Tuesday, May 19, 2009


Here's the finished painting of that sketch I showed last week from my next picture book, Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, written by Mac Barnett.  You'll notice this image has a much wider composition–between the sketch dummy stage and the final painted stage the book got lengthened and rearranged somewhat, and this illustration needed to turn into a two-page spread.
For the illustrators out there, this was painted in Photoshop with a Wacom Intuos tablet.

15 comments:

Ricardo Betancourt said...

Wow Adam, I cant believe you painted this in PS. I like how you treated it like your oil paintings. Do you ever see the Moms face in the book? I hope not because I like when the adults remain faceless (like in the Muppet babies or Tom and Jerry)Can wait to see more of the book.

Anonymous said...

Hey Adam, big fan, follow your blog daily. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions. I'm finishing up school and have heard various things from different teachers in regards to digital vs traditional in the Childrens Book industry. From your experience are they equally used? or is one more used than the other. I was also wondering what resolution you painted this in and if you use custom brushes. Thanks Adam.

Dylan

Adam Rex said...

Thanks, Ricardo. No, you never see the mom's face, nor the dad's, nor any other adult very clearly.

I don't think I'd say they're EQUALLY used, Holden, but I see more and more digital work each year. What have your teachers been saying?
I painted this at 355 dpi, no custom brushes. But a lot of custom settings with jitter, scattering, etc.

Phil Hilliker said...

Very cool, Adam. I am really impressed with how well you've emulated the look of oils.
Why 355 dpi? Why not 300 or an even 350?

ej said...

I'm so intrigued by this idea of painting digitally. I haven't done much art since High School, so the idea is completely foreign to me. Do you scan in a sketch first and then paint over it, or do you simply start with a blank screen and wing it?

Mark Meyers said...

Looks like this is going to be a great book. I love that you put in a poster of Abraham Super Lincoln!

Adam Rex said...

Phil–no good reason, other than that more than one publisher has asked for digital art at that resolution in the past.

ej–I scan a traditional sketch first. Some digital painters I know don't, though. They begin sketching digitally.

Thanks, Mark!

Anonymous said...

Hey Adam. Some of my teachers say that publishers flirted with the idea of digital for a bit but a lot of them are switching back to traditional. Whether this is true or not I don't know. I've come to realize through college that some teachers, although very talented, can have some very bizarre outlooks on their chosen field. Your response was just what I needed. I'm working on my first freelance book, and working on it digitally. I'm feeling more confident I can get the job done.

Anonymous said...

dude that is fantastic.
i think billy needs to mow his carpet soon...

Anonymous said...

Wonderful! Love the kids face. . .it's priceless. The mess is spectacular and I love spacey planets off to the left. The Mom's butt is great too!

Anonymous said...

Forgot to say. . .you need a Cintiq. . .then you would sketch in Photoshop. A Cintiq will change your life.

Anonymous said...

i have been using a Cintiq at work for the past year doing product and packaging design. its pretty cool, but nothing replaces hand done art for me.

Vinod Rams said...

Looks great Adam, the best is when you do something digitally and no one asks what medium it's in. I think if you posted this without saying you used PS and a Wacom no one would've noticed it was digital.
Well besides that huge lens flare and your liberal use of the plastic wrap filter...

M said...

Yeah, it's crazy how this retains the qualities of your oil painting.

Adam Rex said...

Holden–I don't think it's true, personally. But I think they prefer digital that doesn't look too digital, if you know what I mean.

Thanks, Joe and Sherry! I like sketching in cafés, so if I got a Cintiq I'd never leave the house.

Vnod–Ha! Jerk.

Thanks, M, I'm glad you think so.