"Clementine" illustrations by Marla Frazee

I potential client told me she loved the illustrations in the book "Clementine" (written by Penny Packer, illustrated by Marla Frazee.)  Marla Frazee is an incredible illustrator!  I have read her books many times to my own children, and I stare at the pages much longer than even my children would, captivated by the illustrations! Please check out her website here: .

www.marlafrazee.com 

Though I am familiar with her picture books, I haven't looked long at her chapter book black & whites.  So, I checked out "Clementine" at the library.

Below we have Clementine (left) and Margaret (right). 

 Clementine has a disheveled back pack, distinctive curly hair, a jacket tied around her waist, jeans rolled a bit too high, and shoe laces that are a bit too long. Clementine's posture is confident, and happy-go-lucky. Even though I've never read a Clementine book, I can see that though she means well, this kid isn't perfect. She has layers of personality! 

Margaret has had her long locks tragically snipped (part of the story) but still has her matching dress outfit, feminine shoes, and a zipped, organized book bag on wheels with flowers.  Even though I haven't read the book, I can see that Margaret likes predictability, organization, and pretty, "girly" things. 

Now we have Clementine who has cut her hair just like Margaret.  There's a subtle curl to her hair, but other than that, their hair looks exactly the same.  Also, the ears are exactly the same. The eyes are exactly the same.  The lips are the same. The chin is the same. The shape of the head - same.  Clearly, the manner in which Marla Frazee draws her characters has nothing to do with shaping their personality.  She is not trying to get the exact likeness of a little girl.  No, Marla is after something bigger and better than likeness.  Marla wants her characters to have personality.

So, apart from the details of the face, how does the illustrator breath life into her ink lines?

1.  I can almost pinpoint one adjective to each character where everything about them supports that adjective.  For Clementine, maybe it's "compassionate." For Margaret, maybe it's "genteel."
2. What they are wearing.  There is nothing vague about the clothes.  Even the disheveled shirt, and homemade quilt look compassionate.  Even the mirror and buttoned blouse look genteel.

3.  Gesture. Clementine holds the quilt up, looking like she's reaching for compassion.  Margaret pats her hair and raises her chin, gestures a genteel young woman would make.

In conclusion, when I design characters I want to neglect these two things:
1.) Likeness to a real person.
2.) Clothing like what I wear, or my kids wear, or what anyone I know wears. I don't want my characters to be ordinary, but full of personality. 

And I want to pay close attention to these three things: 
1.) Choosing a specific adjective for the character and keeping it consistent in everything about and around the character.
2.) Creative clothing that matches the character's adjective.
3.) Gestures that match the personality of the character. 

Pascal Campion

I just can't get enough of this Pascal's sketches! Ever since I first discovered his blog, http://pascalcampion.blogspot.com/, I have delighted in each new post! It boggles my mind that can produce such emotionally stunning work, calling it a "sketch," and do so every day. Wow!

Now I must begin to slow down, look closely, and try to grasp what he does that makes his art so powerful. 

I chose the above piece, "Early Morning Buddy," because it exemplifies the way Pascal often captures ordinary moments, and makes them beautiful with mood.  How is such a mood created?

1) Light. Pascal is master with light! He strikes the page with bold streaks of sunlight, often choosing complementary colors or high contrast warm & cool colors.  The glow is strategically placed to highlight the focal point.

2.) Gesture. His poses are so natural that it's as if he were watching the scene rather than reflecting on it.  This makes me want to strive, as an artist, to understand human gesture, which Pascal uses to pinpoint his message exactly. 

3.) Composition. He creates a smooth flow from one corner of the piece to the other. Here, I feel the pull diagonally, from the window, to the container in the foreground. He allows resting places as well, which I see here in the carpet the shadows above. Finally, I think he deliberately created depth with those objects in the immediate foreground. 

I had the most difficult time with this artist, choosing the piece to study! I love them all so very much!  If you like this piece, please explore Pascal's blog. Looking through his sketches always brightens my mood!

http://pascalcampion.blogspot.com/

 

Meg Park

This week, I enjoyed looking through the art blog of Meg Park, which you can view here:

http://megpark.blogspot.com/ and on Tumblr: http://megpark.tumblr.com/

 

 

Why do I like this piece? Well, the subject is quite charming, but a little girl and a kitty on a stairwell could have been done 100 different ways and not had the striking appearance of this digital painting. Meg has used a strong, glowing, directional light source along with a limited pallet that contrasts nicely her focal points.  But above all, she created a beautiful rhythm repeating those red leaves and angular steps. The painting not only glows, but now it dances! I can almost hear the background music!

 

Naranjas y Zapatos

I have a sweet spot for little boys, having two of my own. It doesn't help that this little boy has a mass of curly hair just like my own! But this piece - this entire blog! - perfectly details moments in parenthood, which, at a glance go unnoticed, but captured here, eternally hold the emotional experience of raising a boy in a frame for all to understand. 

I do not know the name of the artist, but the blog is featured here: http://naranjasyzapatos.blogspot.com/
This piece is called, "The Temptation to Help."  I greatly admire the artist's mastery of gesture, the bend of the spine, the form of the fingers, and the shape of the curls. He does not over-exaggerate the lighting, but uses it to communicate the form. It is a painting built on a strong drawing.

  I love the posture of the boy, so careful with the blocks, yet so toddler with the toes pointing inward, the belly exposed by an out-grown shirt, and such a lop-sided tower! The "orange magic" are there to help him should he fail, cheering him on, believing in him, supportive as can be.  The father observes the block tower's structural problems, and really wants to speak up, but he does not. He remains in the background, wishing the best, and hoping his son will learn.  "The Temptation to Help" is an inward struggle we parents will have for the rest of our lives! A block tower is a small ordeal now, but in 15 years the same questions will persist. When do we tell them the answer, and when do we let them express independence?