Adventures in Watercolor Painting

Traditional advice says that before soliciting work, an illustrator must have a portfolio of 12-24 pieces of her very best work.

Solid advice, but wondering if my art was portfolio-worthy in the past caused me to hate everything I created. As a result I didn’t treat my work with respect,(why would I if it wasn’t good enough for my portfolio?). Few pieces were saved or preserved, and lots were given away or thrown out, (for shame!). So today my portfolio is… scant…

…nonexistent might be more accurate.

I haven’t looked for illustration opportunities for lack of a portfolio. Lately, I’ve been in talks with an editor who may want to hire me to do the illustrations for a book she’s publishing. This lead sort of fell in my lap and I decided to pursue the job, portfolio or no. Sometimes I feel it’s best to take a leap before I feel ready, otherwise I procrastinate indefinitely.

I sent the editor one of my pen and ink drawings and she was very interested in my work. She told me she wanted to see some of my watercolor paintings, too. Unfortunately, while I have a lot of knowledge about watercolor, I don’t have as much experience using it as I do with graphite or ink. So over the last couple weeks I’ve been working on improving my watercolor skills. I’ve been painting up a storm and watching tutorials on Youtube to see how other artists use the medium.

Here are a pen and ink drawing I did some months back, and one of my watercolors from this week:

In my experience pen and ink is was way easier to control than watercolor. (Can you tell I have an obsession with birds?)

While neither piece is technically an illustration-- that is, there’s no narrative in the imagery-- they do show my skills with ink and watercolor paints. (They’re also similarly composed; not very inventive I must admit).

Watercolor paints have a mind of their own and can’t be entirely controlled. If you want a medium that will sit, stay, and obey your every command, you’re better off using graphite or pastels. But watercolor has a grace and luminosity that no other medium possesses, and that’s the beauty of it. That’s why I’ve wanted to use it for years. Also, most of my illustration idols are watercolorists. If I want to paint like Mercer Mayer, Jerry Pinkney, or Alan Lee, I’ll need to get the hang of watercolor at some point.

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On a related note, I wish I was in Massachusetts right now. Since November of last year through May of this year, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts has an exhibit of Jerry Pinkney’s work. It has 150 of his original illustrations, dummy-books, and process drawings. Since the mid 1960’s, Pinkney has done illustrations for dozens of magazines and more than 80 books for children. And I love him.

Pinkney has been one of my idols since I was seven. I was introduced to The Talking Eggs during second grade story-time, and instantly fell in love with his rich tones, “dappled” brush-strokes, and dark pencil lines. I would just die to see some of his work in person.

Pinkey thinks of himself as narrative artist. He says that he’s more of a pencil-drawer than a watercolorist. He wants his pencil marks to show through the paint, and often “draws” with the tip of his paint brush.

Here’s the cover image he did for a book about John Henry:

Look at the pencil detail in the hammer, hat, and the trees in the background. It almost looks like a paint-by-number, doesn’t it?

There are some great examples of his work in this video, too.

Alright, I’m inspired. If Pinkney is better with dry media than watercolor, and can still create paintings like these, there’s hope for me yet. Reguardless of whether I get this illustration job or not, I promise to create some illustrations for my portfolio, (and not just draw birds floating in empty spaces). Wish me luck!

Peace out!

-Jovan

Few But Good (Part II)

Three more books to go! First up:

King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, illustrated by her husband, Don Wood. King Bidgood refuses to get out of the tub, preferring to battle, eat, hunt, and dance in the bath. Members of his court try to convince him to come out, but Bidgood insists that they get in the tub with him. Only the Court Page remains dry and successfully gets him out-- by pulling the plug!

While the writing is cute and uses a nice repetitive rhythm, I bought this book for the pictures. The paintings, (which I believe were done in acrylic), are masterfully executed. The color choices are sophisticated, and the costumes are based on historical examples. Because of the accurate lighting and expressions, it’s obvious that Mr. Wood used photographs. I bet that he and Mrs. Wood posed for the photos themselves, (and had a lot of fun doing it, too).

For those interested in learning to illustrate expressive characters, King Bidgood is a wonderful example of how to do it well. (And if you’re just starting out and not so good at mugging for the camera, this book is a nice reference you might want to get).

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Castle: Medieval Days and Knights by Kyle Olmon, illustrated by Tracy Sabin, and pop-ups designed by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. Okay, confession time: I’ve never actually read this book. I bought it because I fell in love with Robert Sabuda’s pop-up versions of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, (I have both in storage).

Pop-up books in general have always amazed me, but Sabuda’s books (and the books he’s done with his partner, Matthew Reinhart), are on another plane entirely. One of the factors that makes their pop-ups outstanding is that unlike many pop-up artists, Sabuda and Reinhart don’t rely on pull-tabs to create movement. Instead, most of their illustrations spring to life just by turning the pages. They push paper-engineering to its limits and the results are breathtaking. Their illustration style is also distinct: ususally made from hand-painted paper mosaics that look like stained glass.

As wonderful as their books tend to be, Castle is not my favorite. Maybe it’s because they had to use someone else’s illustrations, but the layouts and pop-ups are somewhat static compared those in their other books. In Wizard of Oz, Sabuda managed to make a tornado that actually spins! In his version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, fifty-two cards engulf Alice and stand several inches off the page. In contrast, most of the illustrations in Castle are done head-on, hardly move, and rely on traditional pop-up construction. They just lack that Sabuda/Reinhart inventiveness.

For example, compare this layout from Alice:

to this from Castle:

Awe, and I was hoping for an epic jousting battle... At least he raises the blade when you turn the page.

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Oh wait, here’s the joust:

You call that epic? Oh well, at least I bought it on sale, (totally worth the $4 I spent).

In the video below Reinhart and Sabuda talk about their books. At about 2:30 into it you can see the spinning cyclone from Wizard of Oz in action.

I’m in awe of their engineering skills, aren’t you?

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And finally,Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, written and illustrated by Adam Rex. The subtitle of this book is And Other Stories You’re Sure to Like, Because They’re About Monsters, And Some of Them Are Also About Food. You Like Food, Don’t You? Well, All Right Then., which pretty much tells you the tone of the book.

Full of short stories and poems this book is pure movie-monster silliness. For example: The Phantom of The Opera is driven mad because horrible songs, (like It’s a Small World) have gotten stuck in his head; Dracula has a piece of spinach stuck in his teeth at a party and no one has the courage to tell him; Frankenstein makes a sandwich from the rotten foods lobbed at him by frightened villagers; The Creature from the Black Lagoon forgets to wait an hour after eating before getting back in the water.

From reading other books by Adam Rex I’ve decided that I hate him. No one should be that talented. He has a great sense of humor, a unique voice, and paints in several styles and mediums (pen and ink, watercolor, pencil, acrylic, photo-montage). It’s just not fair. Frankenstein is a poo-poo platter of his artistry and every piece is scrumptious.

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