I met with local turtle artist, David M. Carroll, to discuss his creative process and final works. David works with pen, pencil, and watercolor to create illustrations of spotted and box turtles. He has published books, such as Following the Water, on his findings throughout his career. After chatting with him for a while, I gained knowledge of his entire process from sketch to final piece.
Step #1: Inspiration
David starts his process with creative inspiration. This comes from local scenery and spotting turtles in the wild. He visits conservation lands during the turtles' active season to observe them in their natural habitat/
Step #2: Study
Secondly, David spends time studying his subject and producing a series of pencil sketches. At one point, he would even take a turtle he found home for a day or two to draw it from multiple perspectives.
Step #3: Sketch
Once David is satisfied with his studies, he moves to creating the sketch of the final piece. This sketch comes from his previous studies and is often a part of a series of works.
Step #4: Begin final piece
After the final sketch, David begins to layer watercolors to render the chosen image. He carefully works with light and shadow to illustrate his turtles. The final piece can take anywhere from 1 to 4 days, while a book could take up to 7 years. With this in mind, his final pieces sell for thousands of dollars to reflect his incredible commitment and craftsmanship.