Page of rough sketches for The Midnight Hare

Well, it is the New Year, and I am over the lurgy and there is no reason now not to get going on the pictures for “The Midnight Hare”… I have already done several roughs of the whole book, I have been experimenting, but now I am thinking that I might paint the pictures on Ingres paper, which is pastel paper, only using gouache and some crayon.  This coloured sketch is my first recent foray into this, although many years ago gouache on coloured paper was one of my preferred media.  However, I painted on bright backgrounds (usually for cover designs), and the printing quality in those days, even when done for large publishers, for whom I was working, made my designs look very gaudy, as the background bled through and distorted everything.  But then, what do you expect, when painting on crimson and deep purple. I tried printing out this little sketch on my copier and to my amazement it came out almost exactly right vis-a-vis accuracy. I think there is more vivacity in using these media.  I have a real pash on Vuillard at the moment, and much of his work was done with either oil or distemper on cardboard, so maybe that is what gave me the idea.  I have ordered some more Ingres paper, only it is a bit thicker than the paper I used for this sketch. A month or two I printed out a design for the cover of The Midnight Hare” and got some postcards made, but on consideration I think the design looks peely-wally, so maybe that too has taken me off into this new direction.  I am looking forward to getting back to work.