Awesome Artists : Fred Blunt

awesome artists

In this series, Awesome Artists, we talk to our favorite artists to find out their techniques, learn how they draw, and get their tips for creating. Last time, we spoke to two artists who gave us a peek at their recent book projects: Richard Jones, illustrator of The Snow Lion, and Colleen Kong, illustrator of The Turtle Ship. Today, we’d like to introduce you to author AND Awesome Artist Fred Blunt.

Meet Awesome Artist Fred Blunt

Fred Blunt is an award-winning illustrator of a bunch of picture books — they all have his signature scribbley style, as you shall soon see (SORRY, I’m a fan of alliteration). Fred is kind enough to share some behind-the-scenes sketches from his latest book, Lionel the Lonely Monster

Lionel the Lonely Lion cover

 

Kidcandoodle: Hi Fred! Can you please tell us about your new book, Lionel the Lonely Monster

Fred Blunt: Lionel the Lonely Lion is a light-hearted story of friendship, kindness and the power of a hug.

KCD: What inspired the character?

FB: I’ve always loved monsters… right back to watching the muppets when I was little. I always loved the big scary-looking one “Sweetums” (from the Muppets, shown below), and I can still remember my mum reading me Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak when I was very small. 

sweetums

 

And Not Now, Bernard by David McKee is perhaps my favorite picture books of all time. So perhaps monsters have always been lurking, waiting to get out into a book for me?

Lionel monster inspiration

 

The story was actually inspired by a comic I wrote around 2012, called Rupert The Frog: A heart-warming tale of a frog who hates his un-froggy name, comforted by a bug cuddly bear who turns out to be called Kermit. I couldn’t work out how to make that into a picture book text, with the pop culture references, so I decided to write a story that had a similar heart, but more accessible.

Rupert the Frog

 

KCD: Can you show us more sketches from the story? We sometimes like to see what ideas don’t work, as well as ones that make it into the book.

FB: I think perhaps this is the very first drawing of Lionel in my sketchbook. The monster is sitting, looking sad, with a concerned little dog looking on.

first sketch for Lionel

 

These are my first scene drawings in my sketchbook… I tend to come up with little scenes, sketched very quickly – just trying to get something onto the page, to see if anything is working or worth exploring.

lionel sketch

 

lionel sketch

 

Many of these little scenes made it into the book, although the rowing boat didn’t.

lionel scene

 

lionel scene

 

Here’s a scene that was in my first draft manuscript, but sadly didn’t make it into the book.

lionel cut scene

 

It’s always painful to lose a nice visual gag or a nice line, but with only 32 pages, some good things have to go!

KCD: How did you choose the colors for the book? (I don’t think I’ve ever seen a PINK monster before – does that mean he’s girly?)

FB: The color palette came directly from my first color drawing of the cast of characters: Lionel with Lucy on his shoulders, walking Milo.

Lionel and Lucy, walking Milo

 

I liked the combination of colors and relished the chance to create a world in this limited palette. I tried a few sample illustrations and (the publisher) Oxford University Press was brave enough to let me tackle the whole book like it.

lionel title page

 

Lionel doesn’t mind if you consider him girly for being pink… he’s very at ease with his monsterhood! To be honest, I’ve never seen colors as either being for girls or boys… perhaps that’s because I grew up in the ’80s and it was the law for boys to wear pink Lacoste polo shirts, coupled with lemon yellow cardigans!

lionel scene

 

 

KCD: I love that your first sketch ended up being very close to the final cover art. It shows that sometimes…

“In drawing, nothing is better than the first attempt” – Pablo Picasso

FB: Picasso is my absolute art hero… the confidence of his work is what makes him so mind-blowing for me! It’s lovely when a cover comes so easily from your first thumbnail… it’s happened twice to me now – this and my book Gnome. I think when it comes to covers for picture books, the simpler and bolder the better; I find that my best work is the work that flows easily and naturally. The challenge is retaining the energy of a thumbnail into the final art.

***

Thanks for sharing your process with us, Fred. Please check out Lionel, the Lonely Monster by Fred Blunt, available here.

lionel hug

 

***

smileEvery professional illustrator sketches ideas before doing a final piece of art. The first sketches are very loose. Fred says, “I never worry about good drawings at this stage, I just want to get ideas onto the page.”

trythis

Next time when you want to create something, try sketching out a few ideas first. See how many ways you can approach the drawing, trying it in different way each time. Good luck!

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All images copyright© Fred Blunt and used with permission.

