I have been reworking an old painting for my Frog’s Bucket List ‘Summer Holiday’ book which I’m still hoping to release later this year. I’ll explain my thoughts and reasons as I go along. It’s actually one of many earlier paintings that I will be reworking but I chose to share the process on ‘Salt And Vinegar Chips’ as I think it has really summery vibes.
Reworking an Old Painting
This is the original ‘Salt And Vinegar Chips’ painting which I did two years ago when Frog and Frog had only very recently come into my life.
I like the painting. It’s a fun, holiday scene of Frog and Frog enjoying a bag of chips at the sea front. And I want to use it in my next Frog’s Bucket List book. However, over time, Frog and Frog have evolved and so they look a bit different now. I guess these frogs are quite bendy and malleable; it’s been interesting to see them morph into their current form. I’m quite pleased about this transformation actually. It makes me think of the old Peanut’s comics, or even the early Simpsons characters – they are also very different to their final characters. And they’ve both been wildly successful. So far so good!
In terms of Frog and Frog then, I’m not sure if they’ve reached their ‘final form’ yet, who knows? I have noticed my drawings have become more consistent though (I have drawn Frog and Frog hundreds of times by this point…), so I feel like they’re close. You can view my earlier paintings in my Frog’s Bucket List portfolio. We’ll see as they continue their adventures together!
Where to begin
As I am reworking an old painting, I don’t want to scrap it and end up with something completely different. That would defeat the point. The beauty of going back to an old painting and reworking it is that you get another chance to do it better. Keep the things that work, fix the things that maybe didn’t go so well, and have the confidence that you are able to do so because of the things you’ve learned in the meantime. There is still value in the original painting, all is not lost. It’s just part of the journey.
Looking at ‘Salt And Vinegar Chips’, there are definitely bits that I am happy about and want to keep. Using a Derwent Graphic 2B pencil and a light box, I am going to trace over the sections I am keeping. A 2B pencil will be soft enough to erase later on, yet not too soft that it smudges. But worth experimenting with different grades as brands differ from pencil to pencil.
As you can see, I’ve kept most of Frog because he is standing facing forwards and 2023 Frog is very similar to 2025 Frog here. Just needs a slight tweak on the body-to-leg ratio. 2025 Frog and Frog have shorter bodies and scrawnier legs. This will have been a subconscious transformation over time towards cuteness. That is, I’ll have naturally leaned towards whatever looked cutest.
I am also broadly happy with the newspaper bag of chips, the beach post with the seagull, and the life buoy ring. However, 2023 Frog looks quite different to 2025 Frog from the side. Her face is less angular and her body more heart-shaped now, so I haven’t traced a lot of Frog. Just enough to get the positioning right. I also have other plans for Frog…
Completing the Drawing
In the final composition, I’ve added to Frog’s natural excitement and wonder by changing the action of her arms and hands. I’ve also changed Frog’s eyes so that he’s looking lovingly at Frog now instead of forwards – I think this reflects his personality better.
In essence it is the same painting, I’ve just turned up the volume on warmth and tenderness.
Next step is to add the pen.
The pen work dries very fast and is quickly waterproof, however I like to leave it a few minutes before erasing the underlying pencil sketch just to be sure:
Watercolour Painting Comparison
The illustration comes to life after applying the watercolour paint. My watercolour pans seem to last a long time. Having said that, I get through copious amounts of green paint when painting the illustrations for Frog’s Bucket List!
Here is the original again so that you can compare:
And here is the reworked version:
Book ready.
I hope you like the new version.
There are plenty more beautiful, endearing summer holiday themed illustrations in the new book – watch this space!