Children's Book Illustration
With Peter McCarty
I took this class in my Junior year during my thesis project. It was a nice breath of fresh air compared to the intensity of Thesis. We were given plenty of time to finish the projects and were given comprehensive feedback from instructor, who is also an active illustrator, Peter McCarty. I didn't always agree with Peter, but his input was helpful and insightful nonetheless- and he's a pretty funny guy. I would recommend this class to anyone who wants a relaxing atmosphere and the chance to control your creativity.
This project was entitled "Nursery Rhymes"- We were given a sheet or various nursery rhymes, or we could find our own. We made 3 sketches, but I've only uploaded the final sketch, picked one and executed it. The nursery rhyme I chose was "The North Wind Doth Blow".
The medium was watercolor on Arches watercolor block. The illustration is around 5"x5".
This project was based off an Aesop's Fable of our own choosing. I chose "The Jay and the Peacock". I have always loved birds, I grew up with Bluejays and have always adored peacocks, so this was a no-brainer for me. It is one of my all-time favorite illustrations, although the reception from my teacher was less than satisfactory. I still think it is one of my best pieces to date.
The medium is watercolor on Arches Hot press watercolor paper, the Illustration is about 12"x14".
Ah, this was for a Book Cover. The dimensions were supposed to reflect a real book cover, so the size should have been 10"x10" or larger. Mine was 11 1/8"X 13 1/4", though was still thought to be on the small side. We were given full reins as to the subject matter, but to make a compelling image and witty, fun title. My favorite design was of a young raccoon caught in a sliver of light coming from a just opened door and being frozen in shock.
The title for my book was "Young Bandeau". I did it all in watercolor.
Lastly, our final project was to do 3 illustrations, the only stipulation was that they had to be the same size and orientation. I decided to do three very different pieces, all measuring about 11"x14". Unfortunately, my teacher was disappointed I didn't have a narrative, but that was alright. The deciding factors for each picture were the following things: Fall is my favorite season, so I wanted to do a fall landscape, with a solitary figure. I also loved the idea of the deep blues of the ocean and the reflective qualities of icebergs (I also adore Puffins) and lastly I've always been fascinated by jellyfish, so doing a slightly psychadelic or dreamlike scene with jellyfish seemed like an interesting image.
I don't think these are my best work and I think if I hadn't been doing this class Junior year, the outcome would have been different, but they're pleasant illustrations for what they are.
