From Doodles to a Storybook Moment
Every illustration begins with a spark of an idea, and for "Happy Birthday Bear," that spark came from a simple desire to create a birthday scene. My process always starts in my sketchbook, where I doodle different characters and possible scenes, letting the story reveal itself through the drawings. Once I have a story I like, I create small thumbnail sketches to experiment with different compositions, picking the one that best captures the moment.
A Happy Realization
After scanning the red-line drawing and making some final adjustments on my computer, I used my light table to transfer the art to my watercolor paper. This step turned out to be a happy accident! In the original drawing, the mice were carrying a large cupcake, but as I was tracing, it just didn't feel right. The cupcake didn't feel grand enough for a bear's celebration.
It was in that moment of transferring the art that I decided to make a big change. I replaced the cupcake with a beautiful birthday cake, added the fox's gentle hand on the bear's arm, and had the three little mice dancing in joy. The new composition, with its gentle flow and triangular shape, felt more like a heartfelt celebration and a better visual fit for the story I was telling.
For this piece, I chose a simple yet powerful composition and set about creating the final line art. I tried a new approach this time, drawing with a crimson red Col-Erase pencil from Prismacolor. This felt both freeing and permanent, as I knew I wouldn't be doing a final ink line.
Bringing the Softness to Life
With the final line art complete, it was time to paint. I chose to use gouache and watercolor paint, deliberately deciding not to use any ink lines. I wanted the piece to feel soft, dreamy, and gentle, allowing the colors to blend and flow into one another. The crimson red pencil lines that peek through the paint added to this soft, subtle look, and I even went back in at the end to reinforce some of the lines that had gotten lost. The final result is a tender celebration that feels as warm and sweet as the honey on the cake.
This is just a taste of what's to come! "Happy Birthday Bear" is the first piece in a brand new fall collection, filled with more unique illustrations. Everything will be available in the shop on September 16th. The full collection is coming soon!