Marigold Print

Each Year I create a new limited edition signed and numbered 11" x 11" print. The tradition started many years ago when Julia urged me to create a new print for a convention or event that was 'just pretty'. She thought that we had plenty of images of mice wielding swords and threatening snakes and owls––that the audience, especially women, appreciated when I just drew tender moments, or nature, or flowers.  I followed her advice, and for years now fans have proven her right by anticipating and purchasing the new square print I offer annually.

This year the piece is titled 'Marigold'. Below I'll show the step-by-step of creating the art.

The last few years of botanicals have mostly been in the pinky-purple color range and my first inclination was to do a flower with some yellow or orange warmth, some sunshine for all of us mice. Then picked a Matriarch whose robes/cloak was in the blue range (contrasting color to orange) and saw Laria from the stained glass portraits from the Matriarch chamber in Black Axe as a perfect addition. I drew her on one sheet of copy paper, the marigolds (looking at reference) on another (with the shield),  and then the leaves on yet a third.

These were assembled in Photoshop and I did a fast color blocking to help me visualize the final as well as see the different shapes clearer in the next step.

I printed the digitally assembled layout/pencils and taped them to the back of a sheet of Strathmore 300 series bristol. On my Huion lightpad I was able to see through the surface of the bristol to the printout to use as a guide while I inked with a Copic Multiliner SP 0.7 nib pen.

Line weight in the marigold petals and her robes plated a big part in making the inks work and offsetting the areas where I did more fill-in or texture like on her hood, sleeves, cloak, and the rocks. I'd originally envisioned her hood being ringmail, but then decided to ink it more like it's a coarse knit or crochet texture. But in the end, I think it's still ambiguous. 

The inks were scanned and using the layout color blocking to pick from, I layed in flat colors. This first step of coloring is called 'flatting' for that reason, it's simply about establishing color areas with flat (not shaded, not textured) base colors. 

There were still several tweaks I needed to make to all these base colors in terms of hue, value, and saturation before I got to the flat version you see here. At this stage I also establish color holds (areas where I want the inks to be a color other than black) on her knit/mail, the shield design, the darker areas behind her, and the marigolds going off into the distance.

The last step was to render the colors. I used the dodge and burn tools in Photoshop with a stock textured brush to get all the lights and shadows. In a few placed I painted with the paintbrush tool (something I rarely use) to blend in the marigold buds that have not opened yet to have yellow tops.

The Marigold signed and numbered print debut at ECCC and is 

now available in my online store.

As this is the 15th year I've been doing these, here are the past year's 11x11 limited prints (many of which are available in a bundle in my online store) and links to blogposts for these pieces below

2012 Peacock

2013 Raspberry

2014 Moonflower

2015 Lavender

2016 Juniper

2017 Rose

2018 Elderberry

2019 Teasel

2020 Sharon

2021 Yarrow

2022 Pinecone

2023 Clematis
2024 Foxglove

2025 Belladonna