After a long hiatus from posting in this Writing Blog I am finally emerging from one of the darkest depths of despair I’ve gone through in many, many years.  It has been impossible to work on “warm, fuzzy, happy” children’s illustrations.  I have more or less been living in suspended animation.  Going through the motions of day-to-day life without really focusing on anything of any real import.

I’m happy to report that now that September has arrived the dark clouds have lifted, I’m feeling more optimistic, more like my old self.  Sometimes you just have to stop and reflect and hope you survive the dark days of doubt.

I am happily back to work on the finished artwork for A Bed for Little Cub as well as the cover illustration for Gossie & Friends Big Book of Adventures.  In order for these pictures to reflect a joyful and lighthearted spirit I have to feel the same in my own person

My editors and art directors have been more patient than you might ever imagine.  They understand that the creative process can sometimes be arduous and fraught with doubt and turmoil.

To grease the work wheels in the studio I will tackle the one shot cover art and then proceed on to the more demanding task of doing the finished painting for the 17 illustrations for A Bed for Little Cub.

Here is the rough layout for the one piece of cover art to be finished.

Sometimes the scariest thing you might have to face is a blank piece of paper knowing that you have to create something magical and memorable on it.

It helps to have an existing sketch in mind that can be adapted and altered to suit my needs.

The process is to work with the base sketch and figure out the placement of al the other key characters and elements using sketches on tracing paper or vellum.

Here is the rough layout for the cover art.  Now all I have to do is the finished pencil drawing on watercolour paper, ink the drawing, then do the painting.  And the illustration will be finished.  And my confidence will be restored!