Illustration work this fortnight has centred on images for Rosemary Whittaker's wonderful Pom Pom books. This is a back cover image, painted twice the size it will appear on the book. When the illustration is reduced all the fine detail remains and gives a nice crisp image.

Pom Pom is a very cheeky monkey who has decided to live with young James and his parents. He leaves a trail of mess and startled people wherever he goes, but he barely seems to notice. He is sure that everyone appreciates him as much as he appreciates himself.

Painting Pom Pom is great fun as Rosemary usually gives me a few chapters to read prior to beginning work. The stories are full of life and humour, so selecting subject matter is easy - I'm spoilt for choice. We discuss options with the help of some quick sketches sent through our favourite messaging system, and then I'm off.

I usually send through a progress photo for Rosemary like the one below. I know what it's like to wait, and wait, and wait for a picture to appear-and I'm the one doing the work!

I'm in Australia and Rosemary lives in Denmark. To me, that means Pom Pom is one international little monkey.

I thought I'd share some photos that track the progress of a painting. This is The Purple Pushy from early stages to finished work. I take photos as I work - it's great to keep a record of the stages a painting goes through, but also because I can see the defects in a piece more clearly by looking at a photo of it.

Not every painting works out. Sometimes I work for days before I get a sense that the piece I'm working on will actually turn into something special. At those times it is a challenge to continue rather than resigning the picture to the bin. I've learnt that process and patience is the key. 

Enjoy

Early stage - wobbly wheels and all

Getting that wet pavement right gave me confidence!

Decision time - how much detail should the background hold?

A few more finishing touches...

This is the final picture that currently hangs in my exhibition.
One viewer was astounded, telling me he couldn't believe
that the lines of the wheel spokes were 'there but not there'. I love those reactions.

The exhibition is on the walls, I've had a good long sleep, now it's time to get back to what I call my 'big picture'. I've been painting this one since April 2014, just doing 2-3 hours a week, I'm glad that it's getting close to finished, and proud of how it has progressed.

Here are a couple of photos from the opening of my exhibition this week. I suggested that guests download magnifying apps to help them view the finer details of the works on display. Getting all interactive added a little fun to the night.