Hello!

2009/03/17 at 2:45 pm | In db | Comments Off

Welcome to My Secret Elephant – my picture book illustration website and blog. I’m currently working on my 6th picture book and blogging the process as I go along in a series of posts called new book beginnings ~ db.
Current illustration stage: final drawings

Write on Bowen!

2009/06/09 at 10:19 am | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, illustration process | Leave a Comment
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Write on Bowen is a readers and writers festival on Bowen Island, BC. It takes place this year on July 10 – 12 and includes workshops, panel discussions, a Q&A, a picnic at the Lieben Lands and a gala event. There are workshops for both adults and teen writers.

I love Bowen Island – I have family over there as well as a studio space that I escape to when I need to get away from the city (or give flying lessons to a fledgling crow):

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(photo by Darren)

Bowen is my home away from home and a wonderful place to recharge spent creative batteries, paint in solitude, listen to the birds, draw beside a quiet lake… So I’m very pleased to be taking part in the festival as a panelist, along with Cynthia Nicholson, Norma CharlesEllen Schwartz and moderator Ainslie Manson, for Writing and Illustrating for Children – Where Do You Start? We’ll talk about all things children’s book on Sunday, July 12 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at the The Gallery @ Artisan Square. (panel discussions are free, register on the Write on Bowen website)

Please visit the Write on Bowen website for all event information including how to get to the island.

If you make the crossing by ferry from Horseshoe Bay, your view may look something like this (though perhaps less snow at this time of year):

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If you come over via the water taxi from Granville Island, your view will look more like this:
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(if you choose the water taxi, make sure you book ahead – it’s not a very big boat and it fills up fast!)

(more photos of Bowen Island)

new book beginnings ~ db

2009/06/08 at 9:31 pm | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, db, illustration process | Leave a Comment

I went up to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC to shoot some reference photos for one of the scenes in the book. The museum has been undergoing renovations, and while it’s now open, there are still a few areas that are closed. Unfortunately, one of those galleries contain some of the things I wanted to photograph. Here are a few photos from the shoot:

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new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/28 at 3:47 pm | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, db, illustration process | Leave a Comment

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new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/19 at 4:35 pm | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, db, illustration process | 1 Comment

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I’m at the draw, redraw and draw again stage of the final drawings. My desk is buried under a few inches of tracing paper.

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I use layers of tracing paper to draw and reposition elements when working out the composition, but I also scan my drawings and shift them around in photoshop. Sometimes I’ll scribble things into the drawing directly on the computer because it’s often quicker to try stuff out that way.

new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/14 at 6:58 pm | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, db, illustration process | Leave a Comment

rough ink and pencil sketch (chopped off a bit at top and bottom by the scanner)

colour test

It’s not supposed to be about the tools. But sometimes it really is all about the tools. Today, I picked up a pen I bought a few months ago but haven’t used much and everything clicked. It just works so well with the way I naturally draw. Instead of fighting to adjust my gestures to accommodate my pen, I forgot all about the instrument I was holding and just drew.

new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/14 at 12:26 pm | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, db, illustration process | Leave a Comment

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more work in progress drawings and a tiny slice of the studio – the rest of it is covered in paper.

new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/13 at 4:45 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Reference photographs – I shoot a lot of them. These are a some of the many I took last summer for the book, while I was on holiday.

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Toy boats in the Grand Bassin, le Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris

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Blue boats in Stromness, Orkney Island

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Orkney Yoles in Stromness Harbour, Orkney Island

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Tall ship in the River Dart, Dartmouth

new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/13 at 1:26 pm | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, db, illustration process | Leave a Comment

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medium and paint test a bit further along (detail)

new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/10 at 7:58 pm | In Picture Books, books, children's book illustration, db | Leave a Comment

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This is the start of another colour & medium test.

new book beginnings ~ db

2009/05/09 at 8:33 pm | In Picture Books, children's book illustration, db, illustration process | 1 Comment

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I came across this chameleon by chance in a local pet food shop today. Since there’s a chameleon in one of the illustrations for this book project, I took photographs of this one for reference. His name is Oscar and he’s a 2 year old male veiled chameleon. The pet food store took him in when his young owner lost interest in him (how is that possible? this guy is awesome!). A few of his cricket meals have escaped over time and have taken up residence around the tiny shop where they sing from their hiding places among the bags of dog and cat food.

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