Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year! Last year was an amazing journey! From attending the 13th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City in January to spending time at the NESCBWI regional conference in Springfield, MA, I had the opportunity to meet so many incredibly talented writers, illustrators, agents, editors, and art directors.
With 2013 already upon us, I have a lot of big changes and announcements in store. One of the biggest is the update of The AP Sabourin Studio website. With an expanding portfolio of work, the need to add some new features and sections to the site, and the importance of updating the design, coding, and responsiveness of the site, I've found it necessary to begin work on a new website.  As the new site develops, I'll post updates.
Last year, I began taking classes in web design. So, I'll also be putting up some more design related work as well.
May everyone have an exciting (and lucky) 2013!

Portrait of a Dog...as Raphael's Angelo Doni, Complete!

As usual, it's been a busy past few months. Between web design classes, freelance work, and my own illustration projects, my creative plate has been quite full!
I'll be posting some of my web and graphic design work in the coming weeks. Because my portfolio is rapidly expanding and evolving, I'm also working on a major overhaul of my website. I'm hoping to add an online store to the new site as well, through which prints, posters, etc. of my illustrations can be purchased. I'll post updates as the site develops.
A few months back, I put up some process work behind one of my pen and ink illustrations, Portrait of a Dog...as Raphael's Angelo Doni!, but never posted the finished version. Well, the wait is over! Here it is in all of its black & white glory!

Portrait of a Dog...as Raphael's Angelo Doni!

I did several quick pen and ink studies for a spot illustration I worked on about a month ago.  Before posting up the finished piece, I thought it would be fun to show some of the process work behind it.  I always enjoy looking through other artists' sketchbooks.  There's something about the rawness and unedited qualities of a sketch that just can't be replaced.  

It's also fun to see who artists are studying and referencing as they create their artwork.  When I first got the idea for the spot, Raphael's Angelo Doni jumped right into my head as the portrait that I wanted to include in the illustration. Immediately after, I did some quick pen and ink studies of different types of dog heads to put onto the body.  In the final illustration, I chose the Afghan Hound because of his hair and elongated muzzle, both of which resemble Doni's hair and long nose.  Any time I have the opportunity to peruse my art books for an illustration project, I eagerly embrace it!

Farewell, "king of all wild things"

On Tuesday, the picture book world lost one of its greatest talents, Maurice Sendak.  His career spanned several decades, stimulating and influencing the imaginations of so many people, young and old alike. While best known for writing and illustrating Where the Wild Things Are, his work also included In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and illustrations for the Little Bear series, just to name a few.  It's difficult to imagine the world of picture books without Sendak's work.  Like so many, I grew up reading and re-reading Where the Wild Things Are, losing myself in the world Sendak created and joining the wild things as Max cried, "let the wild rumpus start!" 

Indeed, as I got older and was being trained in the art of picture books, I gained a new found appreciation for the design, layout, and pacing of so much of his work.  As a great storyteller, Sendak incorporated so many complex storytelling devices while making the process seem so effortless. His unique, palpable characters and utilization of Winsor McCay's technique of correlating panel size to its corresponding events were just a few tools he used from his creative bag.  While as a child I loved to journey through his worlds of fantasy, now I enjoy studying those places and the genius behind them. 

So while we say goodbye to the "king of all wild things," countless generations to come will join Max in his private boat, help Mickey investigate the racket going on in the night kitchen, and celebrate a birthday for Little Bear with his friends.

If Elephants Could Fly...

After going through Winsor McCay's Little Nemo in Slumberland series, I really wanted to practice some of his page design techniques. His comic strips, from both a creative and design perspective, are absolutely stunning! In this case, to exaggerate the distance the elephant is travelling in the sky, I elongated the panel and incorporated some dramatic perspective. I gotta say, it was a nice break from my current workload and a fun little exercise!

Exclusive Mugshots of Chicken Licken Released by the Fowl County Police Department!!

