Welcome to Day #8 of the On Duck Pond Blog Tour!
To celebrate the release of On Duck Pond by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Bob Marstall (4/11/17), blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Jane and Bob, plus 10 chances to win a set of On Bird Hill and On Duck Pond !
The Illustration Process
by Bob Marstall
by Bob Marstall
Some readers familiar with “On Bird Hill”, the first book in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s new imprint for young (2-6) children, might notice a different “feel” to the artwork in “On Duck Pond”. Kirkus Review put it this way in their very positive take on the book: “Marstall’s delicately colored paintings are less whimsical and more realistic than in the previous book.” Here’s the story behind that shift:
When I first began working on “On Duck Pond”, shortly after finishing “On Bird Hill”, I was faced with a bit of a dilemma. Generally, everyone involved was happy with OBH and the warm reception it received – but we all knew that it was definitely a “one-off” kind of book, given that Jane Yolen wrote it based on one of my doodles, which then became the cover. It was my first fiction picture book, after a long career in nonfiction picture books. [For the full story, check out my website blog from last year on the making of “On Bird Hill”]
When it was decided that the book would become a series, it became part of a larger discussion about the direction of the new imprint. After a number of weeks, the consensus that emerged was that accuracy has always been the Cornell Lab’s main focus when it came to birds and education, and that the new imprint should be part of that mission. At the same time, it was acknowledged that the series would still be thought of as “fiction”. This was the moment when I began actually researching ducks instead of visualizing them in my head and drawing what I “saw”.
I’ve been a nonfiction illustrator for most of my career, so illustrating accurate birds and animals was part of a normal day for me. What made it interesting to me was the tension between the “species-specific” birds and the made-up backgrounds. The task, then, was to make the realistic birds feel as though they actually inhabited the wholly-invented environment that I put them in.
When I first began, though, I was trying to think of ways to carry the spirit of “On Bird Hill” into “On Duck Pond”, which meant pretty much making everything up. After spending some time searching for “a way into” the new book, I came across some postcards of 12th-century Japanese “manga” that I’d picked up when I visited Japan in 2007.
One example:
Using the postcards for reference and looking online at other 12th-century artists, I did a number of quick sketches. For this one I added some made-up background:
After this preliminary noodling, it came time to develop the book as a whole via thumbnails:
Thumbnails for “On Duck Pond” [fyi: each panel is 1”x2.5”]
Because I wasn’t yet thinking “species specific”, the thumbnails are quite fanciful and rooted in that 12th-century-frog approach – not to mention my own doodles, which kick-started the whole series. As a direct result of the shift toward more realism, many of my initial visual concepts (as shown in the thumbnails) had changed considerably by the time the watercolor paintings were completed. The following sequence (p08-09) offers a good example of this evolution. Jane’s text for this spread reads:
Trout and turtles turned and scattered.
An old frog leaped off lily pad,
Quite surprised and very mad.
Detail of thumbnail for pages 08-09
First full-size sketch [9”x22”]
Below: The finished pencil drawing (9”x22”), on Aches 300lb hot press watercolor paper. Once I got the drawing to the level where I really understood the space, I used a kneaded eraser to remove all the heavier graphite, which creates a ghost-like image (the shaded-in areas disappear but the basic drawing remains – only now you have to look closely to see it). Then it’s ready for watercolor!
The first step is to wet the paper briefly (I hold it in my shower for a few seconds on each side), then immediately staple it to a prepared board (I use homesote painted with acrylic gesso). Once it dries and tightens, I begin by “masking” the foreground areas (including water ripples) by painting them with liquid frisket (aka masking fluid), which looks like translucent rubber when dry and completely repels water.
