Inspiration can come from anywhere, but for me, it often comes from my family. This week's illustration was inspired by my daughter and our bedtime reading routine. Last week, when putting my daughter to bed, we read "The Gruffalo," and I made a deal with her that I would read two pages and then she would read two pages. She started to learn how to read this school year, and I was impressed by her fluency, which sparked an idea for a drawing.
I wanted to capture the moment of reading with my daughter, so I started with a small sketch. I loved the fluid motion of the drawing and wanted to translate that to a larger canvas.
So, I projected the sketch onto a bigger piece of paper using a magnifier. Once I had the right size, I tweaked the drawing where needed and began painting with my trusted Holbein Acryla Gouache paints.
First, what color palette would I use? I wanted to use only two colors in multiple shades: blues for the children's room and yellows and oranges for the images of the Gruffalo coming to life.
The painting process was slower than usual because I wanted to add a lot of details to the illustration. Once a part was done, I added finer details with colored Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils to push the details up a notch.
I love how this drawing turned out. I love the popping colors. It pushes the imagination in the drawing forward, and it translates the moment I had with my daughter while reading ”The Gruffalo” very well.