I love picture books. I remember when I was about four years old my mother gave me a book called Ferdinand the Bull (first published in 1937). Half a century later I realize what a profound impact that little book had on me – in my young mind it triggered a fascination with the interaction between words and pictures. I remember pouring over that book and loving lines like “His mother saw that he was not lonely, and because she was an understanding mother; even though she was a cow, she let him just sit there and be happy.” I remember some pictures showed far away scenes with big empty white areas on the rest of the page and other pictures showed close-up figures completely filling the page. I wanted to draw pictures like that. Later, when it became clear that my dyslexia made words harder than pictures, I started focusing more and more on expressing myself though drawing, even as a child. And it all started with a little bull who loved smelling the flowers.
To share a few notes on the technique and materials I currently enjoy using when I illustrate a children’s picture book: After completing a full set of rough pencil drawings and sorting out the design and layout of the book, I like to choose a specific paper that would suit the atmosphere of the story best. Generally I find that a fast-paced story wants a rougher paper, whereas an intimate, quiet story benefits from a smoother, fine paper on which I can do much more detailed work. I then redraw the illustration onto the selected paper, often using a light box. Next I paint a wash onto the illustration area of the page and finish the detailed drawing with crayons over the wash.
I use Caran d’Ache ‘Neocolor II Aquarelle’ oil pastels. Three makes of paper that work well for me are Canson Mi-teintes 160g/m2, Fabriano 4 Liscio 220g/m2 and Bainbridge Coquille Bristol #2. I like the last one best...
Marjorie van Heerden - 2008
