Hello,
After last week's discussion about cross-sections and cutaways, I only wanted to draw cross-sections this week. On Friday afternoon, I set out with the ambitious idea to do a 4-page fold-out image of a tall apartment building bustling with activity. I thought it would be nice to get it done for today's newsletter, so I put my head down and worked. First comes the pencil sketch, followed by quickly scribbling it over with a black fineliner until it is ready to be placed on a light pad and traced onto fresh Bristol board using a dip pen and ink. Partway through the initial rough, I stopped to finish my Sunday newsletter. I started thinking about the video I included of b.b. cronin talking about his work and process. His beautifully painted children's book illustrations are a move away from his commercial work, which he had been doing for decades for magazines and other publications. They are intricately detailed, crowded pages filled with whimsical characters and tiny little objects. As you can see in his video, he is meticulous and measured when applying paint.
He says, "I am becoming quieter, and the work is becoming more me and meaningful. I think I'm at the beginning of the feeling that I'm getting to grips with my work, that I have found something I can really put my teeth into. When I'm an [editorial] illustrator, it's very rushed, and I've never had the time to concentrate on a project for a year or two years. When I look at the [children's book] work, I say, "Okay, that's what happens when you have time to work on something."
I realize I have spent my time getting as much done as possible in my moments around my paid work. This means I am never giving myself a chance to slow down and do anything more than a rushed job with a self-determined deadline. I like getting things done, but creating in a constant state of panic is not something I want to get used to. So this week, I am giving you the first scribbly draft instead of rushing it through to the finished piece. The speech bubbles are hastily cut out of paper and stuck on, the digital colour quickly put down to get a feel for depth and a possible colour palette. Towards the end of creating the draft, I thought it might be super fun to make it a "seek and find" picture, with a list of items to look for (again, b.b. cronin was an inspiration). An apple, a fish, an owl, etc. I now want to go back and add extra items to find and hide the 14 (I think) diamonds a little better. The narrative idea is that you follow the catsuit-clad Irma-Vepp-like cat-burglar on her path from the apartment's roof down through the building, picking up diamonds as she goes. My favourite bit is where she swings out one window and down into the window below.
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