Eric Carle, who created The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is an artist I often think of when I'm considering how to make color.
First, He Made His Own Colored Paper
Carle didn't paint straight onto paper. He first made a large stock of colored tissue paper, then cut and pasted it to build up his shapes.
On thin paper pre-coated with varnish, he applied acrylic, watercolor, or poster paint with his fingers or a brush. Beyond brushes, he also used sponges, scraps of carpet, and even the soles of shoes to create his distinctive textures.
He kept a stock of finished colored paper, then, when it was time to paint, chose and cut out the colors and textures he needed, layering and pasting them together. In this method, the time spent preparing becomes the quality of the finished work.
About The Very Hungry Caterpillar
His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into more than 70 languages, with over 55 million copies sold.
The size of the paper changes from page to page, and the holes the caterpillar eats through are real, physical holes. It's not just the illustrations — the very shape of the book itself is part of the design.
Carle was born in 1929 in New York State, USA, and grew up in Germany. After graduating from an art school in Stuttgart, he returned to the U.S., worked as a graphic designer, and later entered the world of picture books. He passed away in 2021 at the age of 91.
The Time Spent "Making" Color Is Part of the Work, Too
When I paint, I also layer materials on top of one another. Since learning about Carle's process, I've come to feel that the time spent "making color" doesn't need to be separated from the work itself.
Even on days when things don't go as I'd like, the time spent building up a stock of colored paper is never wasted. The simple act of moving my hands carries forward into the next piece.
In my commissioned artwork at Mermaid nao, too, I treasure the time spent preparing grounds and colors as part of the work itself.
[References]
Kaiseisha (About Eric Carle)
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (Eric Carle Exhibition: It All Began with The Very Hungry Caterpillar)
PLAY! Official (Eric Carle's Technique, Part 1: How to Make "Tissue Paper")
Wikipedia (Eric Carle)
https://www.kaiseisha.co.jp/special/ericcarle/about/
https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/exhibitions/ericcarle2026-27/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/エリック・カールさん
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