On Process

I don't often write about my process, so for my newest painting I tried to properly document every step of the way. I always love hearing about how other illustrators do things, so if this is in any way informative to anybody, great! And if it's a pile of mumbo jumbo, then you don't actually have to listen to a thing I say.

I always start with thumbnails. These are tiny, quick, fast sketches that are usually only decipherable to myself, but above is the composition I chose to go with out of maybe six others.

I'll start with a loose sketch in a colored pencil. Using colored pencils keeps my lines loose and I don't think about going back in to erase. Then I do a tighter pencil sketch on top.

Then I break out my trusty lightbox and trace the sketch onto watercolor paper with a very light pencil, trying to maintain the energy of the original sketch. A lot of times tracing can make the drawing stiff, so I try to think of the traced drawing as a new piece as opposed to a copy, so it's okay if some things are a little different. At this stage I also prime the paper with matte medium, which protects the paper, adds some texture, and allows the paint to adhere easier.

First layer of paint. This is where I question things and hate everything and have no idea what I'm doing with my life, but I'm trying to create a value structure and figure out color. Other artists might tell you to do a value and color study before actually laying down paint, but I like to throw caution to the wind and live this stage in reckless abandon. 

Just keep chugging on and eventually something happens where it kind of maybe looks okay!

Tightening details, color relationships, and overall finishing touches.

And a final scan that I will color correct in photoshop to make sure it looks like the original.

So that's how I usually do things! For acrylic paintings, anyway. My watercolor process is slightly more involved, so I'll be sure to post about that next time I do a watercolor illustration!