The Midnight Hare pages 22 and 23

The Midnight Hare, page 19

The Midnight Hare

These are preliminary drawings for a picture book, about a brown hare and a character called the Midnight Hare. This is the brown hare, The drawings are done in charcoal mostly, which has come out a nice brown colour because of the way it has been scanned. I used other people’s photographs for the details, though always change things around, because I don’t like copying direct from photographs. I have seen hares up in Oxenrig but they are too far off or too quick away for me to photograph with my own camera.

I did a drawing of the big white hare who comes at midnight, and because he was so pale I scribbled in some background colour with coloured pencils.  I have been trying to find a technique to illustrate this book, as my usual use of watercolour and ink didn’t work out.  Maybe I should try these coloured pencils.  I seem to have a lot of them, though I never use them.  I also seem to have a book about coloured pencil techniques, though I cannot remember buying it or owning it.  Is something somewhere trying to tell me something?