If you’re just now joining us on Iron Chef Vermin… Strawberry Challenge, you’ll note on the challenger’s side, Ronaldo Rodent, Executive Chef of the ever popular Hole in the Wall restaurant, unfolding a nice pate brisee over a sugared strawberry filling.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope that wherever you may be you have plenty to be thankful for.
Congratulations to Priscilla Alpaugh, for winning a signed copy of The Story I’ll Tell. Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing.
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”
_W.T. Purkiser
I had so much fun doing the last portfolio rehash that I decided to do another one.
Back in 2013 I did a series of mouse illustrations. They were an experiment into using bolder colors and different materials. While I learned a lot from this phase of my illustration journey, it isn’t exactly representative of the kind of work I really want to be doing. Something just felt… off. So I posed the question to myself: can I re-do some of these pieces, and bring them to the next level?
Here are some of the things I liked about this piece:
- This has a fun “hobbit hole” or “wind in the willows” feel to it
- There are lots of charming details that enrich the mouse’s world
- This is the sort of thing I would’ve loved when I was a kid
Here are some of the issues I defined:
- The mouse lacks personality and narrative. He could be pushed to be a more robust character.
- The piece feels stiff. It would be stronger with a looser, more painterly feel. (Easier said than done, am I right?)
- The perspective is a little too extreme and is causing some distortion in the foreground. The high horizon line makes us feel a little distant–the exact opposite of the cozy moment I had in mind.
- The stairwell behind the mouse is dark and ominous. I keep looking up those stairs waiting for something to creep in from behind. Not good.
The mouse’s lack of character was the biggest problem, so I went back to the drawing board and spent some time coming up with a simple story to add context: a little mouse goes on a wintertime visit to his grandfather’s house. With two mice, this cozy scene would be a perfect family moment.
I redesigned the piece with a round, egg-like composition in order to enhance the safety and stability of the scene. I made a special effort to keep things loose while still including many of the same details of the original. Cold pressed paper and a messier technique helped to add texture. Here’s the final result: (Click to enlarge.)
Anne Sawyer-Aitch (pronounced like the letter “H”) is a puppeteer and stilt-walker. When she decided to create her first book, Nalah and the Pink Tiger, she began experimenting with different styles of illustration, and finally discovered a technique that uses her skills as a maker of color shadow puppets. She calls it “Illuminated Illustration”, and it involves cut-away designs, layering, and backlighting. In her capacity as a puppeteer, Anne creates puppet pieces of all kinds: parade floats, giant stilt puppets, and intricate color shadow shows. She is a MN State Arts Board Roster Artist, teaching puppetry all over the state, and has been touring around with her first book & her Nalah and the Pink Tiger show for the last two years. Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City is her second book. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For More Information
Tell us about your recent release. What was your inspiration for it?
In my newest book, Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City, the adventures of Nalah continue! One day Nalah finds herself bored and lonesome because all of her imaginary friends have gone away on vacation. But wait – not all. Mad Tooth, the little mouse who lives in her sock drawer, is still busy munching away on her knee-highs. When she finds out why Nalah is sad, she offers to take her down through the sock drawer into a mouse metropolis. The result is a tale of wild dancing, cousins and mice, taffy and a sock monster.
This book was inspired by my little niece, Nalah. She is a very lively girl who is always getting into mischief. She sparked the first story, Nalah and the Pink Tiger. The series has taken on a life of its own since then.
Tell us about your children's books.
There are the two Nalah books mentioned above. I have illustrated a book for the MN Humanities Commission as well called The Imaginary Day. My next projects include a third Nalah book (Nalah in Piggy Wig Paris) and a book about animals in winter. The latter is something I started developing when I began painting small creaures sleeping: hedgehogs, squirrels, dormice, sleeping. I want to make a little board book for toddlers that parents can read to them at bedtime.
Describe your working environment.
Ha! I’m a puppeteer as well as an author/illustrator, and that means I save everything. I work in all sorts of mediums, from fabric to clay to paint and paper cutting. I’m always re-configuring my dining room table based on the project at hand.
Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your works?
What are you working on now?
Aside from the books I mentioned before, I’ll be developing some new puppet pieces, including the Spanish version of Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City, and a Mexican folk tale in toy theatre style.
Where are your books available?
What was your experience in working with an illustrator author?
I illustrated both of my books. I think both in words and in pictures, so I enjoy doing it that way. I use a lot of speech bubbles in my books. Probably because I grew up reading my Mom’s old Donald Duck comics.
What type of book promotion works for you? Any special strategies you’d like to share?
