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It's back to the woods with another step by step GIF. The experience of creating an entire landscape by one's self is uniquely satisfying - we illustrators do create our own little worlds after all.
By: John Nez,
on 1/29/2016
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By: John Nez,
on 6/24/2015
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JacketFlap tags: photoshop, bears, #childrensbooks, #kidlit, step by step illustration, #kidlitart, #picturebooks, #pblit, Add a tag
And it's time for Mr. Bear to finally say 'Bear is finished!'
I like these step by step progressions so if you scroll through the arrows on the images you can see how each image changes.
And of course with photoshop there are many, many changes to be accomplished.
By: John Nez,
on 6/7/2015
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By: John Nez,
on 6/2/2015
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I think I fell for the socks on this one. I had to get out my 'french toast brush' to correctly render the breakfast. It was interesting working from the rough sketch to a rough finish - with lots of fun on the way getting there.
By: John Nez,
on 5/29/2015
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By: John Nez,
on 5/22/2015
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By: John Nez,
on 4/23/2015
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Back in the BC stone age, (before computers) I used to make my promotion cards with cut & paste. And with press-type. I hated how press-type would start curling up and the letters started to crack and fall apart. And how I'd run out of zeros and use an O instead.
It was really like doing surgery - precision cut & paste with dexterous hand skills required. I remember the gooey glue-brush and rolling up the leftovers into little sticky balls. lol!
By: John Nez,
on 4/18/2015
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Here's a collection of some spiffy new art I've painted up recently.
By: John Nez,
on 4/16/2015
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By: John Nez,
on 4/10/2015
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The evolution of Shakespeare into a cat. I'm not sure why this is important, but I felt compelled to finish drawing it out. I think Ben Johnson had a closer relationship with his cat. I read that he had a servant to keep it's bowl stocked with fresh vittles.
By: John Nez,
on 3/3/2015
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By: John Nez,
on 2/19/2015
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One more day of pushing the pencil and dropping in color. Bunnies, Foxes and a picnic.
By: John Nez,
on 2/7/2015
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By: John Nez,
on 1/3/2015
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I did the first drawing #1 about 6 months ago... and left it in my sketchbook. But I chose to work it up more for the card. Steps 1, 2 and 3 are the drawing evolution.
The line is pencil on WC paper... the color and shadow is all photoshop.
By: John Nez,
on 11/3/2014
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By: John Nez,
on 8/20/2014
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By: John Nez,
on 8/8/2014
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Sometimes in choosing the cast and characters, different choices pop up. I think the with original sketches for a book I tried I had a hippo, an alligator and this charming elephant family. But the chair stayed the same!
By: John Nez,
on 7/30/2014
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Here's a sneak peek from my new book.
By: John Nez,
on 7/28/2014
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By: John Nez,
on 7/14/2014
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Here are some of the different color designs I tried for little Fox's house in the woods. It's supposed to show as a movie though it started as an animated GIF.
I read that if you post an animated GIF to Twitter it is turned into a movie. So I tried it and it works... then I downloaded the movie and that can be posted onto FB. The things one never knew!
This only plays once, but the GIF repeats over and over.
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By: John Nez,
on 5/3/2016
Blog: the dust of everyday life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: John Nez,
on 1/29/2016
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Often I am asked: 'How do you make your illustrations?'
Naturally people want to study a step by step method - to figure out how artwork is created.
Well I use photoshop and a wacom and pens and brushes. But very often I don't even know myself. I know, that sounds mysterious... but it's true.
One very odd thing about working in a complicated digital method is that it becomes unthinkingly second nature. Sometimes I can work the most complicated procedures with little conscious effort. I remember one project that required multiple groups of linked layers in folders all set to unusual masking characteristics - and I did it all more with intuition than with planning. I'm sure I could never explain how to anyone... including myself. It is mysterious.
I just push the keys without looking mostly - and when someone needs tech help I have to go back and look at the keys to remember which ones I used.
So it's largely intuitive... which I like. And usually in Photoshop there are 3 different ways to achieve the same result, so really the medium is quite organic.
It's a little like how when Mozart was asked where the music came from, he would say he didn't know - it just appeared out of thin air. But I think it requires one to imbue the language of keyboarding into your thinking... learning everything about layers, masks, linking and artistry before that's possible. I know many people hate photoshop, which is understandable I guess. But this is the computer age and I find it a helpful skill to acquire.
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By: John Nez,
on 6/24/2015
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I like these step by step progressions so if you scroll through the arrows on the images you can see how each image changes.
And of course with photoshop there are many, many changes to be accomplished.
0 Comments on Mr. Bear is finally finished... as of 1/1/1900
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By: John Nez,
on 6/7/2015
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And of course everyone is waiting for the latest 'bear update' - well here it is. As you can see if you scroll down through a little, the figure began in a swirl of vague forms driven by the gesture. But now it's coming right along... taking care not to lose the spontaneity of the rough sketch.
My secret sauce will add some rough splashy color to increase the spontaneity.
0 Comments on The latest 'bear update' as of 6/7/2015 11:18:00 AM
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By: John Nez,
on 6/2/2015
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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And this child reminded me of my own child way back when... at the start when life was all wonderful.
