Character sketch for a book I am playing with...

This is a little kid character, meeting the second character of the story. I've been working on the story for about two years, but not continuously. I've drawn this main character probably 1000 times by now. And I really feel like I know him, now. This is a quick sketch, 2 minutes, probably, and it was drawn with a pencil and about 10 inches tall.
-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

Sketch to finish

Sometimes the brainstorming for a story leads to ideas that probably won't be used in the book, but you don't want to let go of them completely.

That's what this is. The storyline has bounced around a bit and the characters have morphed too. I found this small sketch in my big 21" tall sketchbook of story ideas, and I thought, the relationship between this pair needs to be explored in watercolor paint.
Is the grownup a teacher? An aunt? A mom? A neighbor?

In my story she's the little girl's mom -- but that could change, just like a hundred other things about this work in progress could change.
Monday, September 26 is National Dumpling Day. Go hug your lil' dumpling. :) 

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

Next Monday, June 8, is Best Friends Day

Monday is Best Friends Day.
These two chicks from one of my works-in-progress are not best friends -- yet.
Eventually they will be. :)

They'll have more friends in the book, too. I'm at the stage right now of inventing story. It's a fun stage. Anything can happen!

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

A change of character

I've been working on this book off and on for a year and a half. I thought I knew the characters very well. But when I returned to working on it I was inspired to change one to this:

Then two weeks ago I was inspired to change the character again, to this:

Then last week I was inspired to change the character to this:

I wonder what next week will inspire?  ;)

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

Done with my book!

Ahhhh. Finally, after a year of work and a couple months of especially intense painting (plus balancing dozens of March-Is-Reading-Month school visits), I am done with the art for the lion book.

Here's my mentor, EB Lewis's favorite spread:

Here's my teen daughter's favorite spread:

Here's a detail from my favorite spread:

Here's the original sketch for that page:

And I am very happy to say that Louie the dog made it into the book:

Now, before I lose any momentum, I'm on to the next project. I have a few more picturebooks in the works, and I've learned so much from sketching and painting this book that I know it'll influence my work on the others. Can't wait to see how they turn out!

 -- Ruth McNally Barshaw

Evolution of a cover

You might be surprised at how a book cover changes.

Plan A: A combination of a few characters and a train car.

Not this image, but maybe one of these people.

(And not that train car. That's where they sell cotton candy.)

Plan B: Maybe the main character hiding.

Plan C: Something like this, maybe. (I blotted out the 

title and author/illustrator info. I'm the illustrator

and I know who the author is, but the title might change.)

Plan D: 

I think we're going with an expansion of this.

Whatever we end up with, it'll be my best work.

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

The lion's share

My lion is demonstrating the lion's share of sadness here, but he's not allowed to say why yet -- the final art isn't done yet. This is a detail from a sketch for the picture book I'm working on, but it probably won't make it into the final book; my next sketch will be this lion looking out a different window. We'll see how it goes. 

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

It's National Bubble Bath Day!

One of the books I'm working on has a bubble bath scene. Here are some of the sketches I did before deciding on the last one.

Now, back to work for me. I have 30 other pages to tend to...

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

Sketch to finish

I'm playing with pencil, ink, and paint, to figure out the art for the picturebook I'm working on.
Here's a color version (though the values need a bit of tweaking).

Here's a black and white version (I forgot to scan the sketch before painting).

Here's another image, my two dogs.
I like how watercolor isn't 100% controllable (at least not for me) and there are little happy surprises in the paint.

I guess I've figured out how I want the art to look. Next step: 32 pages of sketches, turned to final art.

I'm excited to see how it turns out.

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw