HOW I WORK
Strong drawing skills are very important to me. Drawing people is probably my favorite thing. I draw them from my imagination, rather than using models or photographs. Their faces, hands and expressions fascinate me.
I work in traditional watercolor. I find the clean, transparent washes incredibly beautiful. Color and value are very important to me also. I put a lot of thought organizing the values and choosing the palette for each project.
One of my favorite parts of illustrating is the research. I've learned about Korean horsehair hats, the nesting habits of puffins, how to make paper and many other interesting things. I like knowing that my illustrations are as accurate as possible.
Below is a step-by-step progression of how I work.
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Step 1: I start by sketching photographs of real jackrabbits to learn how to draw them. Then I do different
character sketches until I find one that appeals to me. (This is one of several sketchbook pages.) |
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| Step 2: I draw thumbnail sketches until I find a composition I'm pleased with. (This is actual size.) | Step 3: I enlarge the thumbnail sketch on the photocopier and trace it onto tracing paper. From that I create a full-sized pencil sketch. |
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| Step 4: I photocopy my sketch onto scrap paper and do a five-value sketch using three gray markers and a black marker. | Step 5: I photocopy my sketch again onto another piece of scrap paper and do a color sketch with Prismacolors based on my value sketch. If I don't like a color, I just erase it with my handy electric eraser and try again. |
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| Step 6: I photocopy or print my sketch onto hot-press watercolor paper and do an underpainting in Winsor Blue. This color doesn't budge once it's down. | Step 7: I layer on watercolors until I'm satisfied with the end result, then touch up the lines with a black Prismacolor. |