Now in techni-COLOUR - only not quite

The idea of adding colour to a decent enough line drawing is one that excites me! I love line art, but I REALLY love colour! I try to start off by choosing a 'palette' - and I try to keep it pretty tight. You can always add more colours if you need them, but you can't really take a colour out once you've put it down.

Since I've already worked up my main character (ME!) in my favourite colours (because it's ME!) - I decided to stay true to that small group of hues. It seems strange to attempt a palette with no BLUE in it, but that's where I am for the moment.

The idea is to use predominately graphite because the book is about my memories. Graphite (known as pencil to most) mimics the look of black and white photography, so offers a sense of nostalgia and intimacy. I've chosen to only use colour to highlight a few parts of the illustration - just to add that sparkle. The way a precious memory might sparkle in your mind.

There is a gorgeous book called 'The Invisible Boy' by Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton that uses a similar technique to support the story. As the boy becomes more visible - or gains confidence through friendship - he becomes more colourful. See more about this amazing book here - https://www.mindfullittleminds.com/product/the-invisible-boy/enA AA .

This book has been an inspiration for my project.

My next step will be to complete colour studies (see above) for each of the rough pencil drawings before I produce the final illustrations. For me, it's all about the planning! My attention span is quite short, so if I have all my plans in place it's easier for me to finish a job.

So stay tuned . . . . more soon!