To achieve the blending of the warm and cool colors on the water’s surface, I coat the entire painting, including the impervious frisket, with many, many layers of watercolor with a large, flat brush that is loaded with water and very little pigment, which allows me to build up the color tones slowly, with a lot of control. FYI: it’s important to allow the paper to dry completely between layers. I begin with a warm color at the top and a full, watery brush which holds much less pigment by the time I get to the middle. The process is then repeated with the cool colors, working from the bottom up, with the two colors blending smoothly together in the middle.
Once everything is dry and I’m happy with the color range and the blending of the background, I remove the frisket simply by peeling it off, leaving those areas perfectly white with the drawing still visible. Using much smaller brushes than I did for the broad washes, I gradually build up the tones and colors on the foreground figures with many different layers – and never again have to touch the background.
Next blog : pages 22-23 – process sequence
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Stop by Books My Kids Read tomorrow for Day #9 of the tour!
Blog Tour Schedule:
April 10th – Word Spelunking
April 11th – Mrs. Mommy BookNerd
April 12th – Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust
April 13th – Late Bloomer’s Book Blog
April 14th – Mundie Kids
April 11th – Mrs. Mommy BookNerd
April 12th – Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust
April 13th – Late Bloomer’s Book Blog
April 14th – Mundie Kids
April 17th – Life Naturally
April 18th – Chat with Vera
April 19th – The Kids Did It
April 20th – Books My Kids Read
April 21st – Marianna Frances
April 18th – Chat with Vera
April 19th – The Kids Did It
April 20th – Books My Kids Read
April 21st – Marianna Frances
From award-winning and NY Times bestselling children’s author of more than 350 books, Jane Yolen, and award-winning illustrator, Bob Marstall, On Duck Pond is the first sequel to the acclaimed On Bird Hill, which launched the children’s picture book series written for the esteemed Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the world authority on birds.In On Bird Hill, Yolen and Marstall took readers on a surreal journey with a boy and his dog, as they stopped, looked, and noticed things along their path—ultimately discovering the miracle of the birth of a baby bird. On Duck Pond continues the journey of the boy and dog story, this time in a new place—a serene pond, filled with birds, frogs, turtles and other creatures going about their quiet business. Their intrusion stirs the pond into a cacophony of activity, reaching climactic chaos, before slowly settling back to it’s quiet equilibrium.This beautiful and enchanting sequel is sure to delight On Bird Hill fans and millions of readers and fans of Jane’s popular classics.
About the Author: Jane Yolen has authored more than 350 books, including the Caldecott-winning Owl Moon, which every budding young ornithologist owns, You Nest Here With Me, which is a popular new favorite, and the New York Times bestselling series How Do Dinosaurs. Jane Yolen’s books have been translated into over 20 languages and are popular around the world.
Janes husband, David Stemple, was both a well known bird recordist and a professor of computer science and he taught the entire family how to identify birds. Many of Jane’s books are about wildlife subjects, especially the winged kind. Jane lives in Easthampton, MA. Visit her online at janeyolen.com.
About the Illustrator: Bob Marstall is the illustrator of nine nonfiction children’s books, including the The Lady and the Spider, which sold over a quarter-of-a-million copies and was a Reading Rainbow selection. Bob has also been honored with an ALA Notable; an IRA Teachers’ Choice; a Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children; and three John Burroughs selections.
In addition, two of Bob’s books are included in the New York Times Parent’s Guide’s “1001 Best Books of the Twentieth Century.” Bob Lives in Easthamton, MA. Visit him online at bobmartsall.com.
About the Cornell Lab: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. Our hallmarks are scientific excellence and technological innovation to advance the understanding of nature and to engage people of all ages in learning about birds and protecting the planet. birds.cornell.edu
GIVEAWAY
- One (1) winner will receive a set of both On Bird Hill and On Duck Pond — a great Earth Day gift!
- US only
We like the How Do Dinosaurs.. series books!
How do Dinosaurs Say I Love You looks so adorable!!
I liked Heart’s blood when I was a kid. I would read it again/share it with my nephew.
I like the Double-Sided Magnetic Fraction Circles. Those would be so helpful!