IF: IMPOSSIBILITY

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Dummy Book Sketches

Pencil and Photoshop

Detail

The youngest Billy Goat Gruff began to cross the bridge not knowing the impossibility of what was ahead...

 

I am making some progress with my dummy book, and I am very excited about it. This project has made me re-think my process. I am realizing that spending a ton of time on one illustration is okay, but when there's about 14 spreads to create, each step represents time that I could spend on another project, and it minimizes my productivity.

I had thought about time vs. productivity constrains before, but didn’t give it too much importance, since at the time I was more concerned with achieving a certain level of quality regardless of time. Today, I feel that I have more control over the outcome of the illustrations, and have become more comfortable working with acrylics, pens, brushes, and pencils. However, I do spend a great deal of time on my work. 

I have been fighting going completely digital for my own comfort. I enjoy the touch and feel of the paints, brushes etc, and it makes me feel like a true artist. It probably has something to do with having the traditional stereotype of an artist holding a palette while painting on a canvas with a brush etched in my brain.

Up until now, I have used the computer mostly to scan or tighten original sketches, or create a color guide for the final illustration. I have played with some IF posts where I’ve done a quick sketch, scanned it, and then colored it in Photoshop. These quick exercises have made me realized that I can make the cross over and cut my time in half!

I’m pretty pleased with the results so far and I think I will continue in this digital path… I guess you could also say that I am working against the seeming impossibility to cross over to digital

IF:Ballon in color

Playtime! Yes! I had some time to play in Photoshop today. I took the black and white IF post I made for ballon and colored in Photoshop. I played with the brushes to try to get some texture. If anyone knows of any good free brushes, please let me know!