Mission: Picture Book. Status: Complete

So this is what I have been doing for the last two months. Basically a standard picture book making process: brainstorming, sketching, studying, editing and finalizing.
Awesome feeling, really rewarding. After this two super intensive and productive months I need to turn my brain off for a little while and have some proper scottish beer(s).

Picture Book

It´s been a while since the last post. The reason for this is- I´ve been working on a new picture book and I was in that phase when I totally started to live with my main character, got to know her world and I was so absorbed by the story I was slowly getting into that anti-social, introverted, slightly autistic mode /to that extend that when shopping at sainsbury´s I prefered self check-out  rather than  living human being/
So yesterday I managed to print out the dummy which for me is officially the end of good times with my character in the imaginary fantastic world and start of the more pragmatic aspect of the whole project: Is it good? Would it be good for publisher? Is the story interesting? Is the main character convincing? etc...Of course after a couple of hours I had my dummy printed out I found first mistakes and each time I corrected one, others just popped out...almost exponentially. So now I am at the painful editing phase. My computer is turned on all the time-in case new idea emerges suddenly /last time it hit me when having a bath so I run out to make corrections/, the mess in the files and all the new versions of each spread /final, final1, final1x.../is huuge, the story has been decomposed several times already and put together three different ways....but what can I say...I LOVE IT!!!

A girl who doesn´t want to sleep

Yesterday was a really bad day, I felt horrible, everything went wrong...everyone has one of those days once in a while. It was past midnight and I still didn´t feel like going to sleep, my mind kept processing events of the day. I made my self a green tea, sat down, and at first checked facebook, twitter....then I just shut the computer down and took a pencil and a paper. The girl on a flying bed came back and literally started to entertain me. She was angry because she didn´t want to go to sleep as her mum told her, promised herself she´ll never fall asleep again and started to do several activities to keep her awake. Suddenly something weird happened, her bed started to move and when she bent over the bed she saw it was floating....Now she has a name-Tilly. And she really made my day:)

Thunderstorm

I was in the middle of making my premire sushi when a big thunderstorm broke out. It was hot and sunny whole morning so the sudden rain created that amazing scent of first rain drops touching overheated asphalt. Love that smell..they should turn it into some fragrance...Well, the point is, the storm inspired the picture above:)

Dirk Gently´s Holistic Detective Agency

I´ve just finished reading the book: Dirk Gently´s Holistic Detective Agency. It is amazing and I highly recommend it. There was one scene with the horse who appeared to be in the bathroom....it just caught my imagination and here´s the result.

Rain, Coffee, Books

It is saturday and after amazing late breakfast - yorkshire puddings with honey, strawberries and blackberries I am going to grab the book I read now- Douglas Adams: Dirk Gently´s Holistic Detective Agency and will head to Coffee Project to sit there, have a nice big cappuccino, read and occasionally observe the silent rain. That is the big plan for saturday- keep doing Dolce Far Niente!

Flying bed

These three images are the result of drawing automatism. I did them shortly before going to sleep.

Boats

There´s a beautiful channel in Edinburgh with all those colorful small boats, some of them are houses some of them turn into cafés during the weekend. I like to observe their interiors through the tiny windows...one of them has a kitchen by the window with copper pans and pots and italian coffee makers...I imagine how it is to live on a boat like that...and then comes the romantic vision of freedom, sailing the seas, discovering new islands....so yeah, that´s what inspired the picture above. And now I am off to get some fish for the dinner:D

Procrastination Process in Progress

I have just two more 3D, low- poly illustrations to complete. The deadline is in 8 days. I am NOT able to focus anymore and keep doing anything, but the 3D illustrations. One of my procrastination results is the illustration above. I think the more I am supposed to do 3D images the more I want to do analogue, ink and watercolor pictures. Guess it will work the other way around too.

"Oh Dear!"

I went jogging today - my back was just killing me so I thought a little excercise might do the thing.
And as I was running by the river I saw this gorgeous lady walking her dogs...or were the dogs walking her? The perfect scene that needed to be illustrated. And the cherry on top of it was the lady saying- with her perfect scottish accent- "Oh dear!" I just loooove Edinburgh:D

Big Lady on not so Big Horse

After Sunday lunch I made myself cuban coffee, turned on some jazz music and started to draw-relax (I work on illustrations for a children´s book which are in 3D low-poly style, so drawing moments are now precious for me).
There was no particular inspiratiopn for this image. I somehow like the idea of big people being carried by thin, fragile horses...seems grotesque and I´ve been returning to this theme once in a while.

Orange Impact

Today I went to Holland & Barrett to buy some super healthy stuff that promises to make you more healthy, balanced and beautiful. The day was grey, gloomy and rainy (surprising for Scotland, I know). I was totally lost in my thoughts, just walking automatically really, when I was suddenly hit by intense orange color. It seemed almost otherworldly, well at least in that colorless background. It was a group of kinds in neon vests with their teacher.  It seemed as if they were actually taking the energy from their shiny vests and super colorful clothes (made me think why don´t they make the same tights patterns for adults?). Suddenly I felt as if being somewhere on sunny Costa Brava. I stayed there for a while and observed them.

Veggie Fairy

I went to buy some veggies and fruits to local market the other day. I bought my beloved strawberries which for me are the symbol of upcoming summer, some peas- not really my favourite but I just love the package design and some raddish because of its beautiful radiant color (I had already bought all sorts of green stuff,  so I had the urge to balance it with some intense color). On the way back I suddenly started to imagine a veggie fairy living secretly in the veg boxes on the market. When I got back home I made som sketches and...voilá

Teddy Bear

I had to go back to Slovakia couple of days ago because I had some really nasty infection on my toe and needed some minor surgery /wearing my favourite Melissa plastic shoes in Vietnam wasn´t the best idea/. Well, I stayed at my parents flat as it is close to hospital and -have no idea why- slept in my sister´s bed. And as I was trying to fall asleep, super nervous about the next day surgery, suddenly I remembered as my sister used to fall asleep with a giant teddy bear. I immediatelly grabbed some paper and a pencil and made a quick sketch. The image above is the result.  And while drawing I forgot about being nervous and once I finished it I felt so relaxed I could fall asleep easily- well at least for two hours, then it all came back...

Bunny and Teddy refused to be 3D

Analogue Coffee Break

Bunny and Teddy refusing to cooperate on the story being destructive as usually...oh well

Illustrating a new book....in low poly style

New book project and a new coffee to accompany it´s production - Colombian this time.

What happens when Bunny and Teddy get inspired:D....working on a new picture book.