Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Frolicking Fairy


You would think I would jump at the chance to do fairies since everyday I play "fairies" with my youngest; however, I just couldn't help envisioning a little tomboy "fairy" frolicking (or tormenting) creatures small and tall.

I'm pretty happy with my little fairy, but the wet cat left me a bit frustrated. Anyone have any tips for creating the illusion of a wet cat? I haven't worked on any illo for the past three weeks, so, I'm working out the kinks. Any suggestions are welcome!

7 comments:

Niall O loughlin said...

Great style, perfect for book illustrations.

Vanessa Brantley Newton said...

he he he he he!!! This is stellar!!! We all know that fairies have a naughty side to them as well. This is wonderful!!!! It's a great story in there too. Would love to see you explore that part of it too. I love the colors you used. They are very lively and fun!

Mônica said...

Your little fairy has such a cute mischievous expression!

I don't think I have ever painted a wet cat before... but I think you got the feel right, the heavy fur hanging down, it feels wet to me! :-)

angelic pursuits said...

What a great illo, Michelle! I love your choice of colors and, like you, I really like what you did with your fairy. Like Monica, I thought the cat looked wet enough, but if you want it to look wetter, an idea I had is to show variance in the fur colors (darker being the wetter part) and have some of the water dripping down. Otherwise, you've done very well (especially considering the fact that you've taken some time off).

Roberta said...

It's a very cute little scene...
What a michievious fairy.
The cat looks wet to me, if anything maybe if he was a bit skinnier... That's how my dog looks after a bath...clingy wet hair...

Linda Kay said...

Michelle, this made me laugh! Great take on the subject! When I do cats, I often wet the paper slightly so that adding pigment creates soft, blurred, fur-like edges. Love the boy fairy & his prank!

sruble said...

I like your tomboy fairy! Your wet cat works the way he is now, especially if he just shook some of the water out of his fur (with the water drops flying off him). Plus he looks unhappy, which is perfect.

If you want him to look more drenched, you've gotten some good advice already. I would only add that his fur could be much closer to his body and hanging down/weighted down with the water (think t-shirt vs. wet t-shirt on a person).