Illustration Friday - Savour

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is "savour". I did this illustration a while back for a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco - they used it as their Christmas card (click on it to see it bigger). Santa is savouring a plate of dim sum while the reindeer, working as waiters, serve him. I know. Pretty silly.

I'm resurrecting this style for a new piece I'm working on. I've always loved these reindeer and this pen and ink plus watercolor style. Last night in bed I was reading "Artist to Artist" (23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children about Their Art), and in it Maurice Sendak says its important to have more than one style, which I thought was refreshing, and goes against everything everyone else usually says (more than one style will confuse art directors, they won't know what to expect when they hire you, etc.). He says "...develop a fine style, a fat style, a fairly slim style, and a really rough style." So I'm not sure how I'd define this 'reindeer style' but its definitely different than everything else I do. And its fun!

I resisted Black Friday like the plague, and will now gradually ease myself into the idea of Christmas. Actually, at this time next week I'll probably have bought the tree and have it all done up. But this weekend I will still savour the Thanksgiving leftovers and this very brief 'in between time' and get some work done.