Your Choice Is Your Voice; Local Stories, Personal Choices and the Importance of Craftsmanship

Your Choice Is Your Voice; Local Stories, Personal Choices and the Importance of Craftsmanship

Summary: This story begins on a walk with my son that leads to a little toad fishing and reading in a boat. I discuss authenticity in art and how we can choose to bring more of ourselves into our work.

Hello Dear Human,

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. Seriously, in this day and age… thank you.

In the following video I go over a few different topics. One is fairly practical and is about stretching watercolor paper. Branching out from there I come to the question of, “Why do I continue to do this?” We live in an era of AI digital images and fast feed scrolling, which begs the question, why go through the “hassle” of stretching watercolor paper?

My opinion has been, and remains to be, that there is always a place in our lives for things that are well-made, and that you consider to be beautiful. Our lives are made richer through experiencing these objects. This stems from my core believe in the ethos of the Arts and Crafts Movement which is summed up here by William Morris.

My goal as and illustrator and artist is to do things as well as I can do. Perhaps this comes from being raised in a home where things were fixed rather than purchased a-new, from grandparents who handmade quilts, and did woodworking in their spare time. Maybe I’m old fashioned. Be that as it may, the things that I enjoy in the world, the ones that I hold as being ‘valuable‘, all to a one, show evidence of careful consideration and quality craftsmanship.

Looking at the field of children’s books. We can see that many of the notable books that are out there today still hold true to this ethos. But there is of course an ever growing tide of books that seem to be done using drag and drop art with didactic messages. Do a simple YouTube search for AI children’s books brings an alarming number of video with titles like: “One Click to Children’s Books; No Thinking Required!” Maybe it has always been thus and I’m becoming more sensitive to it, but I don’t think so.

As a creator and lover of the arts, my response is to make the best work that I can, to continue to improve my craft through dedicated practice, and nothing more. And I hope, truly hope, that I can connect with YOU and others who share my belief in quality.

And I do mean you… if you’ve read this at all… then you are the kind of person I’d like to meet. Please reach out via my socials, or directly by email.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

And now… on with the show!

Transcript:

Hi, I’m Brian. Welcome to my studio. In this video, I’d like to talk a little bit about my illustration process, specifically how I stretch watercolor paper for this painting. In addition, I want to talk about craftsmanship and how our creative choices shape our visual voice — how our choice is our voice.

You may be asking yourself, why go through all the trouble? We have digital tools for that now, and they’re faster. It’s the 21st century. I’d ask instead, what happens to our visual voice when things are overly similar, when everything is too homogenized? What happens to our creative voice then? And additionally, what does it mean to make something that is built to last in an age that seems to be built to scroll? Interesting questions — let’s dive into it.

When you’re painting with watercolor, you’re actually putting a lot of water into the fibers of the paper. When they dry at different rates, the paper buckles. So, we stretch the paper so that it dries flat. That way, when we apply later washes, it returns back to that flat state.

This is called gator board. It isn’t called that just because I live in the South. It has a hard surface on top, and it’s easy to staple into with a staple gun. We’ll also need a clean sponge, scissors to cut the tape, and a little cheap T-square to help keep things square on the board. The only specialty item is paper tape — it has gum on one side.

After soaking the paper for about 5 or 10 minutes, it becomes the consistency of a well-cooked udon noodle. I gently lay it onto the board and use the sponge to pull out any excess water and air bubbles underneath.

Then, we apply the tape. Putting the tape in water activates the gum on the back. I use the sponge again to remove excess water and smooth it out.

Once the tape is in place, we move on to stapling it. Tape is great, but sometimes it peels up, so staples keep it secure.

With that done, we take it up to the studio and start painting.

I like to begin with an underpainting using Payne’s gray. This gives the form and volume — showing light and shadow. We can also start showing textures. I like my images to have a little space, so you can get into the world.

This is the “heart attack” moment — the first washes going over the underpainting after it’s dried. Here I’m using raw sienna, a nice warm undertone that helps to unify the other colors and give warmth.

I thought I’d talk a bit about where this painting comes from and what it means to me. I was walking in the side yard and happened to see a little toad sitting there. It got me thinking about local, individual stories — starting closer to home in a world that feels overly corporatized. I think we’re missing out on distinctive local cultures. We see this in language with dialects and music with different rhythms, and I think it’s important in visual storytelling and illustration too.

Starting more locally helps me connect more personally with the work. It starts to resonate. I can look out my window and see a landscape similar to this and imagine this little toad having adventures and fun.

So, what does it mean to make something built to last in a world where things seem built to scroll? I think there’s a lot of value in personal stories, and starting where we are is important. These personal choices and details help me feel connected with the work, and my hope is that it connects with others in the world, sharing some of the beauty of our lives through artwork.

In the end, I invite you to connect with the world around you — with the animals, the environment, the light, and the personal stories you see. Invite a little wonder into your world. By doing so, we can reconnect with our local environment, tell more personal stories, and create artwork with more of our own voice through craftsmanship.

I really enjoy creating these watercolor paintings and sharing them with you through these videos. I’m curious — what are your questions? Do you want to know about the tools and materials I’m using? Are you working on other projects and have questions? I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

THANK YOU!
As ever, I respond well to enthusiasm.
Feel free to leave a comment, share with friends,
and connect via The Socials

Brian Bowes
Children’s Book Illustrator

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