Echo's Countdown to Bedtime Spread #6 - digital illustration

Echo is joined by 5 friendly squirrels!
Click to see previous countdown pages.

 

Echo's Countdown to Bedtime Spread #5- digital illustration

4 beetles join the scene. 

To see the previous pages click here!

 

Echo's Countdown to Bedtime Spread #4 - digital illustration

1- cat in a beanstalk

2- peas in a pod

3- chickadees

For you long time Echo fans, you might recognize these little chickadees, Echo helped them out once when it was very cold outside ;) 

To see the previous book page spread click here! 

Celeste

 

Echo's Countdown to Bedtime Spread #3 - digital illustration

It's funny, as I am working on these, I find myself wanting to change things up a little. The nice thing is sharing this process with you.  I start with something like this doodle...

 

...And then do some minor changes, and add colour. Even now, I like the original position of Echo in the rough, and will probably go and fix that. Also the way I am applying the colour, I can see it being more playfully done if I change the style I am using in the background and secondary characters. I am not a fan of the airbrushed softness of the peas right now... why post it like this then, you ask? Because sometimes good things come from mistakes too, and I am not afraid to show those!

You will probably be seeing changes between these posts and the final files!  Once all the spreads are completed I will re-post it as an entire book, with corrections made from these pages.

This is a great way to show the progression of my work, it's NEVER perfect the first time round, or even the second ;) But that's part of the fun right?! 

Celeste xo

To see previous Echo's counting book posts click here!

Echo's Counting Book Spread #2 - digital illustration

1 cat in the beanstalk!
To see previous spreads click this link!

Celeste

 

Echo's Counting Book Spread #1 - digital illustration

Here is Echo's first spread of the book, where she discovers the beanstalk. 

 

Echo's Counting book - digital illustration

Here is something I am trying out.  I have a bunch of rough Echo books made out, but can't seem to make the time to do clean copies of them to send out to publishers. So I am going to use my blog to keep me on track.  Every Wednesday I am going to post a page of my book(s) to share with you guys.  

I know a lot of successful illustrators with web comics that do something similar, only for me it's more of a picture book.  By the end of each book I will have a (somewhat) finished product to send out to publishers.  Funny enough, it's a publishing house that suggested the idea to me. So here we go! My first Wednesday page... the cover! 

(Feedback is always welcome! Thanks!) 

Character and story belong to Céleste Gagnon Illustrations. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2012 Céleste Gagnon