Hello everyone,
My name is alec or, as some of you might call me, good ol' wishy-washy alec. If you like books, you might remember me from such amazing potential bestsellers as Person@ges, Zomerzot/Somersault and Wat Chloë overkwam. Then again, you might not know me at all. It's all good.
Anyway, enough chit chat, back to earth and down to business.
I'm having some problems with my latest project, which is kinda sorta a children's book, but it's also for grownups really. The second draft of the text was finished by me last week. The third draft, which I will try to write in the next coming weeks, should be the last.
I'm also illustrating this thing and that's where the problem is situated: I don't know which tool/style to choose. All the characters have been designed (a small girl, her mother and a small alien being the most important), but I can't seem to decide which tools I want to use. So I thought: since I don't have any real friends, why not ask those friendly fuckers over at NMA which style they prefer.
So, yeah: here we go:
[1] This would be the first way I can do it: with pen and Chinese ink on decent Bristol paper. I could colour it with crayons, watercolour or even with the computer, that's not really important. The main thing is the linework. Would kids like this kinda linework. Is it appealing? Plus: I love working with a pen. Minus: the lines don't have the same weight as brush strokes. Pic of the little girl with the little alien:
[2] This is the second way: with a brush and washed ink. I really like working with a brush, yet I don't always like the cartoony looks of linework done with a brush. Pfff... I dunno. I guess kids would like this, maybe they wouldn't like the washed ink, though, but I like that best with brush work. Plus: it looks very artistic/old school which is great. Minus: takes a lot, a whole lot of time to do. This is the young girl's mother and the little alien:
[3] The last way that I like doing and that I'm pretty good at, is this. The linework is done with a greasy black pencil and the colouring is done with Letraset markers (which are awesome really). Plus: it's a really fast way of making drawings. Minus: the pencil smudges, even after I spray it with fixator, and other pencils just won't do. Anyway, a pic of the little alien, fighting supermaggots on Earth:
So now you guys need to tell me which tool (pen/brush/pencil) you think would suit a children's book best. Okay?
Please...
My favourite (for the moment) is number 1: pen. Coloured with crayons, 'cause that looks really childlike and a little sweeter than the rest, but it stays cool.
My name is alec or, as some of you might call me, good ol' wishy-washy alec. If you like books, you might remember me from such amazing potential bestsellers as Person@ges, Zomerzot/Somersault and Wat Chloë overkwam. Then again, you might not know me at all. It's all good.
Anyway, enough chit chat, back to earth and down to business.
I'm having some problems with my latest project, which is kinda sorta a children's book, but it's also for grownups really. The second draft of the text was finished by me last week. The third draft, which I will try to write in the next coming weeks, should be the last.
I'm also illustrating this thing and that's where the problem is situated: I don't know which tool/style to choose. All the characters have been designed (a small girl, her mother and a small alien being the most important), but I can't seem to decide which tools I want to use. So I thought: since I don't have any real friends, why not ask those friendly fuckers over at NMA which style they prefer.
So, yeah: here we go:
[1] This would be the first way I can do it: with pen and Chinese ink on decent Bristol paper. I could colour it with crayons, watercolour or even with the computer, that's not really important. The main thing is the linework. Would kids like this kinda linework. Is it appealing? Plus: I love working with a pen. Minus: the lines don't have the same weight as brush strokes. Pic of the little girl with the little alien:
[2] This is the second way: with a brush and washed ink. I really like working with a brush, yet I don't always like the cartoony looks of linework done with a brush. Pfff... I dunno. I guess kids would like this, maybe they wouldn't like the washed ink, though, but I like that best with brush work. Plus: it looks very artistic/old school which is great. Minus: takes a lot, a whole lot of time to do. This is the young girl's mother and the little alien:
[3] The last way that I like doing and that I'm pretty good at, is this. The linework is done with a greasy black pencil and the colouring is done with Letraset markers (which are awesome really). Plus: it's a really fast way of making drawings. Minus: the pencil smudges, even after I spray it with fixator, and other pencils just won't do. Anyway, a pic of the little alien, fighting supermaggots on Earth:
So now you guys need to tell me which tool (pen/brush/pencil) you think would suit a children's book best. Okay?
Please...
My favourite (for the moment) is number 1: pen. Coloured with crayons, 'cause that looks really childlike and a little sweeter than the rest, but it stays cool.
