SCBWI Bulletin

I'm very proud to have my illustration on the cover of the current SCBWI Bulletin (January/ February 2014). As always, the requirement is to include within the illustration an image of a kite — the logo of the SCBWI. 

I did a lot of searching and had a lot of different ideas (including giant children in Paris, and even an octopus flying eight kites at once). But once I saw the image of a butterfly-shaped kite, it was suddenly obvious to me that a caterpillar should be flying it. Perfect! Transformation, inspiration and imagination are what children's books are all about!! Now all I have to do is pull it off...

I sent along a few variations of this idea to SCBWI, and we all agreed on the one on the left so I then got to work. After refining the composition and characters, I did a number of color studies, like so:

Once the colors are decided, I can go on to the next steps. My illustrations are done in mixed media, with both hand-painted elements and collage in varying amounts (depending on the subject and on the amount of time). Some collage elements are prepared in advance according to the chosen color scheme, while others are happy accidents. This is true whether I collage with paper ephemera...

...or with monoprints that I make myself— here's a peek at a set of photos showing printmaking in progress.

Once I've printed the monoprint sheets in the colors that I'll be using, then I begin cutting and gluing.  I usually start with the background—

And then I create the characters and foreground elements.  Here's our hero...

...and his faithful sidekick:

As you can see, the individual elements that make up a character (limbs, shoes, clothes, face, hair...) are created separately then assembled. I paint some of the details with acrylics and, after I've glued them all together, I go over it again with an oil glaze to add a bit of dimension and oomph. Sometimes I scratch back in — sgraffito — or even sandpaper it, until it resembles what I have in my mind's eye as much as possible.  Needless to say, it's not an exact science...

Finally, referring to my color study, I assemble the composition as a whole — first gluing the background elements then the foreground ones. In this particular illustration, there was a lot of foreground foliage which framed the image. Some were collaged, and some painted in india ink.  Here's the finished piece:

Voilà!!

PS.  If you're a SCBWI member, you can view the Bulletin online right here. It even includes an interview with yours truly in it!

3x3 Directory

I've been meaning to mention...I finally got my copy of ILLO 13 (the 3x3 International Illustration Directory)! I am very pleased to tell you that I have a couple of images in it. My crocodile illustration can be found in the "Animal" section.  

This image is the basis of the endpapers of my children's book project, mentioned previously. (click image for bigness)

And in the "Children" section of the directory is this mouse, forever contemplating the camembert. Some of you might remember seeing her before, here.

You can look at the website: there are a lot of good illustrations to peruse. Then there's a free app, which you can get from iTunes— and that is available to everybody. And, of course, it exists in book form as well. In fact, if you are an art director, editor, graphic designer or art buyer, you can request a free copy.

Here's what it looks like— the cover art is by the Dutch illustrator, Aad Goudappel....

In conclusion, YAY!

Happy Easter

Have a good one ... from me and Omelette!

Dog Days

It's official: the dog days of summer are upon us now.

Although there is some dispute about their start date (July 3? July 6? July 8??), most agree that they bring 40 days (biblical!) of heat and humidity and stillness, relieved only by the occasional welcome thunderstorm.

Why "dog days"?  According to the Romans, it was caused by Sirius, the Dog Star (brightest element in the constellation Canis Major, or "Big Dog"), which is closest to the sun at this time of year.  And these canine references continue to this day:  canicule ("little dog") is, of course, the French term for heat wave...

Anyway, I hope all of y'all are near a body of water in this time of torpor. And keep those mint juleps comin'!!

Also:

• Illustrators illustrated: portraits of practitioners
• Emma Mason: British prints
• Dog portraits, while we are on the subject...
• And finally: a tip of the hat to Maximum (aka The Best Cat Ever™), who went walkabout four years ago today. And was never heard from again. Come back, Pic-pic!

PS.  This blog is going on its summer break — see you when we get back!

Summer sketching

Summer is here:  let the sweltering commence!  In my sketchbook (totally ignoring the scorching heat) a giraffe  serenely munches a cool fresh leaf.   Me, on the other hand?  Melting.

Any tips for beating the heat?  Other than Mind Over Matter™??  Now would be the time to send them.

In the meantime, if you have energy to click:

• Le chat du rabbin (aka The Rabbi's Cat), by the wonderful Joann Sfar, has been released in France as a feature-length film— and won the top prize at Annecy!  I hope it gets a worldwide release.

• Do you know the Jacket Museum?

• And lastly:  Bernard Lodge, printmaker from Brighton.

Stay cool, Reader.  

Warm and cozy

Hamlet the pig has made another appearance in my sketchbook!
Just a little comfort and warmth on this chilly autumn day...

In other news:
As I mentioned before, Serge Bloch recently designed a set of postage stamps.  They are called "Sourires" and are now —finally!— available from La Poste.  Get 'em while they're hot!

Casting Call, Part 3

More from my sketchbooks.  This is another one of the recurring characters that's been popping up in the pages for some time:  a lost bird, named Omelette.  

He first showed up, curiously enough, when I found myself drawing eggs all the time — mysteriously large eggs.

The more I draw him, the more I find out what he's like — but one thing's for sure:  he's not like the other birds.  He always wants to do everything his own way.  Eggsasperating, sometimes...

Related: here, here, and here.... enjoy!

Casting Call, Part 2

Boo! For some time now —a year, maybe more —I have had an infestation of crocodiles in my sketchbook. Here are a few to be going on with:



My crocodiles are friendly —sometimes homesick, sometimes mischievous, sometimes awkward and shy — and come in all colours and sizes. But so far, never mean...



I am so used to my version of crocodiles that I am quite shocked when I watch nature documentaries and see real crocs in action. They employ the element of surprise to perfection, leaping out of still waters and clamping onto their unsuspecting dinner with a sudden splash and thrash. Poor old wildebeest cannot slake its thirst without taking its life in its own hands hooves!



But still —I love their cheeky smiles...

Scenes from rural France

I'm back from my little break. It's good to get away from town —yes, even Paris!— every now and again.

New things to look at!  Fresh air!!

.  

Just what the doctor ordered.

New friends...  

More new friends... drawn "on the hoof", as it were.

Casting Call

Like most illustrators, I keep a sketchbook. At times haphazardly, only on post-its, old envelopes and other scraps of paper. And at other times fervently, into a notebook that never leaves my side. Many of the sketches are only pencil swirls and jottings, intelligible only to me— and take form only later, when they are painted in a final version.

But other sketches seem to have a life of their own, with recurrent elements making regular appearances in the pages, coming back again and again. Almost like they want to audition for a part in one of my numerous (and interminable!) children's book projects.

One of these is Hamlet:

He's a piglet in pajamas who (when not napping) is brash and playful. And pinchable!

I expect there will be more of Hamlet in future posts, as well as the other habitués of my sketchbook pages. But for now — good night, wherever you are!