Because I’m a professional puppeteer, I have a puppet show that goes with the book. I’ve been performing that at various sites and selling books that way. But also through social media, Amazon, Good Reads, and shops that support local artists.
What advice would you offer aspiring writers?
Don’t worry about how you are going to publish it. There are lots of ways to do that. You don’t need anybody else’s permission. Focus on making something you enjoy.
Who are your favorite authors?
In children’s ficiton, I love Maud Hart Lovelace, the D’Aulaires, Wanda Gag, William Steig. Also the Harry Potter books. They are so Dickensian.
“Underneath this little stone
Lies Robert Earl of Huntington;
No other archer was so good -
And people called him Robin Hood.
Such outlaws as he and his men
Will England never see again.”
_Roger Lancelyn Green
Robin Hood the Mouse and his Merry Mice
Its all done! Phew. I thought I'd never finish. Being sick is a drag (some kind of 'bug', requiring lots of naps and 'lie downs'). But I managed to pick at this in bits of being up and around and finally gone it done.
The paper is 11 x 17. I used Polychromos, Pablos, and Prismacolor colored pencils, on Fabriano Artistico Hot Press paper.
Not too much else to share. Its so #&* hot here, 100 or over for I've lost count how many days now. The cats have gone wild, insisting I keep the cat door open so they can roam around at night when it cools off. Charlie brought me a mouse, on the bed, at 3:00 am one night, which I did not appreciate.
Sigh. Cats. Summer. Maybe I should eat this tart - its still in the fridge.
Stay cool!
..A PERFORMANCE YOU’LL NEVER FORGET
… although a repeat performance may depend quite heavily on the tightrope’s tensile strength.
………………………………………………………………………..
The Illustration Friday theme of the week is “repeat.”
So.
You know.
This.
The Blue Sky Folder
Deep in the archives of my computer there is a small beacon of light that shines brightly through the darkness. It’s called the Blue Sky Folder. Inside is a collection of sketches, experiments, new styles, new techniques, story concepts and a bunch of projects in various stages of completion. This folder is basically a resting place for all the ideas that rattle around inside my head long enough for me to get them down on paper or into various stages of digital completion. Like many other artists I’m always restless to try new things and this is my outlet.
This is a Blue Sky piece I began almost 3 years ago. I wasn’t quite sure where I was headed with it at the time so I put it in hold to work on other things. I had totally forgotten about it until I was leafing through the the folder recently and it caught my eye. One of the main reasons I had put this one on hold was that the techniques I’d used to create it were very time consuming and a bit unrefined. Looking at the piece again I realized that the solution was sitting right in front of me. I didn’t have my Cintiq tablet when I started so any digital freehand drawing was pretty much out of the question? As I popped the file up on my screen I realized that was no longer an obstacle. It only took me a few hours to finish the piece and I’m psyched because now I finally have a great way to save time and paint right on the computer.
The post The Blue Sky Folder appeared first on Illustration.
I've been working on my advertising page for the Directory of Illustration. I decided to do all new art work…here's one of the paintings I finished for the directory.
For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. ~Martin Luther
©copyright Alicia Padrón 2014
A few more sketches of Lucas.
I really like this tiny fellow..
Can't get him out of my head! :o)
Click
here if you want to read initial post of Lucas.
©copyright Alicia Padrón 2014
Mindy and Moe decided to go on a picnic
on a beautiful August day.
Playing with the new style. :o)
It's been a while since I twoodled!
Usually the posting days are Wednesdays
but I decided I would work on it today since I had a chance.
So here is my
#Twoodle for this week using the words:
Racoon & Windy
Another wee redraw of last year’s “Mice Skates”
Skate on over here and check out my fellow HoHoDooDaers!
Something a little different this time!
Time to bake pumpkin pie!
. Is It Big or Is It Little? by Claudia Rueda Eerdmans Books for Young Readers 4 Stars . Back Cover: To a mouse, nearly everything looks big—but to the cat that chases him, things look a bit different. Opening: Is it BIG? Or is it little? Is it DEEP? Or is it shallow? About …
Mein alter Bilderbuchklassiker "Eulengespenst und Mäusespuk" kommt im Juni, in einer überarbeiteten Neuauflage, wieder in den Handel. Es ist eine Geschichte von Sigrid Heuck, die von Gefangenschaft, Freiheit und Abenteuer, von Spuk und Gespenstern und von einer ungewöhnlichen Freundschaft erzählt.
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LOVE the angle …. and the Art!!! Adorable!!
Wow! Wonderful!!!
fabulous :)
your illu’s are great as ever!!
i hope you will do this year again a SkaDaMo, keeps me going….!