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post! It would be an understatement to say I fell a little behind on my blogging duties! I'll have a lot of sketches, model sheets, and finished illustrations, though, that I will be posting both here and on my website come May. I'll also be adding a few new features on my webpage, including a section that will display some behind-the-scenes artwork that goes into each finished series of illustrations that I work on.
To kick off the first Monday in March, I thought I'd post a little doodle that was inspired by the Tomie dePaola Award competition a few months back, in which those participating had to illustrate an excerpt from the Chicken Licken story.  The Fowl County Police Department did not take Chicken Licken's actions very lightly! The poor animal is now a wanted criminal on the run!

Is that a Turkey Wearing a Santa Suit?!

I thought I'd have a little fun with this post and toss a seasonal sketch up. Anyone wondering what happened to the many Turkeys who escaped the Thanksgiving meal may have their answer here. Just make sure to look at those Santas at the malls closely. You never know who may be hiding behind that beard and suit!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! As a child, Halloween night is always an exciting time.  All of the preparation, from choosing a costume and setting up the festive decorations to carving a face on your pumpkin, leads up to that one night.  And when it comes, we can't wait for the school bell to ring and for classes to end so we may finally dress up and embark on our quest to trick or treat throughout the neighborhood! As an artist, I was always tried to think of new, creative faces to carve on my next Halloween pumpkin.  Once my designs were ready, my father and I would lay out the newspaper, gather the carving tools, and begin the facelift.  Looking back, whether it's carving out the pumpkin or trick or treating, Halloween can be quite the bonding experience between parents and children.  Hopefully the snow won't dampen the festivities too much up here in the northeast.  So, for all those kids young and old alike, be safe, have a fun time, and make those costumes good!    

An Art Show and Character Studies (What This Illustrator Does in His Free Time!)

The opening reception for the Hartford Art School Alumni Juried Exhibition went very well! There was a nice turnout.  The show contains a wide variety of styles and media.  For anyone interested, there is a exhibition catalog available for purchase at the following link:
2011 Hartford Art School Alumni Juried Exhibition Catalog

I'm placing a few more character studies / model sheets that I used as part of the Graduation series.  Seeing that one of the illustrations in the series, Graduation Celebration, is up in the alumni show, I thought it fitting to include a few more sketches that contributed to the development of both the characters and the story.

The rabbit was a fun character to design.  He is one of three teachers (the owl and the turtle are the other two), that the child dreams up.  While both scholarly and wise, he also has a good sense of humor and enjoys having a little fun.

When working on character studies, the challenge is to successfully create a personality that can be associated with your creations.  Poise, emotions, proportions, clothing, and so on all play an important role in creating a unique individual whom one can see living and interacting in his or her respective environment.

The Beginning of a Journey: The Art of the Character Model Sheet

The website is online, my Facebook fan page is running, and I'm now an official blogger! Thank you for stopping by and checking things out.  In the coming weeks, I'll be posting the latest news along with random sketches and doodles.  From time to time, I may also babble dotingly about great artists and the history of illustration. Being a history guy, I tend to subconsciously do that! 
Today, I have chosen to post a character model sheet of the owl teacher, who appears in my story of a small girl and her daydreams of a graduation ceremony. When working on character models, you learn just how beautiful this world really is. Birds are impressive creatures! From the stunning beauty of their feathers to the effective structure of their talons, I quickly appreciated the complexity of drawing such a subject. 
Anytime I work on a story, I try to construct these sketches to provide me with a three dimensional image of the character. It is an essential tool for all storytellers.  Some of the best model sheets, though, come from the animation studios. Looking at the stunning pre production work of the classic Walt Disney films and Looney Tunes shorts, just to name a few, serve as both an inspiration and a guide! Paper Dreams by John Canemaker and the Illusion of Life by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas are excellent examples of this.  
Well, it looks like I went off on another history tangent again. I better stop before I find myself writing The History of Illustration vol. 1!