If Penelope were to make a drawing for us for Easter
what would it look like?
I figure it might be pretty simple: Easter eggs, and smiles!
Then again, who knows. If she were feeling particularly imaginative, almost anything could end up on the paper … 😉
But for now, here is an Easter smile and a hope that you all found lots of chocolate this weekend.
And good luck with the sugar rush!
Halloween has come and gone – even if the candy is still sticking around!
When thinking about the feel of the world Penelope inhabits, my mind often changes, based on the type of thing Penelope might be up to, or how I imagine it might look or feel to her and her friends …
Halloween is ghostly. It’s a bit magical. The streets are transformed, from safe and predictable, to spooky and unpredictable.
Inverted, one might even say …
Here, the kids stand, bathed in the glow of another open doorway. Or maybe the glow is reflected off the treasure they’ve come to collect? The kids themselves are re-made, their identities fluid and ephemeral, like the drawings they spent so much time sketching out weeks earlier as they eagerly anticipated and planned their Halloween alter-ego adventures …
The winter Olympics are over now, but boy were they fun to watch when they were happening!
The athletes of every nation are so inspiring, they make me want to try many of the amazing things they are able to do … (this year I decided I might want to try hockey … lol).
Near the end of the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi, Janna and I wondered what Penelope and her friends might be doing in response to the inspirational athletics they were watching. We decided that they would most likely join in, with great imagination and enthusiasm, and that it might look a little like this …
Dream big dreams! These three sure do!
I never know when I’m going to get an idea that I need to remember … which is why I like to take my sketchbook everywhere I go.
Sometimes, however, I forget to bring it along. That’s when it’s time to get creative. Thankfully, most places will have something to write on, even if it is just a serviette.
Just a little while ago, I was out for lunch with some friends. If you’ve ever been to Montana’s, then you know how it is: a whole table covered in fresh kraft paper to doodle on!
So here is a little idea brought to life with a purple crayon on the table covering at a Montana’s somewhere in southern Ontario.
It’s not perfect, but it’s the start of something cute …
Junjie, as one of Penelope and Eloise’ close friends, will end up in many stories and pictures in our books.
Before drawing scenes to illustrate our book, I like to spend time getting to know the characters. I’ve done that with Penelope and Eloise so far, and now I’m doing that with Junjie.
I do this by drawing him (all of them, in fact) in as many positions, activities, and scenarios as I can imagine.
It’s a lot of fun to do, and it helps me build a history and rich personality for each character (besides the one that they were each created to have).
Below is an example from my sketchbook of some exploratory drawings of Junjie. As I draw, I become familiar with how he stands, sits, and moves … which allows me to focus more on the imaginative settings in the story .
Getting something right, often means a lot of repetition and practice!
Penelope is blonde and wears a lot of pink. Eloise has curly black hair and mostly wears green. What colours would Junjie have?
I think, there will be a variety of colours with Junjie. He will often be pictured with his trusty magnifying glass in the future … and his is a truly scientific mind. I think his colours will tend to change with his goals and pursuits :).
As for his eyes, I thought hazel would be nice …
The third of our irrepressible little trio is a boy, named Junjie.
Yesterday, I began to work out what he might look like, and how he and the girls might relate.
This is a first sketch … and I like it so far.
Pictured below are two stages of a drawing; first, the blue pencil drawing (it’s an erasable animation pencil), and second, the drawing after I’ve scanned and altered it on the computer so that it is an outline only, ready for colour to be painted on in a layer below the drawing.
I haven’t quite decided on his colours yet …
Now that Eloise is designed, it’s time to see what the dynamics of her friendship with Penelope will look like.
The writing will determine most of that of course, but there are subtleties in body language and activity that will speak volumes. Although it is time to begin serious work on the illustrations for the book, it will always be important to explore these characters more fully. They are as deep and as complex as you and I.
What I most like to keep, in any drawing, is a feeling of energy, or life. Sometimes that quality lies in the line work, other times in the colour, and yet other times, in the texture. Sometimes, it is found in all three. Each drawing needs to satisfy the eyes and the soul in some way.
Penelope and Eloise have been best friends for as long as they can remember …
which is FOREVER!
They share the same sense of bold adventure, curiosity, and mischief.
Eloise, like Penelope, wears a tutu and has a big bow in her hair. But Eloise is also a princess warrior! She carries her bow and arrows around with her wherever she can, because you never know when you might need them….
I’d decided Penelope’s basic proportions. Now it was time to try her out in various positions, activities, and moods.
In the sketchbook drawing below, I tested my basic concept of Penelope to see if her proportions would work sitting down, crossing her arms, and jumping in the air. I wanted to be able to exaggerate her proportions on a case by case basis (foreshortened and detailed feet with toes … bigger shoulders for a hunched up look when crossing arms) and was pleased with the result.
Next, Janna and I decided upon a hairstyle to match her character. Wild, carefree, stubborn, and loveable…her hair became an expressive part of her design. I wanted it to look generally the same, but be able to use it to indicate her mood and tell a story.
🙂
This drawing of Penelope is much closer to the final design, only her hair would be simplified over the next little bit.
This is also the first drawing of Penelope with her bunny and puppy (Snowflake).
But I still had questions. How would she look in her different environments. What would her house look like? How tall should she be in comparison to its front steps? How should I design her bedroom?
And what about the rest of her family? How should the rest of the Bloom family appear?
Very exciting!!!
Penelope Bloom 