IF - Separate

This week the subject for Illustration Friday is Separate

Pastel on PastelMat   12 x 9.5

 I've been having fun with this stout little girl and her tall timid friend. I had been working many long hours digitally painting illustrations and I was ready to revisit my beloved pastels, pencil and paper when I started this piece.

I was happy with the original drawing layout, but I wanted the giraffe to have more character, so he got a redo.

I traced my original drawing onto PastelMat using a light box (which doubles as my sliding glass door). I like PastelMat for illustration, because it takes a lot of layers of pastel like sanded papers, but it is much smoother, so it's easier to do a small illlustration with details.  

 

Next, I blocked in the main color with PanPastels using the large oval sponge applicator at first, then the small wands. The Pan Pastels cover a large area and blend easily. You can see their painterly effect in the clouds. Last, I finished off the details with colored pencil, though I have to admit that I'm feeling the urge to go back and define some edges a little more, since some of the detail was lost when it was photographed. 

I'm having so much fun with these two characters, that I'm sure they'll pop up in another illustration soon!