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese.

2 Comments on Corto Maltese, last added: 3/19/2013

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20. Still Feels Like Winter Out

By: Eric Orchard, on 3/20/2013
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Gah! It STILL feels like Winter out there. Last year it was about 25 at this time.

Oh well.

I had intended on selling some prints today but I'm having Paypal issues so you get a bat drawing instead.

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21. Indiana Jones On Scrap Paper

By: Eric Orchard, on 3/21/2013
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A morning warm up sketch of one of my favorite movie heroes Henry "Junior" "Indiana" Jones. Drawn with brush and ink and watercolour and something that kind of feels like a page from a Moleskine notebook.

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22. Print Sale!

By: Eric Orchard, on 3/24/2013
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I have a small number of my Winter Print, I want to keep a few but I thought I'd let the rest go at 15 dollars, shipping included.

There are 10 left to sell and after that they will no longer be available.

The print is 9 by 12 inches, it is printed on Arches watercolor paper and is archival.

You can get one right here:

or email me with any questions at eric.orchard@gmail.com

4 Comments on Print Sale!, last added: 4/15/2013

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23. Rusty Robot

By: Eric Orchard, on 3/28/2013
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I haven't posted many of my gag strips here, this one was ritten by J torres. Loved doing these and wish I had had the time to keep it up.

It's been a nutty week, things keep coming up moment to moment. I was offered a new contract while waiting to hear back about other projects, all the while Henry is home with a high fever. AND I'm trying to finish commissions, a new print and a pitch.... Wow! How does anyone get anything done?

Anyone have a cottage way up north I an go to decompress for a few days?

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24. Goblin, bear and gull.