“Wood” illustration Friday

“Wood” • for illustration Friday, week of April 15-21. Copic MultiLiner SP 0.05 & 0.1 on Arches 300GSM 100% cotton. This week’s theme evoked a strong image in my mind and I decided to get involved in the weekly challenge. Trees and water are two of my favourite things to draw, perhaps because they’re two of my favourite things in life. I could quite happily live in a tree house out in a forest somewhere, far off the grid – and spend my days in a nearby ocean with fish to talk to and a kraken for a guard dog.

The more I get out and actually look at the world, the less of it there is to see. I have to travel a long way from my little home to take my kid out to see real forest. Near me, it’s all being torn down with the spread of the great ‘urban sprawl‘. There’s not a decent climbing tree with coo-ey, and there’s certainly nowhere I’d be able to teach her how to successfully hunt insects just to see what they’re all about. All the stuff I had available to me as a kid: it was marvellous. And unless you live half way to nowhere, it’s just plain gone now.

As for the rabbits in this illustration: you can come to your own conclusions about their story. If you have one, I’d love to hear it. I just don’t think it is the kind of material that will make a kids’ book.

Anyway, this is what I saw when I read the word “wood” this week, and here it is. Maybe I should put a bit of watercolour on this one, but I’m undecided. I think I’ll go sleep on it:) I’ve been unwell for nearly a week now. That is properly unlike me and I’m so tired of it. I’m off back down the rabbit hole for a nap.