Yup, I suppose summer is now officially over. The final traces of the Indian Summer from last weekend just petering off, and now we’re back to wearing jackets again. Shorts and flip flops put way till next summer. Now it’s about 18℃ during the day plus lots of rain. Lots of it. That’s the typical weather in the Netherlands. Unpredictable, but apparently it rains at least 200 days a year. Not surprising!
So I cheered myself up by making a quick cute sketch of this. Little One in her kawaii yellow raincoat standing under a big mushroom to keep herself dry. Actually I was intending to draw an umbrella but as I was not sure if it would end up as I wanted, I turned it into a mushroom! Even cuter.
I used Strathmore’s Tan Toned paper for this sketch. Compared to plain white paper, it seems toned paper makes the drawings more realistic (think about it, backgrounds and our environment are rarely white) and better unified in terms of composition. And of course, it’s easier to hide your mistakes when erasing. Check out this interesting art blog about the advantages of toned paper. It all makes sense!
I’m also getting into this combination of charcoal and soft pastels. They work so well together! Perfect with the toned paper too. The blacks are less harsh and the colours pop out more. I also like the softness these two mediums give as well as their vivid appearance and powdery texture. This softness enhances the kawaii-ness of illustrating Little One as well! And I love the yellow raincoat.
When I sketched this, I was in a mellow mood, enjoying sitting at home and listening to the drops on the roof whilst imagining the grass getting greener with the rain. No wonder I was drawn to the charcoal and soft pastels!
My Kawaii Quarter 