Case Study: Part 6, FINAL ILLUSTRATIONS

This is a follow on from my last post. You can see my draft illustrations in the previous post now it’s time to reveal some of my final illustrations. I used Photoshop to colour the draft illustration up into its final result. In this post I will talk you through some techniques and processes I use.

Colour
Colour is important when creating a set of illustration. You want them to all fit together and look like they belong to the same story. So although you might play around with moods through colour you want the overall palette to be consistent. Colour can play a major part in your style and portrayal of a story. One technique I use to create a colour pallet for a book is to research online. Go through lots of illustration websites and art sites and grab images you like the colouring of. Then I choose one that I think will work with my book. I then use this image to pick my colours from using the eye dropper in Photoshop. That way I end up with the whole series following the same palette.

Texture
Texture is very popular in children's books as it gives an artistic aesthetic. Illustrators who create illustrations using mediums and materials children create with themselves are able to relate to children very well. I also think with the large amount of computer generated illustrations and graphics now days it is nice to add some traditional elements even if it is digitally. I collect textures off Google, this is a little dodgy but as long as you are manipulating them enough that they are no longer anything like the original image you are not doing anything illegal. I then use lots of filters and effects in Photoshop to get the aesthetic I am after.

Light Source
One of the keys to making your illustrations look professional and correct is having a consistent light source. I do this by drawing an arrow on its own layer and locking it. That way I always know where the light is coming from and I add my lighting and shadows to suit. Play with your light source to create atmosphere and you can manipulate it to suit the image however it still should work technically. If something is completely out of light there should be no highlights on it.

Hierarchy
As children’s books are aimed at younger readers you have to make sure you are helping them read your illustrations properly. For example in my book I have a small fly buzzing around the room. This would be hard to spot a lot of the time so I have added white behind it and its trail so the reader can understand that the fly is buzzing around. Use light and colour to point you reader to the action in your illustrations.

Here are a few of my final illustrations.

Case Study: Part 4, STORYBOARDING YOUR STORY

I am now at a stage where my story is almost complete. I have re written it many times, had a few people read it, had an assessor give me feedback and most importantly had a few readings with some children to make sure my story catches their attention. I am now ready to start visualising the story. A good way to do this is storyboarding.

Storyboarding is a great way to play around with your ideas without committing too much time and effort to the finishing. It allows me to scribble down 3-4 compositions for each page and make sure I am creating the best visual for each part of the story. Another great way to use these storyboards is to turn them into a little dummy book with your words attached. This way you can really get a sense of how everything reads with the page turns and images. You want each page turn to create intrigue and interest; you want your reader to not be able to wait to see what happens with the next turn.

I have created the thumbnails for my story 'Catch that Fly.' See how I have played with movement, perspective, viewpoint and composition to find the most interesting and easy to read way of illustrating each phase of the book. The compositions I liked best are outlined in pink and will be developed to the next stage. It is important to get enough detail down that you can tell where each character is looking and what they are doing but you don’t need to see their faces or any details. These are purely a plan to allow you to tackle each illustration with the best start. Some people prefer to create more detail and start to think about the layout of the type etc; I am more loose and messy with everything at this stage.

This process also allows you to see how your story flows from start to finish. Can the reader follow what’s happening from just the text and these simple sketches? I don't think you need to be an illustrator to have a go at storyboarding as it’s not about how polished the drawings are its more about bringing the story to life. If you are planning on hiring an illustrator then still attempt the storyboarding yourself. This could save you money in the long run as the more information you give the illustrator the faster they will be on your wavelength and producing your desired results.