From "Show Me a Story" compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus. Leonard Marcus : Can you describe your line in comparable terms? In the George and Martha books, for instance, are you trying for a "heavy" line to emphasize the characters' massive physique? James Marshall : It's heavy, but my hand shakes a little when I do it. I do it in pencil and then I trace. Sometimes I do a basic pencil drawing to establish an architecture for the drawing. I really cannot stand it if something in a picture is misplaced. Scale is very important. I think I learned a lot about scale from looking at Maurice's work, although he and I don't approach scale in the same way. For me, it is like focusing in and out. There is only one point where that character should be in relation to the frame and to the viewer and to the back wall, and I spend hours erasing, pulling it down, bringing it up, until it's absolutely perfect, the way I want it. And then I have to forget all of that and make the line come alive for the finished drawing. #dailydrawing #dailyreading #sabinareads #childrenbookillustration #leonardmarcus #jamesmarshall #georgeandmartha #perfectionism #idonthaveit https://www.instagram.com/p/BvB_2GHF3C0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14dje6mif2krv
