Growing Ideas

Four years ago I began to write a story, never anticipating that it had the potential to become a novel. I had given up on it apparently, (and forgotten about it), because last summer as I was digging through an old drawer I stumbled upon a rough, aged notebook. I started to read it and couldn't put it down, and was surprised I'd written something so interesting so young. I picked up writing the novel again, and decided I wanted to illustrate it myself.

Most of the time book illustrations consist of ink or colored pencil, but I decided I wanted my book to be illustrated with the bright, vibrant colors of acrylic paint. Since the novel is somewhat medievalist, I thought of the bold pages of illuminated manuscripts. I didn't want full-on canvas panels for each illustration, so I started by cutting out cotton rectangles from old t-shirts and covering them in a layer of gesso. 

After the gesso dries, you can draw out a rectangle using a ruler and lightly sketch the plan within. Like all acrylic painting, the next step is to block out the base layers of your composition. 

After this essential part of the process, you're free to start adding detail. It's all about building up layers.

When you're finally satisfied with all the details you've added, you have your finished product and can move on to the next piece!