THE BLOG
Day 1 Picture Book Marathon
Here is the first Picture Book. Hmmm I wonder if I’ll be able to come up with another one tomorrow.
Utah/Southern Idaho SCBWI Poor Illustrators Conference
February is getting closer and it’s going to be a busy month. February 5th will be our local SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Illustrator’s Conference. It will be a great time to get with some other illustrators and hone our skills. You can read more about the conference at http://drawingsunshine.wordpress.com .
Also I will be doing the picture book marathon . It starts on February 1st. I have been getting ready. I have been cleaning off my desk and art table. That has been a marathon in and of itself. I’m down to about the bottom layer. I’m finding old coupons and old picture book ideas tucked into corners. I have been warming up my brain listening to great first lines in literature such as (At Christmastime, everyone always said …No David!) from “It’s Christmas, David by David Shannon; (What do you have there?) from “It’s a Book” by Lane Smith and finally (Who Who Whoooo) from the wordless picture book “The Lion & The Mouse” by Jerry Pinkney. I have been grabbing small two legged critters, lifting them on my lap and reading them picture books. That is a nice experience to hold a child in your lap and open the pages of a book. We both can get lost in the pictures. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
Sherry Meidell
Durango Watercolor
Here is the finished watercolor. This painting pulled together nicely. You can hope it’s working but you have to get all the colors and values on the paper before you can see if it’s working. When the paint was all on, it worked. Hopefully you can feel the heat beating down on the driver. Watercolors are best when they feel fresh and spontaneous. I think this one does. Here is the photo I worked from.
Watercolor
I’ve added some shadows in the stage coach and some color in the shadows and color where the sun is hitting. I have layered some of the color to make it brighter and more sunlit. I am taking my time but I want the brush strokes to look fresh and not labored. There is some detail in the shadow that I want to be seen but to not stand out. I am thinking about edges, soft, hard, lost. I am also thinking of where the eye is directed by the values and the lines.
www.sherrymeidell.com