Anatomy of a Drawing: Fort Duquesne

Today's post is a little longer than usual-- this drawing took a week to do, and I thought I'd offer a more in-depth look at the process involved.

I've broken it into parts for easier reading: Part One (Inspiration), Part Two (Research), Part Three (Acting Out), Part Four (Putting It All Together).

Lots of good stuff here if you want a real "behind the scenes look." Forts, landscapes, costumes, acting! Read on!

Colors for George

Here's a concept sketch showing how George Washington might appear in color. I've sketched this same page probably six times already and it's finally shaping up into something I like. This is not the final image.

The uniform is his colonel's uniform in the Virginia Regiment. Keeping the color scheme in the red-white-blue range we get hints of historic events yet to come.

The spyglass (based on one of Washington's own spyglasses) plays an important role in the story.

Sketching in Three Dimensions

Digital model of Fort Duquesne created for Buttons and Beads reference

If you follow us on Facebook you may have seen a preview of the virtual three dimensional Fort Duquesne model. Fort Duquesne was the French stronghold located on the Ohio River forks-- the site of modern downtown Pittsburgh, PA-- and a pivotal location in the ongoing fur trade conflict with the English.

It was in 1755 that the English launched an unsuccessful attack against the fort. Returning in 1758 they found that the French, who had lost the support of their Indian allies, had fled already, leaving a burnt fort behind them.

The English (to the Indians' dismay) further established their own presence in western Pennsylvania by building the much larger Fort Pitt on the same site.

Pencil sketches as seen above will be based on the digital model, which in turn was based on period plans and drawings of the fort as seen below.

Old French map of Fort Duquesne

Digital "blueprint" of Fort Duquesne created for reference. Created with Google SketchUp. Fully rendered version (top of post) created also using Shaderlight. Cannon appearing in the model created by A.J. Unknow.

Figuring It Out: Even More Sketches

Diagram of the William Penn "Great Treaty" wampum belt

These medium-sized sketches, like those that came before, are used to figure out the details of the final drawings to come. Think of them as "working drawings." The drawings follow extensive research identifying items that really could have existed in the historic context of the story.

Sketches below include costumes for Shshash (Wynonah's husband), Esther Harris (a founder of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), our heroine Wynonah, aged 10, and her mother; also, patterns for bulrush mats used to decorate the inside wall of Wynonah's wigwam; and various food utensils and storage vessels.

See eight new pages of sketches like these in the photos section of our Facebook Page.

Lots of Sketches

The rough sketches seen here are just a few of many which will all contribute to only one of the book's finished illustrations-- the campfire scene.

The devil is in the details! For example, did you know Lenape women wore their wrap-around skirts generally wrapped counter-clockwise? I didn't. Did you know George Washington kept his journal sometimes on interleaved pages in the Virginia Almanac?

After many days of research I have culled enough information (for now) to begin assembling a final composition. Every detail of Wynonah's and George Washington's appearance-- from clothing to bags, food utensils, writing implements-- has been considered.

See more of the "campfire" sketches on our Facebook page! While you're at it, don't forget to "LIKE" us both there and on this blog. You'll get more updates and sneak peeks from both the art blog and the Facebook page.

Who's This Happy Fellow?

The path to finished art takes more twists and turns than many would expect.

Take for instance one illustration in which I must depict George Washington, age 26, smiling by the light of a campfire. Setting aside concerns of my art skills getting rusty or overly challenged in general, how does one draw a young George Washington? Lit by a campfire? While smiling?