The Discussion
BABY BEAR EATS THE NIGHT
• Watercolor •
Written by Anthony Pearson • Illustrated by Bonnie Leick
Published by Two Lions ©2012
Baby Bear is afraid of the dark, so he decides the best thing to do is eat the night! But as Baby Bear starts eating and the night begins to disappear, he learns that the other forest creatures need the night, and maybe he does, too. In this image, Firefly pleads with Baby Bear to save the night.
The Process
I am often asked how I create my art. Here, I delve into some of my process. To learn the complete methods and techniques that I employ, visit my in-depth post for the cover art of It’s Halloween, Little Monster.
The Sketch
I love the sketch phase. It's loose and helps me get the general feel of the image and where the characters will be placed. I also have to consider where the text will go so I don’t draw anything important in that space. This image was easy. Instead of adding the images of Baby Bear's forest home in the background of the layout, I simply left it blank.
Final Line
Once I have decided which sketch I like best, and my art director gives me the okay, I go to what I call the final line phase. This is where I make sure that everything from the character design to the details in their world is flawless. When I am satisfied, I transfer it onto my paper. The paper that I use is Strathmore Bristol 500 Series, 4-ply Vellum Cold Press. It has a much smoother surface than traditional watercolor paper. This makes it perfect for the detail that I put into my work.
Work in Progress
In this image, I began painting the fur on Baby Bear. As tedious as it looked, it was actually quite relaxing and fun.
Once all the paintings are finished, I either scan them and send them digitally or, in this case, I send the original paintings to the publisher, where they scan them on their large scanners.
Cedarburg Art Museum Illustrator's Show
For a long time, the art from “Baby Bear Eats the Night” had been sitting in a box underneath a bed. After I finished it, I immediately started my next project and forgot about it. When I looked at the art a year later, it was as if I were looking at it for the very first time.
Since then, various pieces of the art have moved from their hiding place underneath the bed to the walls of museums. This piece, "Firefly Pleads with Baby Bear," was the welcoming image to the exhibit "Show and Tell: Six Wisconsin Children’s Book Illustrators" at the Cedarburg Art Museum in Cedarburg, WI.