0 Comments on The 'French Toast Brush' - don't leave home without it! as of 6/2/2015 11:50:00 PM
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By: John Nez,
on 5/29/2015
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Basically my working method is simple - I sketch & draw & draw & sketch until the tabletop is covered with sketches. Then the sketches are scanned into Photoshop... and when the pile of papers on my desk looks like it's becoming a fire hazard I tidy all the sketches into a corner by the cupboard, and keep on drawing. It's actually quite effective. Bridge keeps track of everything else.
0 Comments on My basic working method is simple... as of 5/29/2015 12:41:00 PM
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By: John Nez,
on 5/22/2015
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Out of the swirling chaos forms appear - sifted out from dozens of other choices. Soon enough the favorite choice gets made - or the current favorite I might say.
Draw, draw away idle dreamer of bears! I think this bear may have stolen my heart away, but I shouldn't tell him that.
0 Comments on Out of the swirling chaos forms appear... as of 5/22/2015 10:05:00 AM
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By: John Nez,
on 4/23/2015
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It was really like doing surgery - precision cut & paste with dexterous hand skills required. I remember the gooey glue-brush and rolling up the leftovers into little sticky balls. lol!
And after all that how amazing it seemed to do computer lettering. Freedom from all the limitations of real press-type letters and freedom to do anything.
0 Comments on Back in the BC stone age, (before computers) as of 4/23/2015 1:21:00 PM
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By: John Nez,
on 4/18/2015
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Here's a collection of some spiffy new art I've painted up recently.
0 Comments on Some spiffy new art... as of 4/18/2015 1:27:00 PM
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By: John Nez,
on 4/16/2015
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Once every blue moon I like to do an 'art piece' like this. I just can't help it - so it's easier to give in than resist. This was inspired by a scene from a BBC - PBS production - it's dark and somber instead of my usual cartoony dish of happy nursery fodder. I guess the fun part of making 'art' is one can just let go and be messy. This was all done with the wacom in photoshop.
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By: John Nez,
on 4/10/2015
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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0 Comments on The evolution of Shakespeare into a cat as of 1/1/1900
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By: John Nez,
on 3/3/2015
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This was fun to see the comparison between the computer screen outcome and the printed page outcome. It really is like magic that the two technologies are almost identical - even allowing for the different lighting conditions.
Lucky for me it's the innate charm of the concept and design along with the talent of drawing that makes the difference in any image... so that a robot can't do it.
0 Comments on A Magic Show on paper & screen as of 3/3/2015 9:58:00 AM
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By: John Nez,
on 2/19/2015
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One more day of pushing the pencil and dropping in color. Bunnies, Foxes and a picnic.
The fox sketch from the bottom was redone, to add more clothes. And then swatches of foxy patterns were added. Onward and upward with the Arts!
0 Comments on Once again it's time for Bunny & Fox! as of 2/19/2015 3:25:00 PM
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By: John Nez,
on 2/7/2015
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And finally it's time for our happy little line to get dressed. What? Dressing the line? How can that be - is it undressed? Heavens!
Yes, the raw line right out of the scanner is woefully under-dressed. It's just a plain Jane... it needs that little extra bit of pizzaz. So once again, it's Mr. Potatoshop to the rescue.
With a few artful clicks of the keyboard the line is enhanced first of all with brightness - contrast. There, it's looking a better already. Next we do a little quick touchup on the actual lines themselves - with a matching textured photoshop black pencil. Finally, our line is ready to go out and meet it's book page!
But first, let's add a touch of color - a little blush! And then, naturally once it's all dressed up we add the color and texture and all the other nice things to make it a real finished line, and proudly part of the artful page.
If you scroll through the images you can see all these steps in like magic.
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By: John Nez,
on 1/3/2015
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Here's a step by step of how I did my Dickens inspired holiday card. I think it took about 5 hours or so... and was loads of fun.
I did the first drawing #1 about 6 months ago... and left it in my sketchbook. But I chose to work it up more for the card. Steps 1, 2 and 3 are the drawing evolution.
The line is pencil on WC paper... the color and shadow is all photoshop.
0 Comments on My step by step of making a holiday card... as of 1/7/2015 8:03:00 AM
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By: John Nez,
on 11/3/2014
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The rainy day studio - no shortage of rainy days around here lately. In fact I'd venture the best word to describe of this Fall might be 'sodden'. Good weather for escaping to work.
0 Comments on The rainy day studio... as of 11/4/2014 10:38:00 AM
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By: John Nez,
on 8/20/2014
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: John Nez,
on 8/8/2014
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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0 Comments on Choosing the cast and characters... as of 8/8/2014 12:29:00 PM
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By: John Nez,
on 7/30/2014
Blog: John Nez (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I liked the storybook feeling that turned out on this page. There's an old fashioned decorative quality somehow. The fabrics are hand made... maybe that's it.
I think in general the world longs for storybook worlds to live in. I know I do...
0 Comments on A Foxy Sneak Peek as of 7/30/2014 1:46:00 PM
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By: John Nez,
on 7/28/2014
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First comes the pencil, which is the most important... and next a suitable color with texture is added. What you don't see is me making about 147 changes to every combination of colors, shapes, patterns and textures.
And then it's done!
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By: John Nez,
on 7/14/2014
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I read that if you post an animated GIF to Twitter it is turned into a movie. So I tried it and it works... then I downloaded the movie and that can be posted onto FB. The things one never knew!
This only plays once, but the GIF repeats over and over.
0 Comments on Some Foxy Colors as of 7/14/2014 9:53:00 AM
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