Pirate!

I've been working on a children's picture book that has a Momma Loon as the 'star'.  Sometimes, when I'm 'stuck' or (my favorite) "Nothing good's comin' out of the pen!  It's the pen's fault!", I will reframe the main character.  You know, something completely out of character.

So, I made Momma Loon a pirate.

Using an ugly, old calligraphy stick (dip it in the 20 year old bottle of India Ink) pen, I drew her quickly on scrap 24 lb. cheezy paper.  Dried her with a hair dryer.  Then, slathered water color all over her.  I was after Idea, not Final Art.  And then...

She bled.  Bad.  Cigar ran.  Face ran.  Nose ran.

(Remember that for next time, Brooke, India ink runs in water.)

Then, I placed the Seriously Rumpled 24lb. sheet of paper in my scanner and spent the next three hours taking out the vast bulk of the 'bleed-ification'.  The final result you see above.

After all THAT, I'm not sure I even like the Cleaned Up version.

So, I repeated the excercise on a much larger sheet of (still very cheezy) paper.  (Oh, and sans cigar.)  I really like the Unexpected Messes.  All the watercolor bled, instantly.  So, red cheeks become, ah, well, not, shall we say?  I had to put the brush in places, and at speeds, I'm not used to.

Gee, if I'm not careful, this could become my favorite media.

The fly, by the way, was drawn with another pen and ink combo.  Bad idea, eh?

Thought you might enjoy the process.
Brooke

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Once upon a time, Joseph wanted to marry

a young lady named Mary.

When Joseph found out Mary was with child, he was surprised.

Then Mary told him that this Child was actually 

God coming to Earth as a little baby.

Joseph was worried about it. But an Angel came

and told him it was all true.  And, that he could marry Mary.

The Angel also said to name the Child Jesus.

So he did.

Then, they had to go to Bethlehem to have their baby.

It was a long, dusty trip.  

When they got to Bethlehem, 

there was no room in the Inn.

The Innkeeper told them about a great

little stable nearby.  And that's where

Baby Jesus was born.

Jesus thought the manger made a pretty cool bed.

Then, God sent a whole bunch of angels to sing to

all the shepherds, and to all the world, 

and to YOU!

Here's a sheet torn right out of the Angel Hymnal,

so you can sing the words they sang that night!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

All illustrations are from My ABC Christmas Book,

copyright 1995, illustrations Brooke Carlton

Blob-ification

As an illustrator, ever been, well, just stuck?

That expensive piece of watercolor paper just dares you to 'mess it up'?

No ideas come to mind?  The hours tick by and nothing  (productive or otherwise) comes?

The ink dries in your hand held, in-the-air, ready-to-draw-in-an-instant-upon-inspiration pen?

When nothing 'works', try (what I've labeled) Blobification.

Illustrator Carla Sonheim has several playful books out (visit her at carlasonheim.com!) from which I have selected The Blob to play with.   It's just so much fun that I wanted to share it (and give Carla all the credit for the idea).

Directions are simple (even an adult can do this).  Immerse watercolor brush in lots of color.  Smudgie onto paper, leaving white spot in it somewhere.  Let dry.  Take dog for a walk.  Return. Take dry paper, rotate.  Expect.

Then.

Go big.  Risk an entire sheet.  Really.

What You Didn't Know Was On Your Church's Stained Glass Window

Thank you, Carla.

Brooke

The Tooth Fairy

Last week, I overheard two children talking, well, whispering, in a school hallway.  One of the little girls had a loose, wiggly tooth.  The discussion was about the existence of The Tooth Fairy.  Apparently, there was some serious question as to Her being real or not.

Real or not?  Can you imagine?

So, - with the children's permission - I set up my camera in a 'hidden' location.  And waited.  And waited.  Actually, this would be my very first photo of Herself, so I was careful to be very quiet.
The night dragged on and on.  Finally, I could see the morning light begin to appear out the window.
Even I began to wonder if she would really come.

Then, the dog barked downstairs.  The sound made me turn away.  And that's when I heard a 'swish' in the water glass behind me.  So, I pushed the button on the camera.  Even though I got the photo, the foolish camera clunked so loudly that it frightened Her off before I could even whisper 'Good-bye'.

But, isn't She wonderful?
Mildred

The Kitchen Sink

Alejandro Blues

Once upon a time, I read an article about Gesso.  It's a Mysterious Liquid that all artists know about.  At the time, I didn't know what it did (not so sure I do now), but thought it worth an experiment or two.

Alejandro Blues close-up detail

Grabbing a large posterboard, I slathered Gesso all over it.  Let it dry.  And was relatively unimpressed with the result.

Hmmm, wonder what would happen if....?

And thus began, Alejandro Blues.  Both these illustrations here are small sections of the 22"x28" piece.  To the right, is a close up of the turtle's right 'foot' and some heavily-loaded-with-salt seaweed.

The foundation for Alejandro is the aforementioned 1)Gesso, topped with lots of 2)white glue, 3)gouache, and 4) watercolor.

Just to see what would happen, I also smeared lavish amounts of  5)Vaseline,  6)sand, and 7) chunks of Kosher salt all over it, too.

After waiting for my 'canvas' to dry, I added the final touches in 8) oil pastels.  Does smearing stuff around with a knife count as #9?

When I moved toward The Kitchen Sink, it ran away.
Brooke

Mural Fun

Brooke's first mural was a spontaneous 'challenge'.  On a Saturday work day at church, her Pastor (seemingly on the spur of the moment) offered her an entire room (54 feet of blank wall!), and asked her to draw something as a proposal.

"Quick," he said.  "Here's a napkin.  Draw something."
She ruffled around in her purse and came up with a chisel- tipped black marker.
"Go ahead, draw something," the Pastor encouraged.

Nothing more intimidating than having to draw Something, in an instant, on a napkin, with seven people all watching.

So, the pen was faithful, and drew an angel.  And then came the cheers from the appreciative audience.

Thus began the huge, four month long Mural Project, of which these little sheep are but a small portion.

What was NEW to Brooke's drawing experience was finding out about non-toxic paints (children will lick the drawings on the walls.  Really.), how to mix extenders ('oh, please DON'T dry before I'm ready!'), and Most Important Of All (!) finding a suitable assistant.


Frankly, the mural could not have been done without Brooke's Able Assistant.  Said Able Assistant was Jenna, and 13 years old at the time, and unbelievably good at understanding Panic Speech.

"Jenna!  JENNA!!" Brooke Panic Speeched, watching a blob of paint sinking south. " I need a Yanga Yatta, NOW!" her right arm extended significantly at Jenna.  "Hurry!"
"One clean 2 inch brush, right," came the inevitable calm reply, as the 'Yanga' was firmly placed in Brooke's outstretched hand.
"Yes, YES!  Exactly!  Thank you!  Oh, you are WONDERFUL!"

Jenna was like a Head Nurse during surgery.  She watched Brooke so closely, that she knew what Brooke needed before Brooke could bungle English in her attempt to verbalize it.  Sponges, rags, tape, rulers, and even brushes dipped in the right color, would all be shoved into Brooke's hands BEFORE words were exchanged.  It was a pretty cool thing to watch, actually.

Brooke tells me that, if Jenna were at hand, she'd paint another mural in a heartbeat.

Wish I could carry more than a #12 brush,
Mildred