Penelope and Snowie

Laughter is the best medicine.
Just ask Penelope.
She dressed Snowie in a tutu…poor doggie.
And found the result hilarious–in a tears draining from eyes, giggle-fit kind of way.
Our hope today…that you would see the world through the eyes of a child and find happiness and laughter in your day.

What inspires you?

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!

Junjie in colour

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 …

New Years Eve Party!

Janna and I were talking the other day, thinking about Penelope and Eloise.  We wondered how they might bring in the New Year, and we concluded that it would most definitely be with style!!!

So, without further ado, we captured the moment … Penelope and Eloise, dancing up a storm, resplendent in their old lady dresses, huge pearl necklaces, and large floral hats.  They KNOW they look good, but more importantly, they are having the time of their lives.

We hope 2014 brings many blessings, and much joy to your lives!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas .. from Penelope and Eloise

These little ladies know how to get things done.  Enthusiasm and excitement fill the air as Penelope and Eloise help decorate the Christmas tree.  It is going to look amazing!

May your holiday be joyous and special – full of love and family and friends :).

BFF’s

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.

Meet Penelope’s best friend, Eloise!

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….

Creating Penelope’s world

In order to draw scenes for our book, “Penelope Bloom AND THE NASTY, GHASTLY, DREADFUL SMELL”, I’ve had to envision Penelope in a variety of different settings.

Gradually imagining these places is much more fun than creating them all in a hurry. As such, I’ve spent the past few weeks dreaming up her environment. I am excited to delve into this process further as I create all sorts of places for Penelope and her friends to explore.

This scene is inspired by the many antics of one of my favorite comic strip characters, Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.

Further Explorations of Character Design

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!!!

Lily and Bunny

My heart is warmed by this picture of Lily with her new Penelope Bloom bunny.

They are beautiful…new friends for life.

Congratulations Lily!

Treasure!

There’s always something new to discover … if we open our minds to see.

And,

parent to child, friend to friend, culture to culture, we have much to share.  We’re never to old or too young to teach and explore together.

Penelope Bloom | Tricia Bos © 2013

It’s a marvelous and beautiful world we live in!

Penelope Bloom Bunny Winner!

We have a winner!

Penelope Bloom | Tricia Bos © 2013

Penelope is excited to share her bunny experience with you.

After placing all the names of our entries into a bowl, I mixed them well, lifted them high above my husband’s head, and let him pick.

Our winner is….

“Master Of Jokes”

And yes, that’s not a joke. 🙂

Please e-mail me at janna@vanderveen.com to give me your address and I will send you this beautiful prize.

Sweetheart by Janna | Janna Vanderveen © 2013

Thank you all for participating.  We will do another giveaway in the near future.

Warmest regards,  Janna Vanderveen, Tricia Bos…

and Penelope.

Her ongoing mission, to explore strange new worlds …

Every little girl imagines.

Every little girl is a princess in many wonderful, custom-made realities of her own.

It doesn’t really matter where she finds herself:  she can enter those places from her backyard,  the attic above the garage, her bedroom; even the classroom she’s supposed to be paying attention in …

Penelope has many such wonderful places.  The forest near her house is one of them.   When she and her bunny (and puppy of course) set out, there’s no telling what sorts of adventures will befall.

Penelope Bloom | Tricia Bos © 2013

And anyways, it’s always a good day to do something exciting with your friends!!!

Decisions …

After brainstorming for a while, it was time to make some decisions.  If our Penelope was to come alive, she would be a person with characteristics that did not change.  No matter what she did – jumping, sitting, yawning, or climbing – her little self would always keep the same basic proportions and characteristics.

Below, is one page of charts from my sketchbook where I began to work those details out.

The drawings are rough and unfinished … but Penelope is starting to take shape 🙂

Designing Penelope: where to begin?

Somewhere in the middle of August, my sister approached me with an idea. She had written a charming children’s book about a little girl named Penelope. What she needed, was a visual world … and an illustrator to make that happen. A sister team. That sounded good … and then it was time to begin. But how?

Tricia Bos | Penelope Bloom © 2013

Sometimes, the only way to start, is to just put the pencil to the paper, and go. That is what I did … and this is the first set of sketches to result. Penelope was to be quite young, an innocent rascal, creative, and impulsive. She has a big heart, big ideas, and very big plans.

A more orderly approach to character design would follow, but for now, it was simply about starting. I admit. I was curious to see who would emerge out of the scribbles … 🙂