The Illustrations of
(c) 2003 Emily C. A. Snyder, All Rights Reserved
Printed by Arx Publishers
Being a Very Informal Recollection of a Doodler's Illustrations
I've always been a doodler.
Ever since I could remember, I would fill up my notebooks with more pictures than notes - which then meant that in order to keep my impromptu portfolio, I would have to keep my notebooks - a coincidince that has made me very glad now that I am not being graded and can actually appreciate learning. ; )
Perhaps it was this odd mix of drawing and writing simultaneously that influenced me, but I have since found that any story I am working on inevitably requires that I attempt (emphasis on the word "attempt"!) to draw those characters, those buildings, that world - if only for my own reference, for a face or facade to contemplate while the blank screen waits patiently. |
Click on the image to enlarge it.
For the finished picture, click here.
To view the whole story, click here. |
Liam (left) guards the Count (center).
Click on the image to enlarge it. |
Imagine my surprise
and joy then when the wonderful folks at Arx Publishers asked if I had any illustrations for Niamh and the Hermit! Illustrations? Mais oui!...sort of. To be honest, I had doodles - the meagre attempts at making the story visible, sketched on pieces of sticky notepaper, imprisoned within the blue lines of a notebook.
Consequently, I set about the task of illustration in earnest. The following pages will...illustrate (sorry, couldn't resist)...the means I used for Niamh: a mixture of traditional pencil drawings and photo-manipulation. There are other ways, of course - woodcut, lithogram, oils, acrylic, etc. This is what I discovered.
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All the illustrations
(with the exception of the cover art of course) had to be black and white - no color, no greyscale. This fit with a) the production capabilities and b) the "look" of the Twelve Kingdoms, but it meant that I couldn't play in the vast wonderland of blues and greens and reds. Fortunately, the web has no such restrictions, and you'll be able to see a few of the drawings in their original color.
Doubtless these particular pages will serve no more than the most avid (and far more talented) art student's delight. Then for those art students, or for those wanderers who have stumbled upon these pages, it is my sincere hope that this brief anatomy of illustration may prove beneficial, either as an inspiration - or as a warning. : D Enjoy!
Please remember that the following pages are very graphics-heavy,
and may therefore load slowly.
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