MY FAVOURITE STORY: THE TALENT SHOW

‘On The Beach’ is written by my brother Christopher Green, and will be available for purchase through Amazon on 08/03/2023, published by Blossom Spring Publishing.

More about Chris and his work at his website:

https://www.greeninjapan.com/about-chris

My favourite story from the ‘On The Beach’ short story collection is The Talent Show. A lovely tale and fun to draw, this story follows the drama of Lobby, Crab, Starfish and many more as they prepare for the Talent Show. Each character has their own endearing quality, making it a heart-warming story for all. Vote with your claw for your favourite critter to win!

This story in particular featured a lot of action poses that I really enjoyed working on. Each character has their own talents, and it was fun to bring each one of them to life.

Teal’s Race – Page37

It was a perfect day for sailing

Teal’s Race is the fourth story in the On The Beach Story Collection by Christopher Green. This story is is to be published in January 2023 https://www.blossomspringpublishing.com/shop/on-the-beach/linkhttps:// Ideas for Christopher’s stories were easy to visualise as ideas though technically boats were challenging. In the last of the three images is my original rough sketch where scale hadn’t yet been researched its a boat note not sea worthy on a windy sea.

The story opens on page 37 and two illustrations were submitted for this page with the one above “and its keel cut deep into the sand” accepted for publication. Both of these were drawn over a lightbox onto seawhite cartridge paper. using a fine liner pen. This was different from my usual dip pen but I adapted to it.

On the Beach

I have been working on a collection of four story’s written by my brother Christopher Green which is to be published by Blossom Spring Publishing UK. This book jacket has been designed with digital elements which was different for a traditionalist like myself but I enjoyed the creative process. The illustrations inside will be a simpler style concentrating using black line with colour washes.

Rosie

“I am bigger”said Rosie to herself when we were in the park celebrating her birthday.

Being Two years old was a day of the best celebrations and wishes for Rosie and her family. At the end of the afternoon there was a walk in the park complete with a stroller for little Egg to sit in, decorated with a beautiful balloon.

I’ve worked up these from sketches to capture a part of the day. They were completed using pencil then some pen and ink before using a broad gum tape to stop the paper warping when I applied watercolour and inks. Usually I stretch wet paper first before inking and painting but I found this worked well with cartridge paper.

Dawn in India 1857

Here Captain Jasper is enjoying the quiet of the early morning I wonder what hes thinking? There is a portrait of his horse Coco on the chair and a length of fabric printed locally.

I’ve used watercolours and pencil on stretched heavyweight cartridge paper deciding not to ink in lines because I like the softness overall of the line and the colours.

Captain Jasper India 1857

An additional pencil and watercolour drawing illustrating Captain Jasper (on the right) on deployment with the 2nd Dragoon Guards in India 1857.

He has been recreated as a lead soldier with his horse on task collecting Turkish delight across the tablecloth in England 2020 . The image below has been posted previously!

Crab Studies

Drawings of crab on one page and further images below taken from lines within the story ‘Crab in a Pinch’

“Crab scurried up the beach and popped into a hole made by a footprint,

Crab hovered up the beach to a shallow hole made by a dog’s paw then scampered even further to a deep hole left by a horses hoof”

Iv’e worked up these (from my sketchbook of many crabs) using a combination of pencil and ink mostly on cartridge paper that I have stretched so that inks and watercolour can be applied. Hes an inquisitive beach dweller with friends that I am looking forward to drawing very much.

Crab in a Pinch

pinking in the sun

Ive been drawing unfamiliar creatures and tackling the seashore life within an unpublished story written by Chris Green. Crab is one of the a key characters in the story I’ve tackled him in watercolour and some acrylic ink colour too. Ive been using a Derwent Graphitint pencil in Warm Grey which I hope to compare with ink line in my next post.