Note to Self

Oops!  Note to self: remember to read the text.  I happily coloured my drawing of a Regal Walnut Moth and was starting to type its text for my Insect Alphabet:

Nearly all caterpillars, however formidable they may look, are in fact harmless. The fiercest one I have ever seen, that of the regal walnut moth (Ceratocampa regalis) is very large, and with horny spines stretched over the head...

I had collected the text weeks earlier, and I'd forgotten that the picture was supposed to show the caterpillar; not the moth. For about two seconds, I told myself it didn't matter. Then I looked at photos of these bizarre caterpillars and could hardly wait to draw one.

It took some tweaking and fiddling-around, though. I wanted to place the caterpillar below the moth, but there wasn't enough room on the paper to extend the drawing in that direction, so I drew the caterpillar in a separate panel, and "stitched" them together on the computer. (If you look at Monday's Alphadello post, you can see the line.)

In real life, the caterpillar and moth would not appear in the same place at the same time, so I put the caterpillar in a circle. It's supposed to remind you of a magnifying glass, but believe me, you would not need a magnifying glass to see a real one. Check this out.  Eeeewwww! And yet...wow. Magnificent!

Bug Heaven

When I first launched into my Insect Alphabet, I was more interested in the texts than the images. I love looking at vintage books on the Internet Archive, and there were some fantastic ones about insects.

When it came to the artwork, I thought the shapes of the bugs would be interesting, and I figured I could choke back my squeamishness long enough to get the pictures done, but I never expected to enjoy the process so much.

I've actually been hurrying home from work to colour these. Who knew it would be so much fun? Here are the Owl Moth and Potato Beetle, and the line art for the first part of the Regal Walnut Moth, which changed again after the photo was taken. I'll tell you more about that in my next post.

Prisma Joy

A few years ago, I finally found the answer to a felt-pen puzzle that had been bugging me since I was twelve. I kept seeing illustrations that had obviously been done with markers, where big areas of colour were flat and "tender-looking." But mine never came out that way. When I tried to colour something, there were always streaks and overlaps, and lines between strokes. How did those illustrators get that effect?  It was a mystery to me.

One day I came across a blog where the secret was revealed: Copic markers. I headed straight for the art store to check out colours and prices.

I soon regained consciousness, and the staff showed me a slightly less expensive brand called Prismacolour. It was love at first draw--Will you marry me, Prismacolour?  Within ten months I had done more than 200 sketches. Every time I ran out of Cloud Blue, Spanish Orange or Violet Mist, I hyperventilated.

Things have settled down a little since then, but these markers are still the joy of my life. After a hard day at work, there they are, waiting for me, in their little wooden cutlery holder. It's a match made in heaven.

My Summer Hat

Back in the mists of time--was it October?--I hung up my summer hat on a  conveniently placed nail. It's still there. When will I wear it again? Come, Spring, come!

Getting the Hang of It

Every time I make a small book for my Storydello blog, I think, "Finally, I'm getting the hang of this." And then it becomes clear that I've still got a long way to go.

Each entry takes a lot of steps, and each book is just a bit different from the others, so I'm constantly tweaking things, and getting mixed up, and feeling confused.

But three of the steps have settled into a happy routine, and you can see them all in this picture: 1) place the text on the page, 2) work the pencil drawings around it, and 3) trace the results in ink, using a lightbox.

If the remaining fifty steps would fall into a nice neat pattern, I'd be all set!

Getting it Wrong

It's annoying-but-true that it can be a good thing to screw up. For about two hours, I was satisfied with my first attempt at these bugs from my Insect Alphabet. Then I wasn't. A green grasshopper against a green background may be good camouflage in real life, but it doesn't make for a good picture. Ditto for the fly, who seemed to be floating in mid-air against a weird background--a dead fern and a stick. What's that all about? 

Getting it wrong forced me to stop and think. A plainer background, in yellow and brown, would make the grasshopper stand out more.  And if I put the fly on a plain white background, it would look as if he was crawling across the page (or screen.) Because I lead a sheltered life, this struck me as brilliant and hilarious, and I thoroughly enjoyed doing that revision. 

It just goes to prove, for the umpteenth time, the annoying fact that getting it wrong can lead to getting it right.

C is for Creepy Crawlies

Way back in the mists of time (November 1st)  I told you to expect a new theme on my Alphadello blog. Well, it's finally up and running--or flying, crawling, slithering. . . you get the idea.  To check it out, click here--and thanks!