Drawing again, as if for the first time
thinking about character design with Quentin Blake
“I do a freewheeling sort of drawing that looks as though it is done on the spur of the moment. However even a single drawing needs a certain amount of preparation and planning.”
-Quentin Blank
I was recently asked what my illustration influences were, specifically when thinking about illustrating characters.
There were many that came to mind - but first and foremost was Quentin Blake.
I would categorize his work as “perfectly messy”. They feel so fresh, loose, relaxed. Like they were drawn in five seconds on the back of a napkin.
Blake himself once described his style as “deceptively slapdash”, though “if you know anything about it, [you know] it isn’t slapdash.”
Really analyzing his work, there is so much intention and forethought in the illustration that is cannot be “slapdash”.
So how does he do it? How does he keep his drawing looking so effortless? How does he ensure that things do not become overdrawn?
In this video where he discusses his inking process he explains - “I don’t trace it, I draw it again as if I’m drawing for the first time.”
(If you are interested, this video is actually part two of a three part series. The first can be found here, the third here).
I am currently taking a “Character Design” class with Kelly Light (which is where I was asked about my influences). I’m using the class to develop three characters in a story I have written.
This week we are focussing on character turn arounds (what does your character look like at every angle). I tried to use Quentin’s approach - first drawing roughs with pencil, making sure everything was consistent and accurate if this character was actually three dimensional and was turned around. I really labored over these, a lot of erasing and redrawing.
Then I used my own light table and drew it again, as if for the first time, several times, trying to get the expression just right.
Margo is also getting more into drawing specific people and animals rather than just random scribbles. When I ask what we should draw her response is usually - “Kitty” or “Shark” or “Boo” (from Monsters Inc.) or Dahlia (her best friend).
I’m really loving drawing with her now, we both draw on a huge piece of paper and she picks a prompt, it really keeps me on my toes and helps me to get some daily drawing practice in.