Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Illustration Friday - Boundaries

This week's word challenge was 'Boundaries,' and I put off working on it all week. Originally I thought I would do something showing a boundary between light and dark or night and day, but I didn't have a clear enough vision in my head of what it would look like. So, instead I came up with something else entirely. My new idea was inspired by a sweet illustration I saw by Barbara Cooney in the 1949 book, "Read Me Another Story." It shows a little hen standing in the middle of a pen. Her world definitely has boundaries.  In my image, a fence is a boundary that is keeping a little rabbit out of the lettuce patch (You can click on the illustration to see it larger).

I experimented with a technique I don't usually work in - a digital scratchboard technique. My original digital sketch was done in Painter 11. A few days ago I finally succumbed to an email from Corel with details on a special upgrade deal for Painter 12. I bit the bullet and purchased it and it arrived today. I could have finished this image in version 11, but I was anxious to get my feet wet with the upgrade so I finished the image in version 12 (more about it in a future blog).

On the right, you can see my original sketch. You'll notice that originally, I showed much more of the garden. As I worked, I decided to zoom in a bit and bring the viewer closer to the rabbit.

Below is the Barbara Cooney illustration that was my inspiration.





12 comments:

  1. i like the dark background! and the technique you used on the lettuce

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  2. Very nice! I'd say your experiment was a success.

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  3. Lovely! I feel for the lil rabbit... so close yet so far.

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  4. I can't believe you referred to that particular illustration in that book! I have a very old copy from my childhood, and that book was one of the few we owned. In fact, when I recently drew and blogged about books from my childhood, I was so mad at myself afterward because I'd forgotten to include it. Ive never, ever seen another copy of that book...I grew up in Indiana, so maybe that's the commonality?

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  5. Thanks for sharing your thought process. I really like the feel of your lettuces (if one can say that). Plus the fact that it is a night-scene makes the images stand out even more!

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  6. Beautiful work, poor bunny I hope he can sneak a bit through the fence...

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  7. I always like your pieces with darker values. Scratchboard is awesome; one of my fav' doodling tools. Jump, bunny!

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  8. Okay...I bit and upgraded, too when I saw it on sale. Hee, hee....

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  9. I upgraded too but I haven't really had a chance to play with the new ellements of the program. I like the layout better, but it tends to crash more for me. I love the scratchboard look of this, now I may have to go play with painter myself. ;)

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  10. For a last minute piece, this is so beautiful! I'm impressed. And thankful that you posted your inspiration, because now I am inspired too! B/W prints and scratchboard are two of my fav mediums... amazing what Painter can do. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. I remember that illustration too! And since it comes without words in my head, must have been one of the few books I "read" to myself before printed words had any meaning (another in that category was Blueberries for Sal, which never had words until I discovered it again, reading to MY kids)

    Lovely, simple drawing, yours. So much said with so few lines. Great work.

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  12. Great illustration, your bunny is seriously cute:)

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