Showing posts with label Redwall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Redwall. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

The Redwall Sketchbooks Collectors Print #9

The Redwall Sketchbooks Collectors Print #9.
Available at my ETSY shop. Link below.


When Brian Jacques gave me the manuscript for “A Redwall Winter’s Tale” I was delighted to find that the story included musicians who were part of The Thistledown Traveling Troupe. I took the opportunity to dive deep into the research of Medieval instruments and try to figure out how the animals of the Redwall universe might play them.

This print is scanned directly from one of the first sketchbook pages of that development work.


—-> Link to purchase the print. https://www.etsy.com/shop/christopherdenise


More about the print:


The sketches and preliminary drawings for my work in the Redwall series have remained in storage for years. Originally seen only by my editor, my art director, and of course, Brian Jacques, these sketches and drawings have never been reproduced, until now! 


Printed on heavyweight archival acid-free paper, the piece measures 8"x10". The white border makes it suitable and ready for framing with or without a mat board.

The title for each print is hand-lettered and signed by the artist.


This item is shipped flat in a resealable polypropylen bag with a rigid mailer. The bags are Acid-free, archival safe, 100% blemish-free virgin polypropylene, and FDA compliant.

.

#christopherdenise #redwall #etsyseller #sketchbook #childrensbookillustration #brianjacques #redwallabbey #mouse #musicians #illustratorsoninstagram #redwallart #collectorsprints #christopherdeniseillustrator

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

New listing of original Redwall art at my ETSY shop.

Detail from A Redwall Winters Tale by Brian Jacques,
illustrated by Christopher Denise

Detail from A Redwall Winters Tale by Brian Jacques,
illustrated by Christopher Denise

Original art from A Redwall Winters Tale by Brain Jacques,
illustrated by Christopher Denise.
For sale at https://www.etsy.com/shop/christopherdenise


Can’t wait for the snow? This large pastel painting from A Redwall Winters Tale is now listed and available at my Etsy store.
This is the original art (not a print) that I created for my second picture book with Brian Jacques. 
Winter is coming-check it out! https://www.etsy.com/shop/christopherdenise
.
.
.
.

#christopherdenise #illustration #kidlit #kidlitart #art #artwork #artstagram #charcoalpencil #paper #childrensbooks #instaart #draw #draweveryday  #illustratorsoninstagram #snow #redwall #brianjacques #beatrixpotter #fall #autumn #winter #cozy #redwallabbey #philomelbooks #etsyseller #philomel books

Monday, June 4, 2018

Detail

Christopher Denise
The Great Redwall Feast by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise
Detail from interior art included in The Great Redwall Feast written by Brian Jacques.


#christopherdenise #illustration #kidlit #kidlitart #art #artwork #artstagram #charcoalpencil #paper #childrensbooks #instaart #best_of_illustrations #pastels #draw #draweveryday #artstagram #research #sketch #sketchbook #sketching #dailydrawing #illustratorsoninstagram #lanterns #pastel #redwall #brianjacques

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Staring to feel like summer. Hope you are having a great weekend!

Christopher Denise
From The Redwall Cookbook, written by Brian Jacques illustrated by Christopher Denise
#mole #christopherdenise #illustration #kidlit #kidlitart #art #artwork #photoshop #kids #artstagram #draw #picturebook #picturebookillustration #childrensbooks #instaart #illustrator #best_of_illustrations #acrylic #picnic #redwall #brianjacques #illustratorsoninstagram  #art #artwork #redwallabbey #cookbook #mouse #summer

Friday, May 18, 2018

Field studies

My collaborator in life and books has been spending some time in The Lake District. She sent me some and wonderful photographs of the Beatrix Potter estate and land-trust. Looking at them I remembered that I had a bunch of nature drawings in various sketchbooks that I filled while preparing to illustrate the Redwall picture books. Potter has been and remains a huge influence in my work.




