Mr Sleepyhead - Character painting

Rendering with inked outlines

The decision visually was to not have any outlines for the character, and of his background. My reasoning behind this is to create a softer look.

This has been a complete shift for me artistically, as much of my art work is outlined in ink.

For this book, I really want the story to feel welcoming, warm and cosy. 

The idea behind the book is about a bear going to a place of comfort and rest, his bed. And of the routines to slow down, close your eyes, and sleep.

 

Hopefully I have captured that cosy-welcoming feeling in these below images.

 

Rendering without inked lines

Rendering close ups

As always, thank you for visiting. I hope to post up soon the completed painting of Mr Sleepyhead, the bear.

Mr Sleepyhead - Make Over

Maurice Sendak bear study

Mr Sleepyhead bear, I felt, wasn't doing it for me (visually). And this was confirmed further when I stumbled across a recent bear drawn by Maurice Sendak. After doing the sketch of the Sendak bear, I realised that my bear head needed to be more square-like.

So, out with the old head, and in with a newer variation.

Mr Sleepyhead version 2

Mr Sleepyhead - rough color flats

As always, thanks for visiting. Take care.

Maurice Sendak Tribute

 

Maurice Sendak Tribute illustration

Only recently did I discover the brilliance of Maurice Sendak.

I was familiar with ‘Where the Wild things Are’ and can remember as a younger child seeing those fantastical monsters, and of Max in his wolf suit. But now that have I delved into his other works, and much to my delight, many books on the man himself – I have come to find a creator that I very much admire. And now often look to, for words of wisdom, wit, and wonder, as a child might.

What is it that I find most magical about Mr. Sendak’s creativity?

Word play

There is a rhythm of words, that as you read, are fun to speak. To hear also. They sound magical. Maurice had this gift. Here’s one example, from ‘In the Night Kitchen’.

‘Where the bakers who bake till the dawn so we can have cake in the morn mixed Mickey in batter, chanting: Milk in the batter! Milk in the batter! Stir it! Scrape it! Make it! Bake it!
And they put that batter up to bake a delicious Mickey-Cake’.

It just has such a great lively tempo. And you also understand what is happening. No easy feat, I am sure.
Ok, another example, from of course ‘Where the Wild things are’.

‘But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go – we’ll eat you up – we love you so!”
And Max said, “No!”
The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth
and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws
but Max stepped into his private boat and waved good-bye’.

Playful illustration

The tempo of text also resonates with his pictures. On the one hand, the pictures are fully grounded, in a world we could grasp. A kitchen, a bedroom, at your aunties house. Yet the characters lived vivaciously through their actions, and imaginings too.  Fully - animated.
Like Mickey, flying high in a plane made of dough for ‘In the Night Kitchen’. Max, and his rumpus of wild things baying at the moon and swinging through trees.
The child in me just loves these illustrations, teased to see what next will happen. So full of wonder. Maybe a little scary too.

And this is why I think the text and images of Maurice Sendak’s picture books work so well. The movement, both in text and illustration, melded together, yet working independently to create this culminative delight, a wonderous story. Worth re-reading, many-many times over.

So, in closing, my humble offering, to a great man, now gone.

Thank you, Maurice Sendak, for your boundless pursuit and deliverance, of stories so wonderfully made. Timeless. Universal. For the children in all of us. To ponder fourth with curiosity and an insatiable delight, for life.

Maurice Sendak, Age 83, 8^th May 2012 

The above illustration I created in Sketchbook (desktop version), then rendered with the additional text in Adobe Photoshop.

I will post up again soon some conceptual sketches in preparation for my tribute to Mr Sendak, soon.

As always, thanks for visiting. Have a great day/night, wherever you are..."and now", cried Max, "Let the wild rumpus start".