I was reading a humorous article in the paper the other day about how this author’s math teachers were never satisfied with just an answer but wanted her to show how she got to the answer. It brought back some unpleasant math memories for me but it also got me thinking about showing how I get from one point to another when I am illustrating. I am sure I am not alone when I say that the starting point is always “the sketch”. This can be very rough or can be quite detailed but it is usually the birth of an illustration. From the sketch there are many divergent paths that illustrators take. I most often use ink and then watercolor so my path is this: once I have a sketch that I want to take to the next level I move to watercolor paper and reproduce my sketch. I then refine the sketch and ink in the outline, shadows, etc. After erasing any remaining pencil lines I then use watercolors to finish the illustration. The images here show my usual progression from start to finish and in this case the illustration ended up as a children’s oil painting.
Step 1 – The rough sketch
Step 2 – Inking In
Step 3 – Adding Color
From Illustration to Children’s oil painting
Charming and whimsical. Thank you for showing your process.
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Great post! (And I love the lady’s “vintage” leather fringed bag.
Of course a lady would be carrying a bag like that…not to mention gloves!
I love learning about the process of things. Thanks!
As a budding artist yourself you will find it is sometimes helpful to break down the process.