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Every morning starts with writing letters. #quarantineart

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I tend to mix my watercolors on paper rather than a palette, so I end up with lots of these strips, made from the cut ends of my final art. Two more paintings to go, then the cover, then back cover and ends. I can see the light!

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Slowly but surely. #weekendwarrior

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Gauguin palette

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This woman is going to take over the world. Watch out. #raisingstronggirls

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Today’s progress on the master copy. This is my retirement plan, painting beauty, so I figure I might as well do a little along the way.

[aaronbeckerillustration]

As far as I can tell, Gauguin did not build up paint from an underpainting other than basic line work, so copying him becomes an exercise in paint-by-number. It’s fascinating to watch his choices in value and color emerge into their balance without approaching the build up of value in a more progressive manner. Would love to know more from anyone with expertise in his methods.

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Arrives before Valentine’s Day - 3 for 2 you know where.

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Underdrawing in cobalt blue for master copy #gauguin

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Lately everything feels like a metaphor.

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This is David Macaulay's sketchbook from when he was developing The Way Things Work. I got to look through it during his masterclass @norman_rockwell_museum last weekend. It was amazing to learn about his very particular way of seeing the world. His book Castle was the inspiration for the cover of my first book. And amazingly, during his slides, he showed comps for his latest project. One of the working titles? JOURNEY #fullcircle

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That moment when you know you’re on to something.

[aaronbeckerillustration]

By the time I do my pencils, I’ve already figured out most of the drawing; a combination of an initial pencil thumbnail and digital color sketch which I’ll also use as a guide when I paint. I take that final digital comp and print it out lightly in pink on toothy paper, then use red pencil as a first pass and then a 2B lead for the final drawing. Later, when I scan, I can remove the pink lines. I print the digitally colorized pencils on arches hot press 300 lb watercolor paper on my Epson P800, the inks of which won’t bleed when I apply the paint. A long process, but it works for me!

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It’s not every day an indie children’s bookstore opens in your community. And it’s not everyday that you walk into one and find your book on display more artfully than ever. @high_five_books has discovered that stacking two copies on top of each other in the window makes the colors shine in their full glory! Thanks Lexi!!!

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Pencils first.

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Looking for center.