Editing Josh Kirby (section)

==Style==
Throughout his career, Kirby used oils, acrylics, [[gouache]], or [[watercolor]], often using more than one method on a single piece. Ultimately, he preferred oils as they would not dry too quickly and could be manipulated and applied in layers. This allowed them to be retouched or entirely painted over, whatever it took to achieve the result.<ref name="joshkirbyart" />

When asked about influences, he most often named three past artists. The oldest was [[Hieronymus Bosch]], famous for his fantastic imagery, detailed landscapes and illustrations of religious concepts and narratives; next was [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Pieter Bruegel]], whose religious and mythological depictions expanded the viewer's perspective of reality; and finally muralist [[Frank Brangwyn]], an avant-garde artist-craftsman notable for his boldly coloured murals.<ref name="Obit_Grauniad2001" />

Kirby worked slowly and meticulously. It would take him four to eight weeks to complete a single painting because his process included reading each novel before illustrating it. He would then draw a rough sketch in pencil to be approved by the art editor at the publisher. Unusually, he discussed the concept directly over the phone with Pratchett, rather than his publisher's art director.<ref name="Discworld" />