How I Design A Book Cover Part 2: Choosing the right medium and surface

One of the best things about being an older and more experienced illustrator is that I have a lot of tools in my tool kit. I can make better decisions about what medium to use on which surface.

Star Map Inspiration

I’ve chosen the create a star map as part of my book cover illustration. The inspiration is a Tibetan Star map I found online. Because the map is highly technical I felt that paint wouldn’t be the right medium for it. I’ve used colored pencils on dark paper many times with great success. So I decided to do some color tests to see if that would be the right medium and surface for this piece.

Some of my colored pencil pieces on medium and dark Canson papers.

As it turned out the Prismacolors weren’t giving me the effect that I wanted. The colors were too dull, and the color harmony was off. I experimented with Neocolor II Aquarelles, next. They worked better, giving me the pop of color I needed with the added benefit that you can sharpen them for technical work.

As Canson paper won’t hold up for wet media, I dug out a sheet of black Stonehenge paper. This heavier paper can handle light and medium washes just fine and will be a better match for the Neocolors. Another advantage to using these watercolor crayons is that I’m able to give the girl’s face a more painterly look.

Color Design Tests for the Book Cover

Art is no mystery. It’s a series of carefully considered decisions.

Tunisian Girl - Work in Progress

"A Tunisian Girl," colored pencils WIP digital effects

This is the piece I have on my drawing board right now. Her inspiration is a photo from the late 19^th or early 20^th centuries. The image is from a glass plate negative, I think. I have no idea who she was, but I’m calling her “A Tunisian Girl” for lack of a better title. My medium is colored pencils on medium-toned Canson paper. I’m using a limited palette, just a few colors, to give the final piece the soft, faded look.

A long time ago I worked in a darkroom as a photo-restorer. (This was well before Photoshop.) We made prints, bleached them, bathed them in various tints, hand-colored them...the works! Sometimes, I miss those old days of restoring horrible, old prints found in some shoe box in an attic. 

Today, it's easy to take a piece of artwork and make it look old. That's what I've done here. Just for fun, I’ve added old-timey digital photo effects to my half-finished portrait. 

I'll post the final piece when she's finished.

Sketching in Sarah's Garden

"Sarah's Garden," pen & ink and colored pencil
in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook

The other day I did some plein air drawing for the first time in quite a while. How immensely satisfying to sit in the warm Spring sunshine and lose myself to the sounds of nature and the feeling of pencil and pen on paper. Pure bliss!

Sara drawing in Sarah's garden.
(Thanks to Linda Brown for snapping the photo)

My newest commission was delivered today

A very happy client

My newest portrait, a surprise birthday present, was received today by its new owner. The subject was Ryker, a very dear Belgium Treverian who passed away not too long ago.

With persmission, here is what the portrait’s new owner had to say:

“My daughter, Samantha, had this portrait of my Heart Dog, Ryker, made for me. Beautiful art work by Sara Light-Waller. She captured Ryker's very essence.” – Diane Garwood

"Ryker" by Sara Light-Waller

“Speaking of your amazing artistry.... I received my picture of Ryker that you drew. It is on my FB page. Although showing it on FB does not do it justice. As I opened the wrapping paper Cassie had put it in, and started to see what it was I was overcome by amazement. I started to cry and when I pulled out the whole picture I was sobbing!! You so totally and completely captured the love and very essence in his eyes. I honestly do not have the words to convey my gratitude for Samantha commissioning it and for the obvious love and care you put in to drawing it. Thank you Sara. Thank you from the very deepest part of my heart.”  – Diane Garwood

Thank you Diane and Samantha for the commission and the joy I received from creating it for you.

Shifting the Color Scheme

Here is a sketchbook exercise I did yesterday. It was based on a gamut mapping exercise from James’ Gurney’s book, “Color and Light: Guide for the Realistic Painter.” He does an excellent job describing this exercise and also how to create a gamut mask in his blog.

My goal was to shift the color palette of my photo reference in a triadic color scheme from cool to warm colors. I did two small drawings to try this out. The first drawing used the natural (cool) colors of the photo. In the second drawing, I shifted the colors across the color wheel to warm colors in a similar triadic relationship.

I started with this photograph I took on Orcas Island, WA.

