I’ve been hiding in my creation cave. My only friends - the radio, dark chocolate, tea, crisps, and sometimes a biscuit for company.
Why? I got the urge to turn my Fox and Friends watercolour illustrations into a shiny new calendar. The only problem with this particular urge was that I had only 5 illustrations ready, and obviously a calendar needs at least 12 pictures. A self-imposed deadline was swiftly set.
The first step was to generate some ideas using my human illustrator’s brain box. Some ideas were great, some not so great. That’s the thing with ideas…you shouldn’t run with all of them. I sketched like I was possessed. But then came the scary part. The part when I have to put paint on paper. Those first few marks. Will it be any good? Will I ruin it halfway through and have to start again? I hate that part. Almost always, I will get to a point where I feel utterly disappointed with how something is turning out. The inner critic is a persistent and grumpy old beast.
Then, as the last marks meet the page, I step back and I am pleasantly surprised.
A few days later, I had completed the 7 illustrations I needed for my calendar, and now I am feeling quite pleased with myself. Not only did I complete the assignment by the deadline, I also produced some of my best illustrations.
Here’s a peek at some of them in their hand-painted rawness, before scanning and refining digitally.
I am proud of my human brain and hands. Now all I hope is that the illustrations in my Fox and Friends calendar will make at least a handful of people smile :-)
