Illustration

Bruce Langton

Bruce Langton was born around 1952 in Minnesota but was raised in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin he spent many hours on the lakes and in the fields with his father and brother fishing, hunting, and observing nature. Langton started painting at an early age and had his mind set on being a professional artist since the 3rd grade. Today he is married with two children living HERE in Granger, Indiana.

Bruce Langton is an artist who is known all over the world. His art includes illustration, which is the person who does the art work for books, as well as fine art such as painting and etchings. He is well known for his animal and wild life paintings as well as his drawings of people. His books such as H is for Hoosier and Counting Cardinals have won many awards.

Here are several images from the front covers of the books that were illustrated by Bruce Langton...

Today's project is going to be using pencil to LIGHTLY sketch a drawing with a bird or animal and their surroundings and then a watercolor fill in over the pencil drawing.

Step 1 - Think about what bird you want to draw, look at pictures of birds (as Bruce Langton recommends) and write a letter in a phrase such as "O is for Owl" or "F is for Flamingo".

Step 2 - Sketch a drawing of your bird with their features and shapes for beaks, wings, feet/claws, eyes, and feather shapes. Please remember to FIRST draw lightly and keep drawings simple (don't draw too tiny). See some examples below.

Step 3: Watercolor time! Remember watercolor paint thickness changes by how much water you use. If you use a lot of water its more clear. If you use very little water and more paint its very bright and solid looking. The idea is to play with this. You can practice first on your letter and sentence or background before your bird. Don't be afraid have fun with the paint!

Wouldn't you love to read books with beautiful illustrations like these?

Graham Fronek

Bella Campbell

Ella Gour

Caroline Hart

Alexis Werner

Marie Stambaugh

Tanner Post

Supplies List:

Name tags, 9x12 Paper,
Watercolors,
Paint brushes,
Water cups,
Dry racks