Inject humour into fantasy art

Therese Larsson shows you how to amuse the viewer in this storybook illustration from a classic children’s fairytale

Therese Larsson adds a twist to a classic scene.

over the course of this workshop I’ll demonstrate the techniques I use to create digital storybook art from scratch. I prefer to have a more traditional approach to my art, using underpainting techniques and painting on as few layers as possible, and sculpting light and shape using some of my favourite brushes that I’ve acquired over the years.

I like to use brushes that emulate reallife media, such as oil colours or chalky pastels. I believe that textured brushes add a lot of life to a composition, and that there’s beauty in an object that doesn’t look overly polished and smooth. Textures can also make an illustration feel more detailed than it really is, saving the artist a lot of time.

I plan to depict a scene from the wellknown children’s story of Little Red Riding Hood, but with a funny twist to it. Dog owners will recognise the way canines can become oblivious to their surroundings and be completely mesmerised by food, and it’s always good to have people be able to connect to the art by showing scenes which are funny in an everyday way.

People love to feel and think when they look at art, so try to tell stories with your illustrations. It’s more important to have a great idea presented in a fairly straightforward manner, than produce a more advanced painting that has no story to it. So before you start, give yourself time to think. What’s your theme? Can you add a twist to it? How do you make people connect to your art?