Chocolate Figs

Gosh, it feels like forever since I've posted anything. I've been busy, and have several things on the board in "various states of undress", if you will. So I'll post more eventually. But for now, just finished up this one ~

(click to see it bigger)

I had lots of fun with this. I combined loose watercolor with digital. Still trying new ideas, trying to find my 'digital style'.

First I painted all the illustrations with watercolor pencils on a sheet of Arches. Then those got scanned in and placed on the page, and I did some linework with Photoshop. Next came the type. I really really tried to stay loose (except for the printed type, but even that is 'casual') as a counterpoint to my usual 'so tight I squeak' pure colored pencil work.

Here's how the naked watercolored fig looked before it got scanned and fiddled with digitally.

I really enjoyed sitting at the dining room table (not the drawing board) with my cup of coffee and a kitty laying on a blanket under the lamp on a rainy afternoon, painting like this (the watercolor part, I mean). It was lovely to get away from the formal drawing table set up and feel a little freer. Sometimes when one is at the board one can feel, dare I say it, chained. Am I right? Not always, just sometimes. Its good to change things up now and then. I'm finding that a combination of time at the board, the computer, and somewhere else (usually kitchen or dining room table) makes for a much more enjoyable illustrating experience! That's not rocket science, but I'm just saying.

So anyway. That's the fig recipe.

Then there's this guy ~

He embodies a spirit I would like to embrace in my work. I think there will be a lot more of this guy and his kinfolk coming from my pencil in days to come.

Happy Spring everybody!