Hope all of you are safe and making the most of the stay at home orders. I’ve never been a fan of being a couch potato, so I have been spending my days in my sunny studio working on everything from new story ideas and sketching to continuing work on my upcoming art instruction book. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy taking a walk and taking advantage of the down time, but for me it is best to keep pursuing goals at this time. It keeps my mind occupied and gives me a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. My teaching gig at the Museum is on hold (well everyone’s!) so I look at this time as an opportunity to really hunker down and focus. And I am still teaching—but just in book form for the time being. I’d really love to write more and with less distraction I hope some of the ideas can materialize on paper. And it seems less scary to keep my routine going versus succumb to 8 hours of CNN. I’ve been self employed for a LONG time. So, each day I wake, I make my little to-do list as I have for years and get cranking! Sharing this floral border I started for the book so that the designer can have a fun area to run some text inside. Keep creating everyone! We need to stay in for all the brave healthcare workers out there. We will get through this.
Uppercase Ephemera
I am featured in the new Uppercase “Encyclopedia of Inspiration” ! BEYOND excited. I discuss collecting all the random bits of paper and vintage office supplies in my studio-many of which found their way into my third book “Mr. Biddles” . Janine Vangool’s design is spectacular! I’ve been featured in books before, but nothing like this. She custom designed a table of contents with a vintage label spin for each of the artists in the book. There are four different designs for the book, as well as fold out posters/book jackets. She has to be one of the most talented book designers I have ever witnessed. I am absolutely tickled pink!
This book is one volume in an incredible series “Encyclopedia of Inspiration” You can get copies at:
https://shop.uppercasemagazine.com/collections/books/products/ephemera
on process...
So much goes into the making of a picture book. As author and illustrator, I have experienced the editing on both sides, but this time around I am solely the illustrator. A lovely manuscript by Maryann Cocca Leffler was assigned to me and it has already been such a fun experience. I get to put all my energy into the look of the book. I've been experimenting with different style/mediums for months but for now it is all about the sketches!
The process of illustrating is a long one. You may think 32 pages isn't much-actually 40 in this case-but for each page you see, there were probably 4-5 sketches behind it during the dummy phase. In April I submitted my dummy to my editor and now it has come back with notes and revisions. An illustrator must be aware of continuity when drawing a character multiple times-as well as complex scenes that must make sense in the pages ahead. There are so many things to solve during the drawing phase-from style, setting, scale to all the minute details of season, time of day, expressions, body language, etc. The paper trail adds up quickly so I keep everything in a big bound sketch notebook where i use binder clips to keep all the loose papers/trial illustrations, notes, etc. Really helps to have things in one place.
The dummy/sketching phase is vital to working out every detail before moving on to final art. It's a bit like an architect's blueprint. You wouldn't just start building a structure without a plan. A book is no different. Yesterday I made notes on the dummy revisions so that I could create the second one. There are some pages that can be salvaged, save for a scaling of spots here and there, but other pages which require a complete overhaul.
Am I excited to start final art? Oh yea! :) But it is uber important to nail everything down now.
But in between revisions, I can't help but play with gouache and watercolor to determine the tone for the final art. I created a small mood board so I could determine the look for the fall scenes. Here I can see elements i may want to keep and those i may decide to toss. Again, it's a long process. This book has a more serious tone so I will probably go with a more subdued palette. I want the author to be happy with what I choose and the more I have thought about style, the more I think I will go with watercolor. More to come! Ok, that's all for now. :)
Advent Challenge
I've been participating in an Advent Challenge over on Instagram. This is today's illustration-which is my interpretation of Christmas lights. I've really enjoyed creating these each day, but one thing I have learned is that while I have PS skills, I am not loving my work looking so digital. This illustration seems a decent combo of hand drawn art with a little touch of PS. I really love to draw and feel this is getting lost in too much saturated color and PS overkill. There, I said it. Back to basics!
Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/illustrationlombardi/
experimenting...
Sometimes I want to get away from coloring on the computer and create more illustration completely by hand. This was drawn and painted, but then I couldn't help myself and brought it into the computer to add a little something-somethin. lol! I love to layer in photoshop and am happy with the trees on this piece.