#christopherdenise #illustration #kidlit#kidlitart #art #artwork #beatrixpotter#artstagram #pencil #paper #paint#childrensbooks #instaart#best_of_illustrations #flowers #draw#draweveryday #artstagram #research#drawfromlife #sketch #sketchoftheday#naturedrawing #sketchbook #sketching#dailydrawing #hilltopfarm #redwall

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Autumns final day at Redwall Abbey

Autumn at Redwall Abbey

A little autumn for The Redwall fans.
When I began work on A Redwall Winters Tale, I created a series of very small thumbnail sketches immediately after my first read through. This image came directly from one of those sketches. 
I have included a jpeg of the image as it appears in the book with Brian's wonderful poem. I remember that he read that poem to me over the phone and I knew what he wanted-how he wanted the piece to feel. I think it came from a shared appreciation of this particular time of day and season.
The Thistledown troupe and stray travelers of Mossflower are making their inside the gates of Redwall Abbey where the lanterns are lit and the fires are already burning. The warmth and smell of cooking welcomes the weary travelers inside as the light slips up the mighty walls and great bell tower. 
This original art is currently available, though probably not for long, at my Etsy shop.






Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Original Redwall art available at my ETSY shop today!



          This large pastel painting was one of the first that I created while illustrating The Great Redwall Feast (Philomel Books, 1996). I remember trying to create a sense of discovery, much as we do when reading Brian's first Redwall novel. Tucked into Mossflower woods on two sides, the meadow and the great road on the others, we see Redwall for the first time! This book and image pre-date the animated series by several years. This view of Redwall would be from the south. This small party of woodland characters is probably returning from St. Ninian's. 
       The finished art area measures approximately 13 inches x 16 inches, roughly 133% larger than the reproduction in the book.


Monday, April 14, 2014

Illustrator Saturday

A big thank THANK YOU to Kathy Temean for asking me to be a part of Illustrator Saturday! Lots of information and some process images. Click on the link below to read the full interview. As Neil Gaiman says, "WARNING:Contains me" 

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/illustrator-saturday-christopher-denise/

Monday, March 17, 2014

Bookmaps and Storyboards using Photoshop. Part 1-Why digital tools?


In January I gave a series of talk at Kindling Words east and can now share a bit of what I talked about during the breakout sessions with the illustrators. May 27th will mark the release date of Sleepytime Me by Edith Fine, my next book with Random house so it best to focus on this title for this series of posts.

First I need to address the question of why I am using digital tools. Not for myself, but because I am asked...all the time. Technique and materials are really of little interest to me. Photoshop is a tool. Pastels and charcoal are tools. I am more interested in what you create with them. However, the question is always in the air so I will give you the cliff notes version of my thinking on the debate.


I started using photoshop when I began work as a visual development artist working on animated films and have found the program to be an invaluable tool in my book production work. First a quick note to all the skeptics who ask: "Don't you miss traditional materials?"Quick answer: No. While there is a learning curve, I have been able to customize my tools to create a process that not only replicates my traditional technique but removes many of the limitations of working in pastel and acrylic. Here are two examples of work. The one on the left is from my pastel work on the Redwall  picture books, the image on the right is a detail from my book due out at the end of August 2014,  Baking Day at Grandma's by Anika Denise. The image on the right was created using only digital tools.


I am impatient with my art. I work best when I can act and react. With digital tools changing the piece as it begins to emerge is far easier and I can get to the fun stuff faster. The goal is not necessarily to shorten the production time, though in this day  of ever tightening deadlines and shrinking advances this is clearly a very good byproduct. The goal is to get as much of original inspiration down on the page as possible. With digital tools, I can cut right to the chase and then have the flexibility to edit, change, and repaint the piece to suit the needs of the entire book.

In the next post I will focus on the previously time consuming process of creating a bookmap with Photoshop.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Remembering and Giving, We Art Boston.

Redwall Original Art for benefit auction

I spent part of this afternoon unpacking a shipping crate containing several large works from a book a made with my old friend Brian Jacques. It had been a few years since I looked at some of these large pastel paintings created for  A Redwall Winters Tale. As I peeled back the layers of wrapping and foam core, memories of my late friend and our work together rushed in. All of them good, but I do miss him.

