George The Mouse
A story exploration…
Inspo
Based on the Little Mouse Village by @simon_dell_tog on Twitter.
These mice are pictured in beautiful, rustic homes, and doing human-like activities. It fills my imagination with thoughts of anthropomorphic mice living in a small woodland village, where they live simple and cozy lives, running shops, making art, and keeping their homes tidy.
I had a vague idea of a mouse wandering outside of their village, looking for adventure, giving way to George the Mouse…
Double Page Spread Idea
George the mouse prepped his little nap sack and set out into the world to find adventure. Somewhat ill-prepared, he finds himself quickly running out juice.
“Hot and thirsty, he worries he might have to turn around. But what’s that, off in the distance? A juice stand!”
Thumbnails
Color Sketch
Final Illustration
My Thoughts
I wanted the colors to be warm and cozy, with lots of texture to accentuate the rustic feel of the original source material. George is surrounded by bright yellow and green to make him feel hot. It also helps bring the eye from him, down the path to the Juice Stand. The juice stand is in the cool shade, offering refuge from the heat, and contrast to the illustration.
Printing Guidelines
I set up my illustration with borders set up for the bleed and cut lines, as well as a guide for the image safety, and gutter.