Sunday, May 24, 2009

Illustration Friday - Cracked


This week the theme is 'Cracked'. I had two ideas come to mind for my entry and decided upon this little one. I used my more expensive water colour paper for this one and have decided from now on I'm going to just buy the nice stuff. The paint just seems to go on better when I use the more expensive paper and the end product to me looks so much more polished. I really like how the paint looks on this paper, the skin just looks so much better than on the cheaper stuff. I also refrained from using the black out line pen to finish this off as I've bought a very fine brush and I thought I'd see how it looked without the pen. I think it looks a lot softer and I prefer it just with the paint. Perhaps this is how I'm going to work from now on it's funny I never thought I wouldn't want to use the pen as it didn't seem finished unless I'd out lined it in the past but with the brush I think that's enough. It's also the first time I have written/painted the text on and I quite like it.

11 comments:

Penny said...

What wonderful expressions on their faces Nic. You're really captured their fright. And I have a sneaking suspicion that Matt's real name is Riley! :o)

Sandra said...

Wow! you're not only an illustrator, but also a story-teller! I love the little details like the squirrel or the way you draw the leaves. And the expression of fear on Matt and Mary's faces is really well rendered!

Art by Darla Kay said...

Great story and super illustration Nicola!! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment!♥
I'll be following your blog too!
Darla

Tania McCartney said...

Hi Nicola – congrats on winning a copy of Riley and the Sleeping Dragon! I hope your little Riley just loves the book and that he keeps his fingers in less disastrous holes (like perhaps nostrils?) from now on!! what an amazing story!
Please send me your address details and I’ll pop a book in the mail this week. Enjoy! and thanks so much for entering the competition.
With warmest wishes,
Tania McCartney
http://taniamccartney.blogspot.com

Nicola said...

heheh yes I'm definitly keeping my eye on him. Thank you so much I look forward to reading it, oh and reading it to Riley of course!!

ELLA ELVIANA said...

nice story, and i like the way you paint the tree leaves ^_^

Jess said...

I think the brush outlining works really well! Your writing is so neat I wish my writing looked like that. I've gone through he same thinking about pen verses brush and come to the same conclusion. I still like to use a pen on its own for black and white drawings but have recently bought some tiny brushes for when I do a watercolour. I too never thought I'd think this way but that was back in the day before I'd bought these little brushes!x

Miss KB said...

Very colorful & creative! I love your use of watercolor and the script is beautiful!

lisa said...

great expressions! and i love the whimsical leaves... nice illio

Anonymous said...

Hi Nicola! Thankyou for your wonderful comments. I enjoy your work as well, such great colors! I'm looking forward to seeing your next project...I wonder what the new word will be...

Scott said...

Great illustration and idea. I like the stylized leaves on the trees.

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