Here's a peak into my process for The Mouse & The Meadow, due for release February, 2014.

The first thing I had to do was create the main character.  Here's how the mouse looked at first.  I quickly determined the mouse was not cute enough or young looking like he's supposed to be in the story.
Here's the revised character in a comp.  I shortened his snout which made him look more childlike.  I also began to work out the setting.
The finished spread.  I wanted the first page to be bright and cheerful, to set the tone for the rest of the book.

When I first wrote The Mouse & The Meadow I did some experimental illustrations to see how it could look.  This is an early interpretation of the box turtle scene.  It also happens to be one of my earliest attempts at digital painting.
I had to rethink the illustration to fit into a double page spread.  At first I tried to salvage some of what I accomplished the first time around and combine it with new sketches.
After doing some research and digging through my sketchbook, I was able to come up with this finished comp.  The background elements are mostly based on drawings I've done in the past involving meadows.  Three paragraphs of type and the center gutter made designing difficult.  At this point all my values have been established and it's ready for color.
The finished illustration.  Based on the fact that these box turtles have warm coloring, I knew having a cool background would help the characters pop forward.  This is one of four pieces selected to be in the Illustrators 56 Annual and Show at the Society of Illustrators, NY.
Take a look at the early sketch for the bunny scene.  I had a great deal of trouble balancing the text with seven bunnies, one mouse, and one adult rabbit...
This is how it wound up.  Flipping the whole scene was a start, and repositioning the rabbit and bunnies this way makes more sense and there's plenty of room for type where the light is filtering through the hole.  I did my homework to get the anatomy and details right.  I'm looking forward to the interactive app version of this page (you can wake the bunnies up by touching the screen).
Another early digital attempt from when I first wrote the manuscript.  Fortunately I was able to preserve the spirit this piece always had and reformat it for the double page spread.


The revised art.  I was glad to be able to add other fireflies flashing in the background.  And more contrast adds to the drama.  This piece was also selected for the Society of Illustrators show in February.

Add a Comment