My Studio and My Process
My writer's retreat plus art studio. This northwest corner of New Jersey is bear country, and I keep my distance.
I do a lot of my writing and illustrating at Studio del Lago, my cabin in the hills of northwest New Jersey. No TV, no internet, no distractions (although I may be a bit too dependent on my smart phone). My only companion is my faithful dog, Oliver.
My Process
After a couple of years of writing drafts for The Art of Being Remmy, I decided that I needed to illustrate the novel to make it extra special. I started doing sample illustrations for the beginning chapters.
After several more writing drafts and revisions, I made the commitment to illustrate the entire novel—one full-page illustration per chapter.
First, I made little thumbnails for each chapter.
Then, from the thumbnails, I made half-size sketches.
Finally I made full-page size illustrations by drawing the image in pencil, then doing the ink work using Faber-Castell PITT Indian ink artist pens. I erased all the pencil lines with kneaded erasers (they are squishy and stretchy—I used to make little figures out of them if I was bored at school).
I’ve always loved doing cross-hatching—building up criss-crossed lines to make tones (the more lines, the darker the tone). Rembrandt used this technique in his etchings in the 1600s.
I’ve always loved doing cross-hatching—building up criss-crossed lines to make tones (the more lines, the darker the tone). Rembrandt used this technique in his etchings in the 1600s.
Once I finished all 34 illustrations, I decided that each chapter opening also needed a spot illustration. So, as they say, back to the drawing board!
Finally, I had a book.
