The beach that inspired my new story We’re Going to Build a Dam is Kiloran Bay
Having worked a lot on the layouts of this book, my focus is
now on the colour and texture of its beach setting. I’m doing colour roughs in
watercolour on Arches NOT, a french water colour paper which gives a bit of texture but what I really
want is that flecked, print-making look. Not being a print maker, I have to
replicate it with wax resistance and random patterns of masking fluid.
A visit to Old
Hunstanton Beach, after a Waterstones signing at Kings Lynn last Saturday, helped
me with beach details: the sky reflected in ripple patterns on
the wet sand – a raw umber colour – the debris: scattered scraps of seaweed,
driftwood, pebbles and shells in sharp relief on the long stretches of dry sand
– catching the light and casting shadows.
Each book, unless
it’s going to be a sequel to the last, demands a new look which is always a challenge.
I’ve decided with this one to emphasise light and shadow, using a black pen and
ink line, instead of my usual softer line. Here’s a colour rough.
