Mosquito Book work in progress

Here are some test pics from Chapter 1 of the forthcoming book about the clarinet-playing mosquito.  I finished the storyboards a few months after Nufonia Must Fall was released.  Louisa Schabas and I had so much fun working on that book that we decided to start another project together.  I showed her the storyboards and went on tour.  When I got back she had made me a gift and wrapped it in a 1’x1′ box.  It was a model replica of the mosquito’s bedroom from Chapter 1.  At that point we decided to shoot each panel of the book by way of photographs of miniature 3D models.  That was almost 4 years ago.  

Since then Louisa Schabas and Corinne Merrell (Set designer extraordinaire and head mistress of wackness control)  have been busy building the sets for each of the scenes.  In between tours I sculpt as many mosquitoes, cinnamon rolls, and corn kernels,  as my fingers will allow.  It’s been quite the steep learning curve, lots of clays and paints drying up under the lights but we’re getting there.  We are still only about a third of the way into the project.   I will keep you posted as we move along… these are test photos…  some are missing backgrounds and proper lighting etc… we’re just posting these because some of you wanted to see what was going on in the studio up here.

here is the mosquito in the tent at a music festival waiting to get on stage…

what the hell am i doing here?

the audience at the county fair.  Louisa made some denim overalls for the cobs of corn.

very enthusiastic starches…

more light/shadow tests inside the house…

A shot of the kitchen at the mosquitos parents’ house in the country.  This photograph was taken by the very talented Mr. Paul Labonte.  notice the tomato.  yes.  the tomato.

here’s a shot of the stage at the county fair in the studio.