
Children’s Book Illustration: Part 3, First Round of Sketches
In continuation of the process of my experiences in illustrating Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree (for the other posts on the process, see links at the end of this post):
After receiving the text of the story and signing the contract with the publisher, I had one month (the entirety of May) to complete the first round of pencil sketches for the book. So for each page, I sketched out a simple black and white idea of what I intended for the page. The author sent me an edited version of the story with breaks for each page, and if she had a particular vision for the picture on a specific page, I did my best to emulate it. But for the most part, I had free rein to draw what I envisioned for the page.
Initially we anticipated 16 illustrations for the story, but ultimately we ended up with 19–several partial-page pictures, as well as a couple 2-page spreads on top of the main full, single page illustrations. Of the entire illustration process, this was probably the most stressful part for me, as I for one, had a pretty large, intensive task to complete in the matter of one month, and for two, this was the testing ground–could I consistently draw the same child over and over, from different angles? Would the author and publisher actually like the ideas I sent them?
Ultimately, I did finish in time, and both the author and publisher were wonderfully gracious and encouraging in response to the illustrations.
Process of illustrating Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree
Part 1: Becoming an Illustrator (what led me submitting myself to a publisher)
Part 2: The Initial Contact
Part 3: First Round of Sketches
Part 4: Edits and Color Roughs
Part 5: Final Artwork