“it’s a really great story, lois. but no one would ever believe it.”
~editor in chief, the daily planet

so one dream of my heart came true this march:

my faerie tale feet art was included in a litjoycrate!!

i got to paint a double-sided woodmark celebrating the one and only superman/clark kent for inclusion in their dc icons SUPERMAN: DAWNBREAKER march box!!

have a look at some images from when i was creating the piece, and then i’ll break down all those icons in the background on clark’s side… :)

thank you SO much for all of your social media shares and tags on instagram celebrating this little victory of mine. it was oodles of fun to explore all the incarnations of the man of steel (ooooh, did i steal everything the library had to offer during my research phase!), and i’m really proud of how these paintings turned out! :D

as is my standard practice for any faerie tale feet piece, i get my hands on as much reference material as possible.i raided all the local libraries for superman comics new (YIKES.) & old (YES!!). and watched every era of cartoon and re-telling … — as is my standard practice for any faerie tale feet piece, i get my hands on as much reference material as possible.
i raided all the local libraries for superman comics new (YIKES.) & old (YES!!). and watched every era of cartoon and re-telling they had. (1940’s war era, the adventures of lois & clark, smallville… all of it!!)
of course i marked some pages with sticky flags for reference (cape! legs!) and got to make up most of it after being all sorts of nostalgic & inspired.

i was struggling with feet position for the superman side of the woodmark.thankfully, my nephew bradley had gotten this ornament for Christmas last year & it was hanging on the tree, so i took some pics during family dinner because when have i e… — i was struggling with feet position for the superman side of the woodmark.
thankfully, my nephew bradley had gotten this ornament for Christmas last year & it was hanging on the tree, so i took some pics during family dinner because when have i ever been normal? ;)

so once i’d finalized my sketches and gotten them approved by the ladies at litjoy, i transferred my drawing to watercolour paper. (i photocopy it to scale, then re-trace it with transfer paper in-between so it leaves a blue line on my painting pape… — so once i’d finalized my sketches and gotten them approved by the ladies at litjoy, i transferred my drawing to watercolour paper. (i photocopy it to scale, then re-trace it with transfer paper in-between so it leaves a blue line on my painting paper.)

& here’s clark kent’s side of the woodmark in progress— with icons in the background representing his past, present, and secret identity.

here’s clark’s drawing transferred down (i used graphite transfer paper instead of blue so i’d get more pencil/newspaper-y lines instead of blue ones that would get hidden in the sky background like on superman’s side.)

and the funnest part of the whole process: adding colour!!i mix my gouache (a vibrant, opaque watercolour) on paper plates so i can re-use all my mixes. so here’s some of the colours i used and layered on both paintings. — and the funnest part of the whole process: adding colour!!
i mix my gouache (a vibrant, opaque watercolour) on paper plates so i can re-use all my mixes. so here’s some of the colours i used and layered on both paintings.

i worked both sides simultaneously— slowly building values and subtle colours.

& here’s a nearly-done image of clark kent’s side of the woodmark!you can see imagery like:-the tractor (boyhood in smallville, kansas)- kryptonite shard-a plane (“it’s a bird! it’s a plane! it’s superman!”)- his glasses (some disguise, dude. bu… — & here’s a nearly-done image of clark kent’s side of the woodmark!
you can see imagery like:
-the tractor (boyhood in smallville, kansas)
- kryptonite shard
-a plane (“it’s a bird! it’s a plane! it’s superman!”)
- his glasses (some disguise, dude. but boys in glasses are hot, so i’m not complaining.)
- newspaper (he’s a reporter, after all)
-the daily planet globe logo
-and more reporter necessities: his hat, coffee cup, & typewriter.
i loved playing with the juxtaposition of him saving lois on one side (she was rather daft in the old cartoons!), and the laid-back ease of his reporter self with his feet up on the desk like he hadn’t a care in the world.

and here’s a look at my sketchbook where i was working out design and layout for both sides, my mini*moleskin where i take story/character notes, the brushes i used, just a couple of the books i got from the library (there were MANY), my gouache tub… — and here’s a look at my sketchbook where i was working out design and layout for both sides, my mini*moleskin where i take story/character notes, the brushes i used, just a couple of the books i got from the library (there were MANY), my gouache tubes, and value study and pattern-making tracing paper goods. :)

“this sounds like a job for superman.”

~clark kent

thank you again, litjoy crate for letting me create these very special pieces of art for your readers!

here’s to next time!! :D

(please contact me if you’re a bookbox, author, or store looking for an illustrator for an upcoming item, or looking to wholesale my faerie tale feet bookmarks!! it would be my privilege to help you share the love of reading with your fans!! ) :D