Uncertainty is part of the process

Early thumbnail explorations for Plate 3

When a painting stalls, I eventually accept it's time to rethink, no matter how far along I am. It is a tough decision to redo, but as painful as it is, the new version goes much quicker.

Version 2 meant simplifying everything. Starker castle, quieter doves, a high mountain setting, and Snow White as the clear focal point, seen from above, small and innocent against the cold and towering castle walls.

Version 2 — simplified, Snow White as the focal point

If you look closely, you can still see my perspective construction lines beneath the drawing, the architecture of the image before the art takes over. There are also ghosts of doves that never made it into the final composition. And as far as those wing tips on the far left, I am still undecided. They may or may not appear in the finished piece, and that uncertainty is part of the process too.

A note on the doves. I never place anything in an illustration without a reason. The white doves surrounding Snow White are not simply “atmospheric.” They represent her innocence. She moves through this cold, imposing castle unaware of the danger closing in around her, and the doves flock to her naturally, as if drawn to that purity. Every element in an image is an opportunity to tell a deeper story, and symbolism is one of my favorite tools for doing that subtly, beneath the surface.

Her full character reveal comes in August when she meets the huntsman.

I'm deep into Plate III of Little Snow White, and wanted to share some working sketches from my process before the first washes of color go down.

Every illustration starts with thumbnail sketches to work out the scene, and sometimes they fight back. Plate 3 is a courtyard scene set just before the queen sends her huntsman after Snow White. I wanted to show Snow White in her castle environment, a prisoner who doesn't yet know it, feeding doves while her mother watches from above.

The trouble is I love medieval castle architecture, making tons of reference studies. I over complicated things, and my first version got away from me. The castle, the courtyard details, even the doves competed with Snow White instead of framing her.

Version 1 — too much castle, not enough Snow White

The refined underdrawing, almost ready for its first washes of color