Sharing an inky spread of snails from one of my sketchbooks. For these little guys I used Liquitex Liquid inks in a range of browns and a brown fineliner. This page was a lot of fun to reference and make.
I love using old text books or field guides for reference when I am playing around so that I am not only giving my eyes a break from gazing at a screen but also, I feel like it gives me an opportunity to learn more about the subject, there is something about learning why a creature or plant does what it does that helps me understand their personality or energy, and while it sounds really abstract, it can also help me understand how to illustrate them better.
I fell in love with these little snail studies and then got the itch to add to the pages. I really want to start incorporating journaling into my spreads, similar to what one of my favorite artists, Jo Brown, did in her book, Secrets of a Devon Wood: My Nature Journal. I’d also like to start adding more collage to my work.
While I was digging up the images of these snails, I also remembered that I made stickers of them! These are small, I think measuring 2 inches or less, and are so cute for a journal, calendar, or another sketchbook page. I think that a new spread with new snails may be in my future soon.
Thanks for joining me on a walk through this sketchbook spread.
— R