This post is a continuation of yesterday’s article on the two paintings from a book illustration class that I completed this semester. For background on the class and the story, please go read my previous post!
Today I have the second painting, which happens to be the last full-page spread in the book. If you know the song “There’s a Hole in the Bucket,” then you know that Liza and Georgie don’t end up fixing their bucket, however in my sub-plot, they need the bucket in order to water seeds that they have just planted in an effort to brighten up their dreary forest. Fortunately, in trying to fix their bucket, they come across a magic knife which makes flowers grow, though it won’t cut a damn thing. Preoccupied with the bucket, the pair don’t even notice the flowers as they grow, but readers will find that on the final page, seen below, the forest is covered in bright flowers and leaves. So it’s okay that they didn’t fix the bucket after all, they still accomplished their goal!
This painting and the one posted yesterday are quite large. If you would like to view this painting a little larger, you can see it on Flickr, here.
Both paintings were created using the same techniques. I laid down some basic washes with acrylic inks in order to build up some color quickly. Once I had a good foundation to work on, I did most of my rendering in watercolors. I then reenforced my values and added texture with colored pencil. There was a little going back and forth between mediums in the process, but that is the basic idea. Because these paintings are much larger than how I normally work, I spent an awful lot of time on them! I can’t say exactly how many hours, but I was very glad to finally be finished….
Don’t forget to check out the rest of my work at http://shaunart.net Thanks for reading!
