WIP - A Flight of Dragons... to leaf or not to leaf?

All images copyright of Carrie Osborne 2011

Finally the Dragon spread - first of the three full colour spreads I need to go with my dummy book roughs, is finished (nearly!)
This has been a long project with trying to steal time here and there to work on it when I can. Its a double page spread so the 'gutter' or fold of the book runs down the middle of the illustration, and the text will go in the paler areas on the right hand side of the page.


I had intended to embellish quite a few of the spreads with small amounts of silver leaf through the book, a flash of moonlight on silver scales here, fish glittering in water there....
So the painting phase of this one I think I'm done with, which leaves the question - to leaf or not to leaf???
It would have to be subtle in case a potential publisher didn't want to go down the foil route, (because I do want to try and get this published if I'm very, very lucky and if I get over my fear of travelling to London!) but of course scanners and printers don't reproduce reflective qualities all that well.
I think I'm going to get it scanned before doing any silver leaf just in case...
Some details for you:

Also I thought you might like to see some work in progress shots...


After stretching paper and drawing out, I always start with the most chancy and most terrifying bit - the big wet-on wet wash... this can either make or destroy a painting before its begun! But thats exactly what I love about painting this way with watercolours, there's an unpredictable element where the paint moves to its own purpose, merges, spreads, and it can be really beautiful and unexpected.


Of course I know which colours I want where and which I want to merge so there is a fair amount of deliberation before placing each heavy stroke of colour, then just keeping my nerve enough not to interfere with it too much as it starts to move!
To add another level of unpredictability I've really got into using salt, both fine grain and rock salt on my washes, and I love the effect you get, though its quite easy to get carried away and do too much!

Here's a few drawing board shots as it progresses...

After each night's painting I usually scribble notes to myself around the edges to remind me what needs doing next while its fresh in my mind, sometimes its several days before I can get back to it. I'm still undecided about that moon....!

I hope you don't mind the self-indulgence of this rather long post... getting the first spread done is a real milestone on this project and means I'm very nearly at the end of it, (which I never thought I would be at times!)
The next stage will be the most daunting - trying to get appointments to show it to publishers, laying it bare and bracing for the inevitable critisms and rejections which I am more than prepared for... but you never know until you try do you!

Belated Seasonal Greetings and painting with salt...

Hello folks and a belated Seasons Greetings to you all!
I hope you've all had a happy, restful and creative time with your families...
My lack of posts of late is mainly due to the fact we've been working so hard and running on empty for so long, that once we were able to stop and close shop for the Christmas break, the exhaustion just came crashing down, crushing any hope of finding any motivation whatsoever! There was just nothing left...
But hopefully now I can start to climb back up, shake off the dragging depression and re-ignite my creativity, though it may take a bit of coaxing!
So today I started by reclaiming my work space, and Ta Da! - here is my little cubby hole, three large bags of children's paintings and drawings later, several random scatterings of toys removed and a great deal of tidying!



I wanted to do some experimenting with salt over wet on wet washes of watercolour and had tremendous fun! I love the way it changes moment by moment, though sometimes I wish I could stop it at just that right point, but the paint inexorably keeps moving... I became quite fascinated by it...

I'm not sure any of these experiments will be quite right for the images in pen and ink over the top I had in mind, but I do think I will do a lot more of them and something interesting may very well come... This was the best of this batch I think...


I haven't had permission yet to show you the Unicorn commission, but it did turn out very well so hopefully I'll get to show it. The other portrait commission however had a bit of an 'uncertain' reaction so I was too intimidated to ask permission to show that one... but I may show some close up 'details' later on...
Hopefully much more art to come, time and head space allowing! I feel I've been away from my brushes far too long!
Take care all...