Finished Two-Page Spread

Here it is, folks. The finished "fire drum circle" drawing seen in previous posts like this one and this one.

It took quite some time to do. Then it underwent a bit of photographic magic to make it print-ready. See it in the context of a two-page spread below (what you see when you open the book, minus the text in this case).

Here I have combined Sassoonan's drum drawing with two others that were done separately: a small drawing of Wynonah's doll, which I imagined she might have picked up at Esther Harris' trading post as a gift. The doll resembles Esther. The text will wrap around this drawing. As a background I have used tea-stained paper.

On the right we see a dramatic vista. Wynonah, on her vision quest, looks down on the village from a high, windy bluff where she has been left to fend for herself as a rite of passage.

It took approximately three days to photograph, develop, color correct, and compile all the artwork into these images. In the coming days I'll share more as we lead up to publication! Enjoy.

(Early concept art on right)

Fire Drum Circle: Update

This piece, first seen in this post, is still in progress. Since I first revealed it, I've darkened the background quite a bit which adds luminosity to the light foreground subjects. I've also used color opposites, a.k.a. complements, to further enhance the effect. In this case yellow-orange opposes blue-violet.

Yet to be done: modeling of the faces of Wynonah's parents and siblings.

Memorable Night: Fire Drum Circle

Here's a peek at color work in progress.

This image depicts Wynonah, her parents, and her younger brothers singing around a fire with Uncle Sassoonan. Old Sassoonan beats his deer hide drum. Wynonah shakes a turtle shell rattle.

The final image will be quite luminous with a dark, wooded background. It is being created with underlying washes of watercolor paint. Details are added with colored pencils.

I'm hoping to capture some of the atmosphere of life, music, and emotion that Wynonah and her family experienced that memorable night.

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Storytelling With Sassoonan

The Sassoonan sketches that appeared in earlier posts were made for one purpose: to help me envision Sassoonan's appearance on page 8 of the book. In that scene, family members gather around the fire to share stories.

The image above helps me place Sassoonan's face in a context of other people, under certain lighting conditions.

Sassoonan Version Five

Here we have the same sketch seen in versions three and four, but re-worked. I used a Q-tip with some alcohol to smooth the color, and emphasized the masculine features more, including more prominent chin, cheekbones, and brow ridge.

Sassoonan Version Four

This sketch is actually the same sketch seen in the last post, but the complementary colors (yellow and violet) have been blended and layered more to add depth and warmth. Also, black and umber colors have been added to create greater contrast. A colorless blender has been used to smooth color by filling in the white depressions caused by the paper texture.

Sassoonan's face is a challenge-- combining lighting environment, character, and many wrinkles. Click on the "Sassoonan" link at the foot of this post to see the many incarnations of this face. I find that no matter how much I think I know, drawing is still always a learning process.

Read below for more information on version three, which is really the "under-painting" of the version four drawing:

Sassoonan's Face: Second Attempt

Here is my second rough attempt to draw Sassoonan's face. It's actually a re-worked version of the drawing seen in the last post. I've darkened it quite a bit-- allowing the fire below his face to cast shadows more assertively on the upper parts. Also I've attempted to age him more, and to remove the "startled" look. Drawing people is quite challenging!

Sassoonan's Face (First Version)

This is practice for a page where we see back into Wynonah's youth: Uncle Sassoonan is telling stories to younger people by the light of the fire.

Anatomically this face can be done better, and so can the lighting. The purpose of this was to familiarize myself with the problems I will encounter when trying to make the final image.

Also drawings like this help me create a color palette-- a chosen, limited set of colors-- for each page. Colors don't simply tell us what color things are; more importantly they convey mood and atmosphere.