Jane Yolen edited This Little Piggy (Candlewick Press, 2006), a delightful collection of songs with arrangements by Adam Stemple for piano and guitar. Hillenbrand’s final ink (Lamy fountain pen, medium nub) drawing is on transparent paper (Clearprint design vellum), which allows him to color both sides, flipping back and forth. He starts the colorization by working on the reverse side, which is akin to making an underpainting.
Working on the reverse side: “I build layers of color with Caran d’Ache colored pencils, then mask by using a low-tack frisket film tinted with a light wash of acrylic (Liquitex). Using a swivel-blade X-Acto knife, I carefully contour and remove the unwanted film.”
Working on the front side: “Working now on the “reader” side of the art, I can view the effects of my underpainting. With colored pencil I continue to add value to the more recessed areas of the figure.”
Back to the reverse side: “I add another layer of Caran d’Ache colored pencil to create a greater saturation of color, as well as a feeling of depth and texture.
Still on the reverse side: “I add a little colored pencil to a large area of a red ink wash that I applied with Letraset Tria markers. Knowing that the reverse side would be a grassy hill, I want to put down the complement to make the final effect more pleasing to the eye.”
“On the right is one panel of the completed set; it’s now ready to be sent to Candlewick Press. The art director there will scan the art and place the illustration with the typography into the layout. I’ll see the proofs and give my approval before the book goes to press.”
www.artistsmagazine.com ■ November 2008
This Little Piggy and Other Rhymes to Sing and Play. Collection & introductions copyright ©2006 by
Jane Yolen. Lllustrations copyright ©2006 by Will Hillenbrand. Musical arrangement copyright ©2006 Adam Stemple. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Inc., Somerville, MA
References:
Archives