Draw & Tell: Issue 004

3rd June, 2022

Jun 02, 2022

Well I can’t believe it’s already been a week since my last post!

I’ve been super busy with my work at Scholastic (I sent some cool books off to print, which I will show when they are released) and with organising an event for the CBCA NSW Blue Mountains Sub-branch (You can find out about the Children’s Book Council of Australia here).

Portfolio Illustration Update.

i) Character Designs: “Who’s a good boy?!”

I spent some time refining the Space Dog’s space suit. It’s a homemade costume like the children’s suits. Check out the details below.

ii) Layout Thumbnails.

I also created a series of layout thumbnails. The story on these pages is about everyone being in awe of Mars. In my made-up universe, Mars is like a celebrity being photographed by her admirers (the other planets and the satellites). I experimented with a few different angles and arrangements.

I settled on thumbnail 7 as I liked having all the planets adoring Mars. I liked how the composition highlights the particular connection between her and earth. I also like how the children and the space dog round out the composition to point the viewer to Mars.

iii) Colour Roughs.

I then created a series of colour roughs. I knew that the environment would be purple, but I played with variations of the colour (shifting it towards red or blue).

Which colour rough is your favourite? Let me know in the comments.

Inspiration.

I spent last Friday night watching “The Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner Movie” with my youngest daughter. She has watched it so many times that not only has she memorised the lines- she has also memorised the soundtrack!

I loved seeing the backgrounds by Maurice Noble. They are full of interesting textures, colours and shapes. Most importantly, the designs serve the story and don’t distract you from the character’s performances. You can check more out here.