THE MAKING OF THE GOLDFISH IN THE CHANDELIER

Gary:

The Story of Goldfish in the Chandelier is a story of the creative process.  Louis and his uncle start with only a small list of what the new chandelier should represent: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. At first they are stumped, as Louis’s uncle laments, “I have been designing chandeliers for over thirty years, and now my mind fails me! Boo hoo hoo hoo…”  But together they get to work…sketching…discussing…lying on the floor to get ideas…eating cookies…more sketching…a walk by the pond…until their ideas come together – to create an amazing design of a chandelier!

My creative process as an illustrator is very similar (though I don’t have Louis to help me out!).  I’ll start with little “thumbnail” sketches – very quick, simple little ideas.  From there I will maybe expand 2 or 3 of the more interesting thumbnails into larger, more detailed sketches – maybe 5 or 6 inches. (During this process I will actually lie on the floor of my studio, letting my mind wander – in search of the next idea…I might even head to the kitchen in search of a couple macaroons!).

If I like one or two of the sketches, I’ll draw them larger to show the detail that I want, and work out the overall design – including where the words will go. From here, I’ll go to the final illustration…first I’ll draw it in pencil, then using a quill-tip pen that I dip in black ink. When the whole drawing is completed (and a few more cookies), I’ll use my watercolors and brushes to paint the final artwork. Sometimes I’ll use other materials as well…for example, in the cover illustration for the book, I used colored pencils to create the pattern in the rug, and I used a brush (not a pen) to draw the goldfish and the chandelier bowl. If all goes well, I’ll scan the artwork with a large scanner, and using Photoshop, I’ll make some minor corrections or adjustments to the art.  See the stars on the back cover of the book?  They were created digitally using Photoshop!

From the simplest little doodles, a magnificent chandelier was imagined, designed and created. Louis and his uncle show that using the creative process of their imagination and problem-solving, great things can be made to happen.