“Welcome to this gallery featuring the original Storytelling Vignette Paintings created for my illustrated book, Webstrand, the Tooth Gatherer.

     Each vignette portrays a section of the text in pictures, to bring to life the imaginative narrative of the story. A visual chronicle of the journey that Fizz takes with her Elphen companion, Webstrand, the Tooth Gatherer. 

     The sixty-nine complete pieces of artwork, feature one-hundred and twelve separate illustrations -each capturing a moment in time, or portraying an element; whilst others are part of a sequence of events.

     For these vignettes I needed something special and so it was that I developed my own, unique method of painting, to give them the ‘imaginative’ quality that would evoke the style of my writing.

     Each illustration is worked through five principal layers, although the third, fourth and fifth layer includes more than one work-through to achieve the desired effect for the finished artwork. The first drawing out, is followed by detailed ink-line drawing of the composition, then a third layer of spot-colour washes. A fourth layer, comprising mono-tonal underpainting establishes the crucial light and shade tones in the subject, to give it depth and form. Finally, the fifth layer is applied, comprising a full colour palette of finely wrought glazes in oils.

     Comprehensive films showing these vignettes being created are available to watch as behind-the scenes Bonus Features for everyone who subscribes to the Elphen Treasure Chest on either Patreon or Vimeo.”

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Paul Taggart