Huey Takes Flight

"Huey-Fireweed Song"  12x18

 

This is Huey!  Some of you may have seen Huey fliting about.  He is a new character I have been developing.  How do you develop a character?  Good question.

 

When I first painted Signore Greve I really had no bigger plan than to paint a fun picture of an Italian man with his dog on a bike.  Really, that was it.  One painting became five, become 20 became a book.  It was awesome!  Through no real plan of my own Greve took on his own life.  It was as if HE developed his own personality.

 

Wanting a piece of art for my bathroom I painted a cute little singing bird.  Man, that bird is cute so  I painted him again and named him Huey. (obvious name choice)  It sold.  Hmmmm, I could be on to something.  I painted three more, they too found homes.  Recently, Huey with a fox ( see post June 4th, What's the Password) was presented at the illustrators show at Blue-Hollomon gallery. What a great opportunity to get some feedback.   It sold!

 

So the answer to the above question is that I don't really know how to develop a character.  I am going to go with what I know.  Keep creating Huey.  Sketch him here and there.  Paint him here and there and slowly he will tell me more about who he is.  The cool thing is often a sketch won't come together and you realize it's because that's something the character just wouldn't do, a place they just wouldn't be.  I know, I know it sounds silly but it's true.

 

Like my journey with Greve I am now enjoying the great part of it all.  Pick up my pencil and brushes and see where Huey takes me.