Planning Illustrations for Picture Books

Planning Illustrations for Picture Books

Whether or not your talent is art, you can and you will create beautiful illustrations for your picture book. Think about 4 and 5 year olds - drawing is a natural form of expression for them. If they can do it, so can you!

I. Here are online resources to teach you how to draw all types of people and animals (these websites really break down steps and make drawing possible for everyone!):

• http://www.my-how-to-draw.com/
• http://www.dragoart.com/animals-for-kids-c408-1.htm
• how to draw different facial expressions based on different emotions:
• http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2013/073/9/5/facial_expressions_buddy_sheet_for_comics_cartoons_by_darkspeeds-d5y2oc4.jpg

II. Materials and mediums for your books:

• Bookbinding: blank journal or sketch book; report cover with plastic sleeves; use thick paper or mount on cardboard; do not use construction paper because it will rip very easily
• Mediums: collage; painting - watercolor, acrylic; pastels; colored pencils; crayons; photography; found objects; use may also use computer programs
• Create illustrations that complement the text. Do not simply cut and paste images.
• Make sure the work is your own; do not commission artists - this is cheating!

III. Bookmaking tips

Some lingo

-          Spread: Two pages across from each other in a picture book. The verso page is the left-hand page (even-numbered); the recto is the right hand page (odd-numbered). Text always begins on the recto, although the visual story can begin on the title page or copyright/dedication pages, if you want.

-          Gutter: the space between two pages of a spread where the book is bound. When illustrating, make sure no important images/visual information falls into the gutter.

-          Vignette: small illustration surrounded by white space

-          Full bleed: illustration that goes all the way to all four edges of a single page or spread.

Form

-          Most picture books are 32 pages long – yours should be, too. Take 8 sheets of blank paper, fold it in half, and voila – a picture book dummy.  Now take your text and cut it up and paste it onto the pages as you’d like it to appear in the final book. NOW read it out aloud, with page turns. You may want to make some adjustments at this stage to make sure that the pacing of the text and art reflect the arc of the story and evoke the kind of emotional response you want.

-          Sample pagination #1: p. 1: title page; p. 2: copyright; p. 3: dedication; pp. 4-5: first spread– text should start on p. 5; pp. 6-32: rest of the story

-          Sample pagination #2 (if you need a few more pages for your story): p. 1: title page; pp. 2-3: first spread – text should appear on p. 3; pp. 4-31: rest of the story; p. 32: copyright and dedication

Final suggestions:

-          Be creative and experimental.

-          Be honest.

-          Revise, revise, revise.

-          Have fun!

III. Activity - look at different picture books. Choose a few of the best illustrations. What do you notice about:

• portrayal of characters: facial expressions, physical features, actions
• color and mood
• perspective
• zooming in, zooming out
• layout/use of space
• number and size of images on a page and how much of the page is used
• style - texture, materials, etc.

Text (title and author)	What I notice about the illustrations (see above list):	How I can apply this to my story:

IV. Application – What are your general ideas for illustrating your picture book? What materials do you need. List what you need to do.