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Awesome Artists : Richard Jones

awesome

In this series, Awesome Artists, we talk to our favorite artists to find out their techniques, learn how they do things, and get their tips for creating. We spoke to Kirsten Ulve to get pointers on sketching people, and Allison Langton, who shared her process on painting plants in watercolor. Today we get a peek into the mind of Richard Jones, via his sketchbook for The Snow Lion (a collaboration with Jim Helmore for Simon & Schuster Children’s Books). Richard shows us how he created the characters for this special book.

Meet Awesome Artist Richard Jones

 

Snow Lion cover

I confess — I’ve been admiring Richard Jones’ work for awhile now. What he does with paint and color is pure magic. I’m so jazzed we get to share his work with you! I think you’ll adore it too.

KCD: Hi Richard. Thanks for being one of our Awesome Artists! Can you share with us how the character of Caro came to life? Were there influences in her formation?

RJ: I began sketching ideas out in my sketchbooks first. My first character sketches of Caro were quite different from how she eventually appears. Most of my original character sketches had her being a little older and rendered a bit more realistically. I think it was Jane, my art director at Simon & Schuster who suggested that Caro might loosen up a little and I’m so glad she did!
Richard Jones' Cora

Richard Jones' Cora Richard Jones' Cora

Once I found her character, things fell into place and she was a joy to draw. In terms of her appearance, Caro is a combination of the two girls that help me at the very beginning when I needed someone to pose for me! (I dedicated the book to them!) Richard Jones' Cora

Her clothes did take a little time to get right. I liked the idea that even inside her new home she was often buttoned up in a large and warm, protective coat. When she’s having the most fun with the lion her clothes are a little more colourful and jolly!

smileNote how Richard plays around with the character’s age and hair. The clothes and big hair make her younger.

RJ: Caro’s friend Bobby and his dog evolved from my sketchbooks in a similar way…

Richard Jones Richard Jones

trythisDraw a girl or boy and try different hairstyles and clothes on them. See how you can change their age or personality by changing what they wear.

KCD: What was most challenging about creating the title character The Snow Lion?

RJ: The Snow Lion took many, many pages of sketchbook scribbling before I was satisfied I had found his character. It was clear early on, however, that his and Caro’s relative sizes would be important to how we understood their relationship — too big and he seemed overbearing, while when he was much smaller he seemed to lack the qualities of comfort and support he needed to offer her.
Richard Jones

KCD: The lion is so plush and comforting; I think that adds to the sweetness and feeling of the story. There’s something about how you convey that connection — I can see a child wanting that protection and bond too. Did you have inspiration for that?

RJ: Again, it was Jane that had a big influence here. She kept saying ‘softer, softer, softer!’. Surprisingly that wasn’t as off-putting as it sounds…. As we were beginning work on The Snow Lion I was finishing off another story in which I’d painted a snow shoe hare against a blue background. It’s my favourite page in that book and his white, fluffy fur definitely influenced how I began to create Caro’s lion.

I was conscious that there was a potential for the whiteness of his coat to seem cold and perhaps a little sterile, especially against some of the white walls in the early spreads, so I took my time warming him up a little with lots of water colour washes and gentle textures. Jim [Helmore]’s choice of a lion for her companion is just the perfect. He’s the ideal animal for the role — Caro can hide behind his huge body when she’s feeling unsure, or sink into the comfort of his soft mane when she wants a cuddle!

Although his scale may shift fractionally through the spreads to suit the circumstances, his warm fur and soft mane is always available when she needs him!

Richard Jones

A very early character sample. The painterly quality of his fur made it into the final book though his bushy mane grew in stature!

Richard Jones

It was a real honor to work with such a beautiful and sensitive tale. It’s a story that I hope will resonate with all little ones who are struggling with change of one kind or another. The Snow Lion reassures both Caro and the reader alike that loneliness and sadness are natural but never last forever.

smileSee how Richard makes the character Caro feel safe and secure with The Snow Lion, rather than frightened or scared?

The Snow Lion by Jim Helmore and Richard Jones, published September 2017 by Simon & Schuster Children’s Books.

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Richard Jones is an illustrator based in Devon, England. He also illustrated Town Mouse, County Mouse and Feelings for Little Tiger Press.

trythisTry sketching a character from one of your favorite stories. Consider how you could change him or her by changing the way they look. For instance, what if Goldilocks didn’t have blonde hair. Or what if Pippi Longstocking was a boy instead? Consider how changing their hair or clothes can really change the story or how we feel about the character.

All images are courtesy of Richard Jones and copyright of the artist.

 

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