Composition studies II

Another colour and composition experiment. I can't stop drawing paperbarks right now...

Ponyo BG studies II

A couple more studies of background art from Ponyo. I'm finding that gouache and coloured pencil is a really great combination. As far as I can tell this is what was used in the actual backgrounds for the film, along with pastels. Apart from being nice and opaque when you want, gouache appears to be quite suitable for watercolour like effects. However getting the right mixture is something that will take just as much practice and experience to do well. As for the coloured pencils, good quality ones proved essential for vibrant marks. Scribling away with dirty hands I really did feel like a child again.

Ponyo background study

It was time to learn gouache I thought... So here's a study of a background from the beautiful studio Ghibli film 'Ponyo'. After struggling with watercolour the past 12 months or so, it's so nice to use a medium which is pretty forgiving.