Next, I did a small drawing using a yellow-orange, a red-violet, and a blue Prismacolor pencil. I also used a 50% cool gray, and a black pencil. I mixed my secondaries from the primary colors and got a purple, a green, and a red-orange, as well as a subjective (visually correct) neutral - a reddish gray that “read” as true gray next to the other colors.

Color test #1 - natural colors (cool).
Prismacolor drawing in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook.

In my second drawing I used three colors – yellow-orange, red, and blue-violet, as well as two grays – 50% and 70%, and black. My mixed secondaries were red-orange, violet and a very weak gray-green. The green was so weak that it barely reads as green at all, only in comparison to the rest of the colors in the drawing. The subjective neutral (gray) in this drawing is a pink-gray, which reads as true “gray” in comparison to the other colors.

Color test #2 - shifted colors (warm).
Prismacolor drawing in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook.

I was pleased with my test, and my shifted color palette. (I actually liked the shifted color drawing better than the original.) If I were going to do a painting next, I’d probably do a few more color tests, to find the perfect color scheme to get just the right feeling for my painting.

Bam! A world of fashions made out of paper

Yesterday, Matt and I took a field trip to Bellevue, WA to take in the Isabelle de Borchgrave show at the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM).

I was only made aware of Isabelle’s work a few days ago and was completely transported by the clothing she creates out of paper. They look real!

Here is a link to the show, in case you'd like to see it.

I’ve created a Pinterest board highlighting some of Isabelle's remarkable fashions.

You can also find out more about the artist on Wikipedia.

Can you believe this gown is made entirely out of paper?

I found Isabelle’s paper fashions an irresistible subject for sketching and did a few drawings while we were at the show. Honestly, I could have stayed there for days drawing all of those dresses. I had such a lovely time.

Sketch by Sara Light-Waller, 2014., Isabelle de Borchgrave show.
Pen & ink, Gelly Roll pen, Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth Magic Pencils

Sketch by Sara Light-Waller, 2014., Isabelle de Borchgrave show.
Pen & ink, Gelly Roll pen, colored pencil, Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth Magic Pencils

Urban sketching has become such a regular part of my life that I don’t think twice about drawing in public. I also enjoy chatting with the passersby who are curious about my drawings. I had several engaging conversations yesterday with other museum patrons while drawing. To me, this adds a dynamic facet to both the urban sketcher and museum-goer experience. 

Today, a story…

Queen Talesha of the Tanrese

Over the weekend while doodling some costume design ideas for my new novel, I ended up with a drawing that wasn’t anything like what I needed for the new book. That happens sometimes, you end up with illustrations far afield from your original plans. So, I ended up with an illustration for a story I wrote quite some time ago, part of a story cycle featuring the exploits of a young priestess/heroine named Mathilde Tira Roass. I've written more than a dozen "Mathilde" stories but this story has the distinction of being the only one not written from Mathilde's point of view. This one was written from the perspective of her companion, a Tanrese man named Caucx.

Below is the introduction to, “Caucx and the Priestess,” which tells the tale of Mathilde's adventure searching for the missing queen of the Tanrese, Talesha Teragorgan.

"Heroes and Monsters of the Land"

From the tellings of Toral Terafin, Master of the Blue-Red School

It is well known my children that the dry land has had its share of heroes. These land heroes are of little importance to us except to demonstrate that the land above the waves is a very dangerous place, well in need of heroes.

One of the best known land heroes was a spirit priestess by the name of Mathilde Tira Roass. Priestess Mathilde lived long ago, in the time of my father's grandfather. She, along with the brave Tanrese hero, Caucx Corgorgan, once saved the life of wise and beautiful Queen Talesha Teragorgan, in a grand adventure ON THE LAND.

Ah, I see in your shining eyes that you doubt that such a thing could have been. Well I assure you that it was and now you shall hear the tale yourselves. Drift closer children and I'll tell you the tale.

In the fifteenth year of Queen Talesha's reign she decided to find a mate...

Of course there's more to the story. If enough people want to hear it, I'll tell you the whole thing. ;-)

Sketching this Weekend

Not too much to say about these drawings except that I’m becoming more disciplined about using guidelines and it’s rather fun substituting colors for black pencil.