Hi! If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be an illustrator, here are some of the things I do to make pictures and words.
Most MousterWorks paintings go through several rounds of sketches before I start painting—like these for Tang Yin’s Untitled masterpiece. I start fairly sketchy to see how the biggest elements in the painting fit together (A). I start refining and making notes to see how I can change it to make it more fun for kids (B), and keep perfecting—and adding in two mice!—(C) until it looks just right (D).
Next, I scan the finished drawing into my computer program (I use Corel Painter) to figure out the colors with digital ink (A). Sometimes they are similar to the original painting, but I also try out different and often more saturated colors to make it feel a little more contemporary.
After that, I print colored lines onto watercolor paper and paint with real watercolor (B). That gets scanned into my computer and is combined with the digital paint (C). Last of all, I add extra shadows, lighting, and details until it feels finished (D).
By the end of 2021, I had 54 MousterWorks paintings—but I wanted to turn them into a picture book. Here are some steps I took to get there:
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Once I figured out the basic story, it was time to design Cosette, Pépin, and Grand-mère:
