Fan Art .... For a baby nursery

A commissioned painting for twin baby girls!  YAY!

The backdrop is a nursery inspired by the children's book classic  "Where the Wild Things Are"  by Maurice Sendak.  This is called "fan" art.

How do I approach this?  Paying respectful homage to Mr. Sendak was first and foremost.  I knew I needed to choose a spread that represents the book yet leaves room for invention and fun. 

 I always begin with a very detailed drawing.  Good layout and composition is the foundation I need to begin any work.  I  can eventually stray from it but that is always where I begin.  I find a good spread from the book that I can manipulate to accommodate our girls, playing and swinging with our wild things.  Then it's time to add the details that I envision the twins will enjoy in the years to come...  the dog, squirrel, cat bird and boat.  I pump up the color to match the room, which is  turquoise and yellow.   

So there you have it! 
"Addy and Eve Go Wild"  With Congrats to the Lemmers! 

A tribute to this 50 year old classic and a painting the girls will probably fight over when they go away to college!  Maybe I shoulda split it down the middle... ?