From the Sketchbook:
Steve Light
This CBC series features illustrators sharing their creative process and providing context for their amazing artwork.
Our featured artist is Steve Light, the author-illustrator of many books, including Have You Seen My Dragon?, Black Bird Yellow Sun and a 2017 Best STEM book Swap! He lives with his family in New York City . Below, Steve talks about the process illustrating his board book Mama Tiger, Tiger Cub.
“This is one of my favorite sketches. I was struggling on how to show the Mama Tiger roaring without writing ‘Roar’ in big letters. I thought it was important for the mama to roar or ‘yell’ for her cub. Moms yell sometimes, that’s okay, they still love their little cubs. “
“This shows the love the mom has for her cub even if she yelled {roared} and was chasing him all day.”
“These are the cardboard shapes and stencils used for Slippery Fish and Fluttering Bird. I cut out shapes from chipboard and then use printing ink to print them for the final art. I cut out stencils, then use a stencil brush to paint the printing ink into the cut out shapes. This gives a very graphic look that I think works well for board books.”
More of Steve Light ’s art can be found in Mama Tiger, Tiger Cub, the companion to the celebrated board book, Black Bird Yellow Sun.
