Through an assignment given by University of Malta, I was asked to illustrate and excerpt for one of Merlin Publisher's latest youth novels "Arlogg u Tila" (Clock and Canvas).
The story follows a young boy who enters a world where paintings come to life. The scene I illustrated takes place in a circus tent with Edgar Degas' Acrobat and Salvador Dali's Elephants. The challenge was to illustrate and reference these paintings without breaching any copyrights that currently protect the above mentioned works.
Finished illustration
Process:
I started by creating a composition sketch containing all elements from the story, working out where they would be best placed in the image. This composition sketch was then refined to create clearer outlines. At this point, with all elements in place, I did several value and colour studies before rendering the final artwork.
