Layouts

Lately I have been working on the design of the book and the page layouts. I will be sending out samples to publishers next month to get some interest going, so I had to come up with the final look for the cover and insides of the book itself.  The text on the pages is not final, and a few details may change...but this is pretty much it. I am really happy with the way it is all coming together now!

Cover Wraparound Art

The Wolf King Speaks...

“Well, Well, what have we here...a little white fox?” Mocked the Wolf King.

"I have heard the chatter of the creatures in the forest about you. White as the snow they say...quiet as a mouse. Tell me little fox, what brings you to my forest kingdom?”

In the Forest of Giants

Here we find Winter Fox on his way up Wolf Mountain to confront the infamous Wolf King. This is the picture before the Showdown illustration below. This shot gives us an idea of the creepy place the Wolf King and his army of wolves have made their home.

I really love cinematic shots that give you a good sense of the mood and drama that is happening in a film. Often times books overlook these elements, but it is stuff like this that I feel will make this book unique. I am trying to achieve the look of a classic animated film paused at key scenes.

Prologue: Adrift on an Iceberg

If anyone is still out there I finally had a chance to get more work done on the book. It has been sooooo busy lately but I am finally ready to get back to work on it. We are coming close to getting most of the illustrations done for this book! There is still so much to do, (editing, layout & design, Illustration cleanup) but I may just start sending this out to publishers soon!

Here we have the Prologue page where we meet a shadowy figure floating on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean. This is our narrator for the story, he will be taking us through the whole story...but who is he....

Advice from The Owl Sage

In the Owl Tree illustration it didn't look like there were any owls in that old tree...but finally one reveals himself. Winter Fox finally finds an animal that is old enough and wise enough to help him find a solution to the Wolf King problem...the wise old Owl Sage! He looks pretty good for a cranky old snowy owl huh? He may have the solution to beat the Wolf King...but is the solution more dangerous than facing the Wolf King himself? The fact that I made that last sentence a question indicates the answer is yes.

Showdown!

After a tip from the Owl Sage, Winter Fox finds out the Wolf King's lair is situated upon a small mountain-like Citadel that over looks the forest. From here the Wolf King can scan his territory and keep a close eye on it. The old tree bridge is the only way into the Wolf King's Lair...looks like winter fox was expected....

The Owl Tree (Remastered)

After a bit of reworking the other day I thought I would post the updated Owl Tree Page. I did a bit more work on some of the details and did a whole new redraw of Winter fox. He looks more graceful in this version. Where are the Owls? That's what winter fox is wondering. More pages coming soon...

Enter: The Wolf King!

Every great story needs a great villain. I remember as a kid watching the Walt Disney version of Pinocchio, the whole time just waiting to see the villainous whale Monstro at the end. A good villain gives a story suspense and something for the hero to gain victory over.

So here is our story's villain...the Wolf King! An old powerful timber wolf that commands a small army of wolves in the forest that Winter Fox finds himself in. He is huge...about twice the size of a normal wolf and he rules the forest pretty ruthlessly...think of him like the head of a mafia.

As the main antagonist you will notice he is basically the opposite of winter fox in most ways. I wanted him to look sort of primitive and beast-like, however he is very well spoken and intelligent as you will see in the story. I think that makes a good contrast for a villain. This character was probably the hardest for me to design so far. A villain has to look really cool...almost as cool as the hero. I didn't feel I could go any farther with the illustrations until I finished this guys look...it is important for the story. Also there are wolves in a lot of children's stories. I wanted the Wolf King to look different from the illustrated wolves I have seen before.

So how will a small fox overtake this powerful wolf and his army? Stay tuned.....

Caribou Jack

A Caribou named Jack? Yep, another character winter fox runs into along his quest. Jack let's him in on a secret of why the animals in the forest seem so spooked...what's got them all so scared? Caribou jack just might have the answer...

Dream of the Orca

Another picture from later on in the book...we are really getting out of order now. Winter fox talks to one of the ocean's most feared predators. Is he friend or foe? You may be wondering "What in the world is going on in this book", It will all make sense when you see the book completed...I hope. Now that winter is here I will be working on the book more and I should be posting more frequently. I hope you enjoy the new artwork, this one is my fav so far!

The Great Grizzly

Probably not a good idea to ask a half hibernating Grizzly for directions in the middle of winter. Winter fox is just too good hearted to think there's any danger in it.

Lost!

After the Storm Winter Fox realizes he is lost in a forest he has never been in before. A giant Grizzly emerges from the dark behind him.

Snow Storm!

While out Exploring Winterfox gets caught in a Blizzard.

The Glacier Plains

Winter Fox loves to explore the world at night, after stargazing he takes a walk out on a glacier plains. Here we see how big the world can seem...especially for such a little fox.

This one was tough! I repainted the glacier 4 or 5 times before I got it right. Probably took about 6 Straight hours to nail it.

Envoy to an Open Field...

Winter Fox Watches the stars at night in an open field.

Welcome to My Project!

Hi Everyone. Welcome to my project blog. The project is a children's picture book called "On a Winter's Night", and it is about the adventures of a young white fox as he explores the mysteries of his huge beautiful world at night. While doing so he finds himself in a strange secret forest that sets him off on a special mission.

I am basing the overall "look" of the illustrations on production art from classic and modern animated movies to get a very cinematic look. Artist like Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle and Charley Harper are big influences. The great thing about production art for animated movies is that it tells the story without words. The pictures carry the message, and because of that there is so much "life" in that work. While my book will have words, the illustrations will carry most of the story and emotion. My main goal with this book is to provide a colorful, beautiful, ethereal dream-like world to escape into...like some of the great children's books I had as a child.