Raúl Colón's Workshop on The Dream of Visual Storytelling: Tools and Procedures

Raúl Colón was born in New York City, studied art in Puerto Rico, and is the award-winning illustrator of over thirty books for children. Raúl has received a Golden Kite Award, a Pura Belpré Award, and both a gold and silver medal in the Original Art show. Some of his most beloved titles include Draw!, Gabito, Baseball Is, God Bless Our Troops, and Sugar Cane: A Carribbean Rapunzel.

Sharing art from his portfolio and tool box, Raúl talks color and line, technique, undertone, visual feel, layering translucent layers of watercolor and adding color pencil on top. Some highlights:

It's not really about inspiration. "a lot of times you just do the work and it comes out."

He speaks highly of "Making Color Sing" by Jeane Dobie

Shows us a tool he uses to make his scratch lines

And passes around a finished piece that we could see close-up...

The illustrators in the room are rapt!