A Doodle A Day

Illustration 6 - The Fairy Horn

 
I do wish that I could find something about this illustration that I like, but I can't if I am honest. Which is a pain to say the least after spending today creating it.

I had been browsing through a little book of English Fairy Tales first printed in 1913 and the copy I have printed in 1949. In among the tales is a very short one (3 pages) called The Fairy Horn, a drinking horn which immediately refreshes even the weariest of travellers. The tale tells of the fate of a knight who decides to steal the horn.

I decided that it would make a reasonable subject for a little illustration and started sketching it out yesterday, trying to make a horse look like a horse. As it happens that was not really the problem, the illustration for me just doesn't work in any aspect. Ah well, win some, loose some!

Illustration 5 - Friendship in Storytelling

Day 6. So what happened to day 5... well day 5 didn't quite work out and turned into 'one of those' days when interruptions seemed to be the order of the day and the train of thought just wasn't there. Today I was pondering what to work on next and couldn't make my mind up and didn't want another 'non event' of a day like yesterday.

So how to choose. Well today I decided to use some logic and go with a sketch that was very popular on the site a few weeks back, so in a way I let the visitors to A Doodle A Day decide even thought you might not realise due to my warped logic.

I wanted to improve the image but without loosing the feeling it had, which i think I have managed to do. A nice change from the ink illustrations and not nearly half as intensive to work on.

Illustration 4 - Into the Night

Day 4 and a new illustration idea not a more finished rework of an existing idea. It is interesting but this as many of my drawings just took place on the paper. By which I mean that I have the idea in my head, maybe do a partial quick scribble of any part I feel I need to check first - in this case the pose of the character and then the rest happens / grows on the actual drawing, no preliminaries. This of course may be a bad thing sometimes.

The inspiration for this? Well I am a big fan of Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell and their Edge Chronicles series of books. Another series of theirs is Barnaby Grimes, Barnaby being a 'tic-toc' lad (a kind of messenger / courier) who traverses the rooftops in the course of his deliveries. Chris Riddle illustrates the books, but in the case of the Barnaby Grimes I was left wanting more illustrations and I also found that I had my own impression of the character and I felt that I wanted 'darker feeling' illustrations.

I haven't looked at the book for a couple of months, and last night I knew what I wanted to draw today, so this is my impression of the character and a scene I had in my mind when reading the book. Interesting as well how totally different the styles, Chris Riddell has a very recognisable style, mine here is quite Dickensian I think and how I interpreted the world in the book.

Now if only I could become as followed an illustrator as Chris!

Illustration Friday - Breezy

The topic this week on Illustration Friday is Breezy and after spending quite a few hours on each of the last few illustrations at the end of last week it was time to do something quick and fun and in colour!

This little fellow has been lurking in the dark recesses of my mind for some time now and gets his first outing in this weeks topic.

It felt quite strange looking down at something so simple after staring at masses of black ink lines recently and I wasn't sure if I was finished or not, but I am sure that he is. Back to those ink lines tomorrow.

Illustration 3 - By Nature Bound

 
Day 3 and another reworking, this time of a piece from over two years ago. Quite different from the last two illustrations in nature with only the medium in common. However it is another idea that I like quite a lot, in fact there is a rather large Heavy-body Acrylic on Canvas painting of one the original series on the wall in the living room over the fireplace.

I think this has a fairy tale kind of feeling to it and I have deliberately kept the background rather in the vein of a woodcut and in contrast the figures have a much finer execution, which the scan doesn't reproduce that well here. This is an improvement of the previous incarnations of this piece and I am not displeased with it.

The decision now is, is tomorrow (Saturday) another studio day or a day off!

Illustration 2 - The Ink Imp

 
Day 2. I liked the feel of the Ink Imp doodle from a couple of weeks back and I liked the character so I decided to try and rework it today. This surprisingly took me most of the day, most of that playing with composition of the character and while I am pleased with parts of it I am not pleased with how other elements are working which is a little galling.

This may be one I have to visit again at some point, but not tomorrow as for now one day is enough time on this drawing so I will be concentrating on something else, not sure what yet but the candidates are lined up ready to be selected from.

FootNote: I guess I was in the Studio for around 11 hours today from 8 am apart from lunch and breakfast and fell asleep about 8.30 this even (something I don't normally do), on waking up now around half midnight I like this a little more than I did a few hours ago.

Illustration 1 - The Apprentice

 
Day 1! I have decided to re-work six existing illustrations but obviously to a higher standard of finish and to create six new illustrations based on pages from the numerous children's books that line my bookshelves in the study/recording studio come art studio.

Re-working six allows me to break in gently and get straight in with illustrating rather than having to conceptualise first and it's also nice to see some of the doodles go beyond being a doodle.

The concept and doodle of 'The Apprentice appeared here a few weeks ago and I spent today working it up into I hope a more finished work.

One thing that I am glad I invested in this last week is a pair of colour corrected daylight desk lamps which has meant that even though I have spent much longer at the drawing board than usual my eyes don't feel nearly half as tired. Problem now is after a day under these lamps the house lights now seem very yellow to me... mind it makes everything look cosy at least until my eyes adjust!

I liked the feel of the original little doodle of The Apprentice and I thought it would make a nice atmospheric piece.

An Update & a Post without a Picture!

This is a strange entry for me, a post without a picture!

However things are changing. After some 22 years working non stop in the publishing industry and for the last 18 for the same company I have been made redundant. During that time I have worked in many capacities in the industry and now it is time to go back to my roots...I think and I hope it works.

