Sketches to Colour
I thought it might be great to do a post about the process from sketches to colour.
I’m currently working on a reading guide for a publisher, so thought it might be interesting to share some work on a reading guide I illustrated last year, which is now published. Importantly the process of sketches to colour.
MI5
Big rule in illustrating is that what you’re currently working on is always top secret, MI5 need to know only. So I’m being very good and only sharing a book that’s published (and won’t self destruct in three seconds)!
A sketch is where I always start and sometimes they are very scruffy and scribbly indeed. In fact I sometimes feel like I am moulding with clay, rather than using a pencil! So we are talking messy here. Sometimes I work with tiny thumbnails, because you can often get a good overview of the scene or character that way. Here’s an example…
I then usually work the scribble into a larger and slightly clearer sketch. I say slightly, because you don’t want to lose the energy in the original sketch. This is really important! I tend to work quite quickly when creating the initial thumbnail or scruffy scribble and often find myself trying several different ideas. If I am really lucky I nail it first time, but alas I am not Doctor Who or Leonardo da Vinci and so it can lead to much nail biting, head scratching and cups of tea.
Technicolor glory…
Once the client has agreed to the visual (sketch), it’s time to go to colour. For me that tends to be a combination of hand drawn work, some hand painting and digital colouring. The colour artwork below is an example of that and here’s another one, from A Dog Called Rags…
I hope you enjoy knowing a little more about how I work and the process of sketches to colour and if you ever want to know more, do please contact me here.
