Make art that sellsSo, this week I started the Lilla Rogers course on illustrating children's books and it's been an interesting journey so far. I have been really excited about the class and so I didn't anticipate the other emotions that came along for the ride! The course is online, but like real life college you have to find your way around, read through course outlines, prepare for assignments and get to meet lots of other artists - many of whom are blow your socks off fantastic. Before you know it you are in the thick of comparing yourself to everyone else and kicking yourself for not having thought of doing your illustration like that.  Every day there are sketch prompts and the focus has been on accessories. I have found it hard to keep up with these, but have found the practise to be useful and inspiring. It's difficult not to focus on the main assignment, but I have found the value in these daily sketches lies not just in sketch practice, but in building an armoury of details that can be applied at a later date.  It is also useful in discovering your own personal style and recognising how little things all add up to give your character, character! Clothing and accessories have a language of their own - they can reveal so much about someone's personality, where they live and what they do. I submitted my first assignment today, which was my illustration of the main character of my chosen text. For me, it was Norman, a red footed booby. He came from somewhere in the Caribbean and so I thought that the surf style would suit this fun loving young bird.  I didn't think that my character would be so anthromophorsised, but this is what happened! In the story Norman gets separated from his dad in a big storm and ends up in the UK. By changing his clothes from board shorts to duffel coat and wellies, I think it will work well visually to show the change in climate.
At the moment I feel quite confident that I will be able to draw Norman in different positions and next week I will find out if I am right! Week 2 is all about poses and I am feeling a bit more settled in to the demands of the course and ready to go! Wish me luck! 💕😀✨
2 Comments
Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing your experiences Jacqueline. I started the course this week too and it's been a very busy week with so many exercises to do. My understanding of the industry has really grown and I know that the daily exercises have helped me to focus on the extra stuff that goes into making magical illustrations for children so it's a big learning curve but it's a lot of fun too and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow. I can see that you put a lot of thought into your character and his accessories...He's adorable. Keep up the good work!
Jacqueline
1/23/2017 12:06:10 am
Hi Kate, thanks so much for reading and your lovely comment. The course is a great opportunity and I think that by enrolling we have made a big commitment to working in this field. I think it's going to be an exciting ride! 💕😀✨ Leave a Reply. |
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