Here are the watercolor studies of the series I showed the pencils for last week. One of the most frustrating things for me when scanning color work is adjusting the colors after applying the current color profile for the monitor I work on. Scanning even from different scanners will yield an image that looks almost identical to the original…UNTIL I apply the color profile, after which I have to knock back the saturation, adjust the levels, and tweak the hues. In this series, the hues that most consistently needed tweaking were the yellows.



I experimented with a couple of different background colors for the labels identifying the seeds: The lighter, yellower ones are gamboge nova, while the deeper gold ones are ochre.

I also tried a couple of different approaches with the “Nightshade Seed Co.” lettering, which is modeled on the Algerian font in Adobe Illustrator. To get the graphics as consistent as possible, I used Illustrator to lay out the graphics portions, including the curved top banner, the seed name label, and bottom banner, as well as all the lettering. Lettering for the seed name label and bottom banner are based on Calibri. In the version of Illustrator I have (CS4), once you bend the lettering you can no longer edit it as text. Once I printed out the graphics I transferred them to the watercolor paper (90lb. cold pressed for the studies) on my lightbox. All originals are 6″x4″ – although these are studies, these are the same size as the final art will be, or at least that’s the current plan.



By the way, the Fungi of Yuggoth are really Annuals, so that’s what the bottom banner will say in the final art.



I used waterproof ink for the lettering. The Triffid study took the brunt of shaking up an ink bottle I hadn’t used in months – if it wasn’t “just” a study before, it sure as heck is now.



One thing that I’m reminded of every time I paint over ink is that waterproof ink tends to repel watercolor (and ink wash, for which I use non-waterproof ink), creating an undesirable halo effect. I should experiment a bit with using non-waterproof ink for the lettering before going over with watercolor, but it’s probably easier just to wash over the lettering a second time while the first wash is still damp. That does seem to work.



In the post-adjustment scans, the background colors for the top and bottom banners have come out less consistent than they do in real life. There are definitely variations, which I will endeavor to overcome in the final artwork.



Any suggestions or advice are welcome.



I guess this is fan art, something I don’t do a lot of because of copyright concerns. I’m sure the estate of Saint-Éxupéry will come after me for the damages involved.

