In Praise of Illustrators
I am trying to be an illustrator to supply the illustrations for a fun goat book. As I struggle to learn to do the sketches and add the ink and/or watercolor to them, I gain a new respect for illustrators.
Long an admirer of picture books and lover of illustrations in other books, I still only looked at them. Some were so like paintings I’ve seen in galleries. Others were bold and brassy. Some were precise. Others were freer. Each reflected the tone of the book they illustrated.
For some years I would end the year by reading and commenting on picture books. Unfortunately these are short and make a mess of my other reading specs. I asked, but they can’t be separated unless I open a second account.
Ever since digital cameras, I’ve enjoyed taking pictures. Autofocus is a blessing as I have a great deal of trouble focusing a camera. The play back is great too as I can check each picture for focus before moving on.
My book illustrations have been mostly photographs up until this book. Even my paint shop can’t alter the photographs enough to suit this book. This meant facing my fear of art.
I grew up thinking I was no writer. I faced that delusion. I love to write. Some people even think I’m good at it.
I also grew up thinking I was no artist. But this book had to be illustrated with drawings, lots of drawings, more than I could afford even if I could find an artist familiar enough with goats to do the drawings. So I’m facing that delusion and finding I can draw a little.
First and foremost is knowing your limitations. I dearly love the beautiful botanical drawings from years past. The precise drawings of nature and wildlife fascinate me. They take such skill and patience. I have neither.
Color matters to me. I prefer illustrations in color, although I’ve seen some books with wonderful black and white drawings that fit perfectly. There are several ways of adding color: oils which dry very slowly; oil pastels which smear easily; acrylics which dry quickly; and watercolor which forgives no mistakes. I like watercolor.
Again I had to consider my limitations. I will not sit down and do one complete picture for each page. Doing backgrounds drives me crazy.
So I’m doing the figures and using paint shop to put them on previously done backgrounds. Is this really being an illustrator? I don’t know. What I do know from doing this is that illustrators spend hours and hours on those illustrations we flip past so carelessly. From now on I plan to take more time to admire the work they’ve done.
Long an admirer of picture books and lover of illustrations in other books, I still only looked at them. Some were so like paintings I’ve seen in galleries. Others were bold and brassy. Some were precise. Others were freer. Each reflected the tone of the book they illustrated.
For some years I would end the year by reading and commenting on picture books. Unfortunately these are short and make a mess of my other reading specs. I asked, but they can’t be separated unless I open a second account.
Ever since digital cameras, I’ve enjoyed taking pictures. Autofocus is a blessing as I have a great deal of trouble focusing a camera. The play back is great too as I can check each picture for focus before moving on.
My book illustrations have been mostly photographs up until this book. Even my paint shop can’t alter the photographs enough to suit this book. This meant facing my fear of art.
I grew up thinking I was no writer. I faced that delusion. I love to write. Some people even think I’m good at it.
I also grew up thinking I was no artist. But this book had to be illustrated with drawings, lots of drawings, more than I could afford even if I could find an artist familiar enough with goats to do the drawings. So I’m facing that delusion and finding I can draw a little.
First and foremost is knowing your limitations. I dearly love the beautiful botanical drawings from years past. The precise drawings of nature and wildlife fascinate me. They take such skill and patience. I have neither.
Color matters to me. I prefer illustrations in color, although I’ve seen some books with wonderful black and white drawings that fit perfectly. There are several ways of adding color: oils which dry very slowly; oil pastels which smear easily; acrylics which dry quickly; and watercolor which forgives no mistakes. I like watercolor.
Again I had to consider my limitations. I will not sit down and do one complete picture for each page. Doing backgrounds drives me crazy.
So I’m doing the figures and using paint shop to put them on previously done backgrounds. Is this really being an illustrator? I don’t know. What I do know from doing this is that illustrators spend hours and hours on those illustrations we flip past so carelessly. From now on I plan to take more time to admire the work they’ve done.
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