I'm working illustrating a new book. :o) Just signed the contract last week. I chose to do it because it is a beautiful book with a wonderful message for kids plus It also works for a good cause to help the environment! These are some of the early sketches, very loose at this point just figuring out the storyboard.
I was thinking it would be fun to talk about how we all deal with the preliminary phase of a book. What do you do when you get a manuscript? Do you feel bombarded with ideas? Do you just sit and think, doodle and doodle until you get something?
For me, I usually have images in my head right there, as soon as I'm reading the manuscript for the first time. I sketch different angles, characters or details but the main idea is still the same. Sometimes it gets me thinking if I should try and get "new" ideas just in case they might be better... but the one's in my head are so strong that they almost have a mind of their own (he, he if you can say that...) Does this happen to you? Or am I a bit nuts here? What do you think? How do you deal with this process?
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18 comments:
Looking good, Alicia! I think this is such a great idea. The environment is really important in my family.
As for what I do, I panic for a few days and somehow a few ideas seem to surface.
Thanks Eric! I'm happy about it too :o)
Well it's a good thing your ideas seem to surface at some point. I laughed when you said first thing you do is panic!
This is so true... I do too.
Oh, congratulations Alicia, on getting a new book contract! I think it's wonderful and it's especially nice when you can connect to the story on a personal level, in this case your love for the environment.
I guess I'd panic at first too, but then I would probably start working on the manuscript, trying to break it down into images, and figuring out where the illos would be able to add to the story. Then there would be lots of doodles and dummies! :-)
Congratulations again, I'm very happy for you!
Thanks sweet Monica :o)
Yes lots of doodles and dummies are always good. No matter how visual you are it always helps to really see it on paper. Thanks for your warm words :o)
Congrats on the book contract. Sounds like a wonderful project, and your thumbnails look great.
Thanks for sharing you process. It's very generous of you and very helpful.
I don't feel so bad now, realizing that my process is similar to other people's, hee hee. There is usually a lot of initial panic, then a period of blankly staring at the sketch pad. Manic doodling follows and that's where the ideas come and lead to thumbnails and on and on.
Hi Linda, thank you :o)
This will be a self-published book and the person I'm working with is really very nice and professional. Since there are no confidentiality issues here like there are sometimes with publishers, I'm thinking it would be nice to post, now and then, some of the progress of the book as I go along.
Yes, I think we ALL do the panic thing, don't we? :o) Then things start to flow.
Would love to see the progression, Alicia. Thumbnails look good so far. I like how you have enveloped the text with each illustration.
Thanks Tom! :o)
congrats! my process pretty much are like yours, alicia, unless the writer had their own ideas for the illustration---if so, i just follow their instructions. sometimes it helps, especially if you dont have any better ideas to describe the text. :p
i really like the post btw---if only other artists share their experiences too---so i can learn from them! ^__^
Hi Alicia! Congratulations to you my dear!
I work on book ideas pretty much the same way I work on Illustration Friday ideas! :) hee hee...sometimesmy first imager in my head is my bestone. And then sometimes ideas need to "marinade" awhile. Like you may have a strong idea, but a different angle or a certain color scheme can make it even better. Those are the things that sometimes make a good illustration better. So I like to play a little, and then sketch a little, and then sometimes scan my ideas into Photoshop and play a little more until I know I have the illustrations I like.
Anyway, it is nice to see your storyboard! Best to you in the entire process!
Thanks Ella! It's nice to hear how you work through this process. I think we all may be a bit different as to how the thinking process is done but then the actual sketching and doodling is something we all go through.
Hi Kate! Thanks :o)
Yes I totally understand what you mean. I too have a similar way of doing things. When you let it "marinade" as you say is what I mean by my initial post, when I said that they get stuck in my head :o) I do think about it, change angles, colors etc... but once I think of something it is hard to let go of that. Does this happen to you?
Btw, thanks guys for your comments on this. Is great to hear how every one works :o)
Congratulations! I usually start thimbnailing too. I have books and books full of thumbnails that could make a new book. :)
Alicia- This is a great post!
I usually start with thumbnail sketches and doodles, and then figure out how everything will break across 32 pages. It's like a giant puzzle-- fun and challenging. At times I'll get stuck on an idea (and yes, panic!), but usually with a little persistence it's like opening a water faucet... they'll start to flow. Since up until now I've only illustrated my own books, I'm usually rewriting at that point, too-- cutting text where the pictures tell the story.
I love reading about everyone's process... and congratulations to you on the new project!
Thanks Imwithsully! That's great, a book of thumbnails... I'd love to see that! How is Sully by the way?
Thanks Jennifer! How great to be able to illustrate and write your own books.. How amazing that must be! Your books are so beautiful with so much details and history to them :o)
Great post Alicia, I like the sketches so far! For me, yes, panic to start! Then just thinking about the whole. Then make a little teeny dummy of thumbs so I can see the flow and if I have enough variety in scale, composition. Lots of research-type sketches/doodles. Then a bigger dummy, then full size sketches, THEN painting.
Hi Gina! Yes I too make the tiny thumbnails at first.. and mine are really tiny. I think is easier to visualize the whole book like this isn't it? Thanks for sharing your process :o)
i doodle all over sketch books to get ideas flowing. :)
Yes Sheree.. doodles are so important. Sometimes i see my life as little doodles in my head. Like me going to the supermarket, me taking kids to school, me making lunch boxes, me feeding the dog and bird and gerbils.. and me doodling.. he, he, don't you?
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