Illustrating a Picture Book

I get a lot of inquires from authors who plan to self-publish their first children’s book and would like to hire an illustrator. So, I’ve written this blog post to help authors understand the author-illustrator relationship and how we can work together to bring your story to life. In the following paragraphs I’ll break down my process into ten steps and describe what I’ll need from you along the way and what you’ll get from me.

Like most illustrators these days, I work digitally. Even though I use words like “rough sketch” or “pencils”, all work is created in Adobe Photoshop.

1. The Manuscript
Once I’ve read your final, professionally edited manuscript, we’ll have a kick-off meeting to discuss your overall vision and any message you wish to convey with your story. We’ll exchange ideas for the main events in the story and talk about setting, time period, mood, character relationships and interactions. I’ve found that most authors have a pretty clear idea of what the main characters should look like. Often times they’re based on someone they know – a child, a sibling, or even a beloved pet. After our discussion, I would welcome any references you’d like to send. It’s my goal, at this stage, to ensure that you are comfortable and confident that your story will be told in the best possible way.

2. Character Concepts
This is where the fun begins!  I’ll create 2 - 3 versions of each of the main characters. You can review them and choose which traits you like the best. You may decide you like the hairstyle on one but the clothing on another. At this time I’m also thinking about the overall color scheme for your book, which I will discuss with you, as this will dictate colors used for the character’s clothing. I’ll then refine each character and do a final rendering. Once approved, I’ll send a full character line up so that you can see how they all work together. Below you will see how two main characters, a mother and daughter, evolved from initial concepts to final rendering.

3. Printer Specs
You will need to determine who will be printing your book. Most authors choose to go through Ingram Spark and/or Amazon KDP. These are print on demand platforms that allow you to sell on Amazon as well as brick and mortar book stores with no upfront printing costs. One major advantage to print on demand is that you’re not storing and shipping thousands of books from your home. There’s a lot of information online about these two platforms but, of course, these are not your only options. Whoever you decide to go with, they should have a list of sizes and options available for your book on their web site. If you are unsure about what size to go with, visit your local book store or library and see how some of your favorite books are formatted. The two most important things I need to know before getting started is page size and page count. Most children’s books are 32 pages. This includes the front and back cover. You’ll also want to leave pages at the front and back for copyright, dedication, title page and maybe an author bio. Some books have end papers. These are pages opposite the front and back cover usually with a pattern or simple illustration printed on them. This usually leaves about 12 spreads, or 24 pages, to be illustrated. If your book will be more than 32 pages, it must be a multiple of four due to the printing process. One sheet folded in half and printed on both sides equals four pages.

4. Rough Layout of Book
Now that all of the specs are defined, I can create a rough layout of the book. You will receive a pdf file in book format with all of the text in place so that you can read through the story. The sketches will be rough to allow for edits. Two to three rounds of edits are included. This is where I’ll determine the best way to break up the text and what to illustrate on each page. A children’s book can contain 2 to 4 different page layouts to help with the pacing of the story. For example: a spot illustration to introduce a character or several spots on the same page or spread to show several ideas at once in a clear format. A full page illustration on the right can be a cliff-hanger that makes the reader want to turn the page. A full spread can convey excitement or a major event in the story. The one thing you don’t want  to see is two facing pages, each with  a full bleed illustration, that conveys two different ideas. The reader needs some separation of ideas in the form of “white space" in order to know immediately where to look and keep the story flowing.

5. Final Pencils
This is the final drawing stage. I will provide you with clean, clear, detailed “pencil” drawings. Again, 2-3 rounds of revisions included. It is important that everything looks just right at this stage as major revisions after final painting has begun can be costly and time consuming.

6. Color Comp
Before I begin painting, I like to send a color comp for your review. I choose color schemes based on the overall theme of the book. For example one book I illustrated had the main character having a very stressful and uncomfortable day, so I chose somewhat loud, primary colors as the main theme and the main character wore red. Another story had a more dream-like quality so I chose soft sunrise colors in corals and blues. Another book had the main character reflecting on their childhood so I used a 70’s style retro palette. This does not mean I limit your palette to only a few colors. Most children’s book need a full range of color but this does help me make the book more cohesive.

I’ll choose one spread to colorize somewhat loosely and with very little shading or detail. Sometimes your characters look a little different in a full setting as opposed to the white background from the character line up and adjustments need to be made. Or you may prefer cooler tones for your indoor scenes when I chose warm colors and so on. It’s better for me to know these things up front than have to change a multitude of finished illustrations in the end.

7. Cover
The saying is true…a book gets judged by its cover. So, it’s important that your cover represents your story well, and is targeted to the right age group. Moreover, if you plan to sell on Amazon or anywhere else online, it should read clearly at thumbnail size.

Most authors choose to create an original image for the cover and this can be done for a small additional fee. However, to be more cost effective, we can choose an image from the interior of the book and modify it in some way. We could crop in on detail, vignette, blur, or gray out the background leaving the main character to stand out.

8. Final Art
I typically send my authors a third of the book at a time for review on Google docs. These files are for viewing only and are not suitable for printing. Once all art is complete and approved, and final payment is made, it will be delivered to you digitally in high resolution, print-ready format.

9. Book Design
Once you have all of the finished illustrations in hand, it’s time to hire a book designer. The designer will choose the fonts and place all of your text and images in the proper format. This includes designing the front and back cover. Some authors choose to layout the book themselves but I highly recommend hiring a professional, most importantly, for the cover. A professionally designed cover can make a big difference in your sales. I do have experience in graphic design and would be happy to layout your book for you as well for an additional fee.

10. Proofreading and Printed Proofs and DONE!
I highly recommend professional proofreading of all text before going to print. Mistakes happen to the best of us.

Once everything is submitted to the printer, they’ll first print proofs. I would be happy to review the illustrations for you to ensure colors are correct and everything looks great. Sometimes, colors need to be adjusted slightly or even a different paper selected for best quality. After that, we’re done! Congratulations. You have your book in hand!

If you’d like to get a quote please contact me. I’m always excited to hear new and creative stories.