March 10, 2010

Pickles and Gators

I was delighted to open the mail the other day to find samples of a new book. I think any bookmaker must always find a secret thrill in opening the final printed book and turning the pages.

In this case it was relishing the pages... since most of the characters were pickle green. Coming up with a gator character was a challenge... and I'm pleased with the outcome. I suppose having never been to anywhere that alligators actually live it seemed all very exotic.


It was fun to draw and color. l tried some new things with photoshop. The story, by Jeff Dinardo, is very well crafted... achieving that most difficult objective of storytelling - to create the arc with spare simplicity but still entertain and carry a purpose.

3 comments:

Doug said...

The illustrations are GREAT! I love the texture in them. Upon closer inspection of the photos, I see a bottle of W&N Texture Medium... so THAT'S your secret! : )

J. E. Morris said...

These look terrific. Congrats to you and Jeff. I've done a couple of alligator books and I think those long snouts can be tough to deal with sometimes.

John Nez said...

Thanks... actually I don't use that W&N texture medium. I tried it, but it didn't do much of anything. Digital texture is easier.

:0)