Children’s Book Illustrator - tale illustrator - Monika Vass

Nyunya and the Sea Monster illustration

I would like to share my drawing-technics with You, who is visiting my new site. Maybe it can bring some new experiences..:)

So, the first what I do is to DRAW! It sounds very simple , isn’t it!? But seriously, first I imagine the picture in my head, and then create a rough with HB or 2B pencil ( it depends what I have at home :))┬á on paper A4. When I feel ok, or sometimes fabulous (rearly) it is ready to clean-up, I use a non-permanent black pen, the exact name of it is Stabilo OHPen Universal. I tell because this is a wonderful pen, helped me a lot during work. After all these I scan the picture on 300 dpi in Photoshop as PSD format. In Photoshop the first thing what I do is to choose the right colors for the background, because later they can’t be changed so much, for example: the sky is blue, the tree and grass are green, the water can be dark blue, etc..

The moon expedition illustration

Later it will be easier to compare the colors with the smaller details. Normally I use the paint bucket to fill the big areas, after with Tablet I can paint with the brush tool, to make some shadows I use in multiply mode. But the most important in coloring is the bright-feeling when I am watching the picture, it shouldn’t upset me.
Sometimes happens to me that I am not satisfied with my result, then I have to import some different layers with other characters or new details.

So that is! I hope I said everything for You, anywhere You are!

I was just a little child, when I grabbed my pencil and started to express my feelings. We can say that I couldn’t run out of ideas: loved to draw comics, funny characters and also everything what I’ve had mood for. I didnt know this time, but my family understood that I’m able to draw till the smallest details even if this takes up a lot of time: half a day or several days too. In the last year of the Primary school I had make a big decision : Do I want to do this seriously or it is only a childish joy? I’ ve got the answer…

Monika Vass - 8 years old

I finished Fine and Applied Arts Secondary School of Budapest at Animation class in 1997. In the same year I had an entry to the biggest animation studio in Hungary, Pannonia as a Clean-up artist, where I’ve got my first real word cartoon experiences. I wasnt a simple person, when they dropped me out through the door, I came back from the window, and when I was dropped again, the next step was the chimney… It doesn’t mean they didn’t need me, only I was need to do my best, to climp up in the gradiation.

After this year, I’ve changed my workplace to Studio Varga where I’ve been worked for 5 years. They respected my workstyle, therefore I became a character supervisor in Budapest and also in China for 2 months.
After 3 years next to the job I’ve had a brand-new exercise, I became a mother. That was clear for me I had to change my lifestyle, and can’t work with the same intensity then before.

Monika Vass illustrator

Between 2004 and 2007 I was working as clean-up artist in Studio Baesarts and Studio Fabula. That was an out work.

Long time ago the idea was in my mind, til my sons will reach the age of school years, then I have to open myself for different sides of arts. Therefore I applied to the Central European University ( CEU ) and successfully passed the exam in the class of Media. After all these My interest turned to the computer graphics, then I passed a Photoshop Course, later an Illustrator course (online and self-taught).
In computer animation the first step was to know the basic of Adobe Flash, but it was not satisfying me as much as Anime Studio (previously Moho). It provides more freedom in animation for me than Flash.

During these I’ve got my first commissions, like logos, webdesigns, prints, and next my biggest dream, to make children book illustration.
This dream came true this year, the commission by Mediadam, Our Kindest Childrensongs (Legkedvesebb Gyerekdalaink) will be published in january of 2009.

Please feel free to contact me by the Contact page of this site!

Legkedvesebb Gyerekdalaink Cover Illustration

The Legkedvesebb Gyerekdalaink (Our most favourite children songs) is the local release of a successful series by Mediadam (NL).

The audio book contains a CD with the 26 songs - Made by Gábor Méęszáros (Murphy Studio 2009) - and the related 26 illustrations. The songs are the most famous folk-songs of Hungary.

Song list:
Hull a szilvaa fáról, Katalinka szállj el, Lánc lánc eszterlánc, Hová mégy te kis nyulacska, Hinta Palinta, Hopp Juliska, Éliás Tóbiás, Virágéknál ég a világ, Én elmentem a vásárba, Egy boszorka van, Tente baba tente, Csip csip csóka, Debrecenbe kéne menni, Süss fel nap!, Cifra Palota, Nyuszi ül a fűben, Bújj bújj zöld ág, Csiga biga gyere ki, Boci boci tarka, Pál Kata Péter, Megy a gőzös, Zsipp zsupp kenderzsupp, A part alatt, Aki nem lép egyszerre, Házasodik a tücsök, Ábécédé.