Welcome to the neighborhood, in this 3rd part of the series about making an illustration set in India for my new picture book. The story about children’s sleeping places in different cultures around the world was written by Rebecca Bond. It will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2020.
In this scene, the boy’s house takes up 2/3 of the spread and the surrounding village is pictured in the left 1/3. I used a lighter colored background to separate it from the darker house in the foreground. And since the house is blue, I thought, why not offset the sky with green?
Making little dwellings is a favorite diversion, so working on this part of the illustration was a total indulgence!
Roof tiles emerge in rows of fly stitches…
and tube beads strung with wire stack up to make a front porch post.
There’s always seams to be an area that needs tree and leaf embellishment.
This story focuses on children, with adult figures off in the distance, so they have to be really tiny.
She may be one of the smallest wee people I’ve put in an illustration. I loved making her outfit and braiding her hair.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this little peek behind the scenes. To see the whole piece, please go to Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
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Totally enchanting—& educational!
I cannot wait for this beautiful book! As soon as it can be pre-ordered, do let us know! Thank you for the peeks.
Salley, amazingly creative and interesting. Do you make your own felt as it does not appear to be what is available commercially?
all the best Ann
Thank you Ann. I use all kinds of felt, mostly wool blends. I do not make my own, as that would take too much time and attention away from stitching. Luckily, I was able to purchase a stash of naturally dyed wool/rayon felt years ago, which you may be noticing. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.
I continue in awe of your beautiful work. Your sharing with us is sooo appreciated.
Your work is amazing. I love the colors and the little details. Your skill at embroidery is inspiring. Thank you for sharing the little peeks.
Salley,
I am continuously in awe of your knowledge, dedication and ability to execute these wonderful stories told through innumerable stitches, one at a time. Your work will be preserved for many, many generations to come.
Love seeing the progress of the pages. Thanks for sharing your amazing work
Lovely work Salley.Such a lovely idea for a book.
All I can say is WOW!
Wonderful !!! how you always find the “right” bits (like that skirt 😉 !)
And your beautiful stitching …. ahhhh … can’t get enough !
Oh my gosh! I in love with all of this! If I had one, I would definitely share it with the children in the palliative care unit. They would love to see that! So precious….I will have to see if one gets available…let us know,
Loving this work, every detail. Noticed an interesting post on the Delaware Museum of Art Instagram of a work by Joyce Scott.
Such impressive artistry. You should be very proud….. and I assume you are one of those very rare people who really LOVE their job? Thanks for sharing.
So freaking exciting – cannot wait to see the finished book!!