This unpacking was not just an exercise in nostalgia but for a very good cause, one that I know Brian would have appreciated and undoubtedly supported. Friends and former teaching colleagues from RISD have banded together in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing to create "We Art Boston".

"We Art Boston" is a fundraiser/auction of children's book art to benefit Boston Children's Hospital. Online auction opens Oct. 10. Family event Oct. 20 in Boston. They are the real deal and all the folks involved in this drive are in it for all the right reasons. Please take a moment to like their page and share with your friends and family.

More information and events here: https://www.facebook.com/weartboston?hc_location=timeline

I appreciate it, and I know that Brian would as well. This one is for the kids at the hospital and to you my friend.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Redwall Original Art

I try to post new art on Fridays but I had a moment to get this one posted. Enjoy and please share!

"This large scale portrait of Hypericum Hadduck Hare was created for pages 18-19 of A Redwall Winters Tale by Brian Jacques and published by Philomel Books in 2001. Hypericum was the leader of the rag tag group of minstrels and clowns named The Thistle Down Troupe. I jumped at the opportunity to research the costumes for this Shakespearian, slightly down on his heels, but still larger than life character. I think I could have created another whole book just focused on the troupe!
This is the original pastel and charcoal painting and it is quite large. I was creating all the artwork at 133% of the reproduction size. The live art area measures 13 1/2" high and 12 1/2" wide."

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

One of a kind Redwall Christmas art!


This original artwork was commissioned by my late friend Brian Jacques for an exclusive, members only Redwall Readers Club Christmas Greeting card. This illustration is one of a kind and only a small number of reproductions exist. A rare piece for the avid Redwall collector! The artwork was created with Charcoal pencil on acid free paper and measures approximately 7 inches by 4 1/2 inches.
See a detail here.


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Pastels, Redwall, and the pre-digital age, part 1.


I am on the middle of a huge project and crazy deadline right now so I can't share any of the current images but I have received a number of emails in the last few months regarding my pastel technique. As chance would have it, I stumbled across a few process photos taken while I was creating my cover for A Redwall Winters Tale by Brian Jacques. This is all pre-digital so please excuse any blurriness!

The image on the left is the finish line. But where did I start?

In a quiet studio...then in many meetings.

Everything that you read about the value of a strong showing at your point of purchase is true. The cover a picture book is incredibly important in the life and
success of the project. It is also one of the most difficult and sometimes frustrating parts of the process. When the time comes for an illustrator to do his or her job, the publishers, designers, authors, and editors have already invested a great deal of time and money in this thing. Naturally, when it comes time to decide what our first impression of the book will look like, everyone, including the folks from marketing, want a seat at the table. There are allot of people trying to steer this ship. To do your job as an illustrator, you need to understand the book so that you can be flexible in your solution, address as many of the needs expressed by all parties involved (wants are optional) AND stay true to the material.

Step 1. Understanding the material.
I am a strong advocate of designing the entire book and starting the finished art before exploring the cover image. Why?
Picture books become these strange little animals that come to life and run around in your studio. They often start to move in directions that you did not anticipate. It is akin to how many authors describe the phenomenon of their characters taking on a life of their own and telling the author where they need to go and what they should say. Unfortunately, in my experience, picture books don't speak English and you need to be attentive to them to see where these creatures need to go. Redwall picture books are not small creatures either,......more like....., pet sitting for your friend that owns an buffalo.
So I read, sketch, design re-read, sketch and begin painting the images keeping a watchful eye on where this thing is heading.

Next week, less pre-amble and more images. Here is a preview.



Monday, February 7, 2011

My mentor and always my friend Brian Jacques.

I have just learned of the passing of my dear old friend Brian Jacques. I will try to put together a post in the coming days with some my memories of Brian so that you might know a bit more of the Brian that I knew.
He will be missed by so many.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Are you a fan of Redwall and collect original art?

Is this the piece you were looking for? If you collect original art and are a fan of my Redwall picturebooks, leave me a comment and let me know which piece you are looking for! If it is still available, I will put it on the list to post at ETSY.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Redwall Abbey Detail

Finally starting to unpack a few boxes. A detail from some Redwall original art featured at ETSY.