I started out life as an artist and designer and worked in the good old days when pretty much everything was illustrated in magazines and newspapers and cut my teeth after university doing hundreds of pen and ink illustrations a week for newspapers and magazines working as an in-house artist and then Studio manager before moving onto other aspects of the business when artwork moved onto computers and I lost heart. I know many work on computers illustrating and produce great work but that's not for me, my computer doesn't have a soul the over one hundred year old dipping pen I use to draw does have a soul to me.

Now in my mid 40's (shhh... 'tempus fugit'...as the inscription on a pewter pocket watch some of my long term colleagues bought me when I closed my laptop for the last time in January), I want to go back to doing something I love but in a different way. So while it might be a little quiet on here I am actually beavering away working on more complete (I hope) illustrations rather than the quick illustrations and drawings I post on here in order to get the new website up and running and those self promotion cards out to the Children's book publishers.

It might be a great new move or it might be the start of mouldy bread and cheese for dinner..(Smudge of course will still get Blueberry Muffins), but there comes a time and opportunity when you have to say what the hell, lets give it a go! If I don't succeed then a least I tried, If I don't try at all then I will never know.

Illustration Friday 'Contained'

Watercolour

'The answer my dear Watson is contained in this book; which is a riddle in an enigma in a conundrum'!
'How on earth did you know that Smudge Holmes'?
'Elementary my dear Watson, it is written on the label'!

A very quick and simple entry for the Illustration Friday theme of 'Contained'. The illustration style and image layout is aped from a cover for a BBC collection of dramatised Sherlock Holmes adventures (Illustrated by Michael Frith). It was fun to just very quickly do this in about 15 minutes, the energy of being very loose and fast with the medium is good fun.

Summer Dreaming

Watercolour

I think that Smudge has been having thoughts of balmy summer days; of rowing about on the river in his little boat and of snoozing under shady trees no doubt after having partaken of a few (dozen) Blueberry muffins. Me I'd just like some decent snow! I think that he is in this sketch somewhere if you look hard enough.

Smudge and the London Smog

Watercolour

Back in Victorian times London was a dangerous place to be out on ones own as the light failed and the smog came down to shroud the buildings, muffle footfalls and the streets became bathed in an eerie gas lamp glow. But even back then the gallant Smudge (you wouldn't believe that if you were to see him stuffing Blueberry muffins into his face) was there to discretely ensure that a young ladies journey home was safe from misadventure.

I think this is following on from my previous Sherlock Holmes theme and there is something about Smudge that suits the era, maybe it's the over indulging, fat belly and the penchant for luxurious garb

It's interesting (to me at least), playing around with watercolour with line and without. Pen and Ink I know I can consistently do standing on my head with one hand tied to a squirrel, each little illustration taking at maximum an hour and a half from concept to finished. The watercolour is interesting playing with styles and limited palettes.

It is interesting (again probably only to me...) seeing how the character comes out and how the feel changes with different styles; the very 'cartoony' bight Smudge as in the Sketchbook entry, the difference with the New Years day approach, the difference again with the 'Sherlock Smudge Holmes' limited and muted colour approach with suggested background and with line and now as a more traditional style watercolour. Interesting as well that the less 'traditional' watercolour ones again take me about a hour and a half from concept to done, but the watercolour took me around two and a bit hours to do, mainly I think because I thought about  traditional elements in the sketching and planning to make it feel more 'real'. All good fun, and that's probably the last semi intelligent thing that I will say, back to inane captions tomorrow!

Sherlock Smudge Holmes

Watercolour and Pen

It seems that we now see Sherlock 'Smudge' Holmes in an encounter with the rather evil Baron Von DoodleNoodle and one of his henchmen in a suspiciously Victorian Street.

This could have something to do with the fact that I have been listening to BBC Radio Sherlock Holmes Dramatisations while I have been sniffling away with this cold. How Smudge managed to get in on the act goodness only knows!

Under the weather...

Watercolour and Pencil

...so it started the other day with feeling a bit groggy, today it's aches and sniffles and snuffles and a husky voice and a cough...so I erm I mean the Storyteller Smudge packed myse....  erm himself off to bed to feel sorry for my.. himself... So just a very quick germ covered doodle for today (achoo! 'Mamma Creek I deed a dink of hondey and ledmon pedeese').

New Years Day! (IF - Resolve)

Watercolour and Pen

A Little colour for New Years Day, and we find the Storyteller and his friends celebrating the new year and making their resolutions to carry on valuing friendship and the gift of imagination and storytelling. I'm not sure where the Ink Imp is, he may be in the tree somewhere, who knows!

This also fits in nicely with the Illustration Friday topic of 'Resolve' (to make a firm decision about) Resolved (To reach a decision). I am quite resolved this year to make sure I keep on doodling!

A Happy New Year to everyone who visits A Doodle A Day and many thanks to all who have left comments since I have dusted the cobwebs off the site and started bombarding you all with my little doodles again!

The Storytellers Call

As the stories of 2008 come to their ends,
the Storyteller gathers all of his friends.
They sit in a circle and look through the pages
that have been lovingly filled in all through of the ages.

And as the years pass and the stack of books mounts,
the joy is in the memories the Storyteller recounts.
So sat in the circle eager to hear,
they listen and wonder what will be written next year.

As the church bell rings the year that has past,
they will close all the books right down to the last.
And raising a glass with a mighty great cheer,
they will all look forward to a blessed New Year.

And as we close one page we open another,
with lots of new stories there to discover.
So a happy New Year to one and to all,
and don't forget to listen for the Storytellers call.

CharlieCreek 2008