The Creative Process
Here you can learn a little bit more about the creative process behind the Frog’s Bucket List series. There are various stages that each illustration goes through before it becomes a digital, print-ready image.
Click here to learn more about the Frog’s Bucket List series and characters.
Stage 1 – Musing, daydreaming, imagining…
Before any pen or paint marks make their way onto the paper, a significant amount of time is spent musing.
It begins with an idea – usually inspired by a thought, situation or experience. The idea is developed and a scene begins to unfold. A mental image is formulated.
Sometimes these are very clear and specific with regards to colours, objects and stances. Other times, these details are developed in the next stage of the creative process.
Stage 2 – Sketching
The mental images are first transferred from mind to paper into a sketchbook.
This is essentially a ‘practice’ run and determines whether the imagined scene works on the page, or whether any changes and improvements can be made.
Stage 3 – Pen drawing
Once the composition for the idea is finalised in sketchbook form, the drawings are recreated on white watercolour paper, with black water-resistant ink pens.
Fun fact: every single drawing starts with an eye!
Stage 4 – Painting
Now to add some colour! The pen drawings are brought to life with watercolour paints in this next step of the creative process.
A lot of thought goes into deciding which colours to use for the various objects and props. Colours might be chosen to evoke certain feelings, memories or simply just to complement the other colours being used.
Unsurprisingly, a significant amount of green paint is used!
Stage 5 – Inspiration, contemplation, laughter
After the paint has been applied, the work is scrutinised for quality. It is often at this point where the ‘cute overload’ kicks in, which results in laughing out loud.
Stage 6 – Processing, scanning, and getting ready for print
When the painting has had time to fully dry, it is scanned to create a digital image.
In this stage of the creative process, the digital image is processed into a format ready for printing.
The culmination of this process – seeing the illustrations in print-ready form – is both rewarding and exciting.
Stage 7 – Repeat for the next illustration
There are so many more ideas!
