Abhorsen’s House
May 28, 2010 at 12:42 pm kaliciesemier 5 comments
Posted by: Kali Ciesemier
Book: Sabriel (purchase on Amazon)
Oh boy guys, it was so hard to choose what to draw this month! Sabriel has a harrowing encounter with a Mordicant, she finally makes it to Abhorsen’s house (her childhood home), AND meets her sardonic traveling companion and friend/foe, Mogget the cat (who isn’t really a cat after all). I did a lot of preliminary work and made several starts on different scenes which are chronicled on my blog. In the end however, I went with a spot sort of illustration of the entrance to Abhorsen’s House, complete with Mogget at the door. I’ve been drawing a lot of dark stuff for this book, and I wanted to do something a little brighter and lighter.
Abhorsen’s house is located on a tiny island in the center of a river at the very lip of a waterfall (fast water is an excellent defense against the dead!). It has tall whitewashed stone walls surrounding it, and the house itself is also white with a cheerful sky blue door and a red brick path leading up to it. With all the white in it, I thought I’d try sort of a spot style incorporating the white space of the page, but I ended up getting into some of the details. I think it turned out as a cross between a spot and a full page? Lemme know what you think!
Check out http://kalidraws.blogspot.com for more info and pictures about this latest adventure!
Entry filed under: Sabriel. Tags: .
1.
lizardek | May 28, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Spot on!
2.
Andrew | May 28, 2010 at 7:09 pm
I devoured the Abhorsen series when I was younger, and it’s really quite nice to see art inspired by Mr. Nix’s many words.
I love the little details, like the stars and shadows on the door, and the (of course) tiny little bell on Mogget’s neck. And that brick walkway! Gorgeous.
3.
Sarah W | May 28, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Hooray!
….the write up on your blog is fascinating (and I already look forward to a few of the little sneak preview-y things implied in the rough guideline). It’s really neat to see the detail/thoughts behind the illustration choices. And free-magic Mogget looks fantastic!
4.
Pragmatic Mom | June 1, 2010 at 7:19 pm
That watercolor illustration is so awesome! I love the shadowing!
I wanted to share my list of Favorite Picture Books You’ve Never Heard of at http://www.pragmaticmom.com/?page_id=1919
Pragmatic Mom
Type A Parenting for the Modern World
http://PragmaticMom.com
I blog on children’s lit, parenting and education
5.
Azdaja | November 16, 2010 at 6:04 am
Absolutely gorgeous. I adored this series growing up (and still do!) and the art you’ve done of it is quite exquisite!