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| Trees Draft 8/21/14 4:24 AM |
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First Page Illustration for Harvey Wood
As funny as it sounds I just realized that Harvey Wood is my first children’s book ~ and being that as it may ~ this book is the one I will learn what to do, and unfortunately , what not to do. I started character studies in April 2005. I’m still working on that nine years later. I am learning how consistency of design, color, and technique holds its way through the whole project. Think I have it.
Developing the world that Harvey lives in has been a real challenge. I have the story already so I know where everything begins and ends. I even have it slated to what goes on each page, but just couldn't put my finger on how it will look. Until about six months ago! I was stuck on the first page; the house in the Cascade Mountains.
I went over and over in my head, for years, what kind of house would Kelsey and McKenna live in? It took me years walking around make-believe forests looking for the right house. I finally stopped and sat down on a magic mushroom somewhere on a well-trodden path in the far reaches of my imagination, when it occurred to me to ask myself "Where would I live?" ~ Well I knew that right away! From then on everything clicked.
I lived in northern California for a year after I got out of college in 1987. It was near my grandpa and all my aunts and uncles and cousins. In fact I worked for one of my uncles. It was a dream come true. My aunt bought my cousin and I tickets to U2 in Oakland, so I needed a date. I thought of this girl named Barbie right away. She was nice. We talked at church a lot. She was pretty, smart, kind and she laughed at my jokes. But what attacked me to her the most was that she agreed to go out with me at all!
I drove to her house and parked my car. What a great house! It had a lot of history. My uncle and cousins talked a lot about it when I got to work on Monday. Over the next year I was there all the time. Hanging out with them shaped who I was for years to come.
I wish I was a stronger writer so that I could tell you more. There was a cool fireplace, french doors, and a huge staircase. Barbie had a lot of brothers and sisters. I think a million people lived in that house! I told you the Vicky story already. She was Barbie's younger sister and she was sitting in the living room of this house the first time I saw her.
...and though that house and all it's people are now only memories,
~ thank goodness some memories last forever.
About the drawing. It still need to be painted but I'm on my way. This project has taken so long we now have to consider formatting for iPads and such.
Still shaky. They put me back on the blue pill this week. It hasn't kicked in yet. It wasn't too bad tonight. So that's a good thing.
Nite!
