The Children's Illustrators Talent Pool

This is my week on the Talent Pool of Children's Illustrators.  I chose to feature, (who else?) Gunther the Underwater Elephant as the main event.  The Talent Pool is designed to show off the many illustrators that are featured on Children's Illustrators' portfolio website.  The illustrators choose a week and reserve it with a small fee. The idea is hoped to generate interest in the artist for future assignments.

Gunther is special for me because it is the first of several books I have not only illustrated but written as well. Others are in the wind, or wings, waiting to be launched over the next few years.

There will be bears, and witches, and pigs, Oh MY!

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ GIANT

Poor Harry.   

IF-FLYING through the Autumn Leaves

Autumn leaves are brilliant waves of red and gold and brown.

I ride them on a gentle breeze from town to town to town.

© Ginger Nielson

I posted this a bit early but it fits the theme so well I wanted to offer this for Illustration Friday. It is a rework of an older Black and White image with the addition of a short poem.

journal notes....

Sometimes I need to PAINT with real paint before I finish an illustration in the computer. In this case I used hot press illustration board to begin a sea scene for a project I am currently working on.

I like to be able to use my whole arm ( and soul) when I am painting and my sketches and preliminary paintings are usually done on a rather large scale. They will be reduced in the computer to the correct size for the project underway.
I used Dr. Martin's inks and some transparent acrylics for the first stage. Along with that combination I also used a house paint brush, a fan brush and some more conventional sable brushes.
After photographing the preliminary painting I transferred the image to my computer and completed it in Painter. The advantage for me is being able to get darker layers in place without having to wait a day for paint to dry.. and if I don't like a layer... I whisk it away.
In addition to transferring the painting to the computer I was able to stretch the entire image horizontally to accommodate the size I wanted to work with for this book.

If you look carefully you might be able to find two very recognizable constellations. Did you find them?

©Ginger Nielson 2009

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ TALISMAN

The REAL reason Humpty Dumpty fell...

©Ginger Nielson 2009

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ SUBTRACT

©Ginger Nielson 2009

Olive's in a pickle

She needs a dime or nickel

Something to subtract

from a piggy always packed

Alas today she's finding nuttin'

Just one lonely orange button.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ POOF