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Children Book-Part 1

OCTOBER 2, 2013
«Un verger dans le ventre», could be translated as «An orchard in the belly», one of my two chidren book to be published this fall is finally out, at La Courte Échelle publisher.
It is a great text, by a talented writter, Simon Boulerice, about a young boy who is worried an orchard will grow in his belly because when he eats apples, he also eats the seeds. 
After the publisher proposed me the text, I immediatly thought it should be done with a different technical approach than my regular one; it needed something lighter, something a bit more naive.
In fact this is closer to my natural way of drawing, the kind I do when on the phone or when I sketch things fast. But I knew drawing a little something on a piece of paper is not the same thing than thinking and doing a complete book.
Still I needed an approval from the publisher, which I got.
To be fair, I was not 100% where I was heading with this, although I knew it had to be done differently.
I only had a vague idea of how I would proceed with the colors, but I was so happy and thrilled to do something different that I worked hours and hours just to come with something simple I may like. I'm not a photoshop specialist, neither a technical freak, I'm far more intuitive, which could be a problem with a computer.
I did many, many, many tests, and sketches; for the lines, the colors, the textures, the types,... name it. Working late at night after editorial assignments.
But when it's fun, we all know hours do not count the same.
 
I guess it is pretty obvious to most of illustrators out there to play with these dozens of layers, multiply and overlay stuff, but it was not for someone like me who doesn't know most of the time which colors, neither where, I'm about to apply when painting.
Intuition is sometimes a pain!
Anyway, I have to admit I got so much fun working on this project, thinking about every little details, the type, the design,... A fantastic ride.
Thanks you Nadine Robert and Mathieu Lavoie for trusting me.
© 2024 Gerard DuBois