Writing a book

WRITING A BOOK

Inspiration comes before Perspiration. There are two ways to be introduced to the story: The first is for the prospective illustrator to read the story and relate his/her first impressions. This approach allows the artist freedom and the possibility of unexpected visual solutions. Most illustrators appreciate the chance to express themselves and I believe it makes the final product a more mutual undertaking. The author may or may not have considered the visuals while writing the book. Often, the initial sketches can inspire the open-minded author to rewrite portions for the benefit of the whole. Sometimes, the author or publicist will want to present the book in her/his own way.

This can be a good way of letting the story come to life- much as a radio listener imagines what an announcer may look like. Be sure to have the author describe as much between the lines if you have any questions. SKETCHES Sketches are a means to a better end. Most beginners discount the worth of sketches because they are unaware of how many important decisions are made during these stages. The progression of sketches follows: doodles/notes, thumbnails, roughs and tight sketches/color sketches.

If followed properly, by the time you get to the final artwork, you can enjoy yourself since almost everything has been worked out. I personally like to use tracing paper for sketches- and I use reams of it. With tracing paper, you can piece together good elements into a better drawing by tracing, but you can also flip the paper over to get a "fresh eye" effect that can reveal overlooked weaknesses.

DOODLES

To be as effective as possible, try to play as children do- to be in a state of possibilities. Act things out if you can. At this point, DOODLE! Sometimes the act of laying some lines conjures up creative ideas. Doodles are playful thoughts that should fly off your pencil. Don't worry about draughtsmanship, likewise, the author should be encouraged to doodle also to get a point across. Look for rules to break. You can always pull back to a more conservative solution of producing your world.

THUMBNAILS

Thumbnails lay the foundation of the book. They are small, compact glimpses of what is developing as a series of images taken from previous doodles. I work in only 1' wide frames. The purpose of thumbnails is to lay images down in such a small space that there is no room for unecessary details. Thumbnails also take less time, so that you can alter the drawings with the minimum of time spent. Consider a few concepts to get started on the thumbnails: What is the format? Before you start drawing, one important consideration is the format of the book.

Discuss whether the book is to be a horizontal, square or vertical. Once you know, carefully lay out the frames so that they are contained on one piece of paper. Xerox some copies for templates. Leave some room to write notes in the margins next to each frame. These can be cut and pasted together if necessary. Remember- type should be well away from the pages edge and be sure that no words or important images run into the gutter of the book. How much image? If there are a lot of words to fit in, give them room to spare so that the images and type have breathing room. Beginning/end: How can you introduce the objects/characters visually? First impressions are important for the characters in a book, too.

COMPOSITION

Where is the focal point in the design? What direction are the movements? From what perspective should the viewer be positioned? Once again, don't worry about details at this point-simple lines and shapes will do. Transitions/movement: Do the images hint to what is to come? Have you implied motion when necessary? Such devices can develop a sense of anticipation and energy. You may want to schedule a weekly review with the editor to check progress. Get through the first draft early- you may have to go through many new sets of thumbnails until you get a go-ahead to the next stage- roughs. Possible illustration pitfall.

WHEN THE MUSE IS OVER

If disagreements arise, the editor should get involved. In order to expect others to have an open mind, you should expect the same of yourself. When discussing ideas, be sure to use your drawing skills. Authors and editors are generally much better at verbally expressing their points than illustrators are. Remember that you should be an equal in the process and that all parties should be interested in the same thing- the quality of the book. ROUGHS Now that you know more or less what the basic elements are, you need to work larger to be able to flesh the drawings out and to get across more subtle elements.

I would start out with frames about 4"wide (probably about 1/2 size of the final.) Lines and shapes are still the building blocks here. You will need a lot of reference here- you can sift through magazines, books or my favorite source- the internet. I would encourage you to take your own photos- especially if there are a lot of human figures involved or get in the same poses in front of a mirror. Consider a few concepts to get started on the roughs: Setting: What style is appropriate? Examples: simple/complex, futuristic/old fashioned, bright/dark, exotic/familiar, fantasy/reality.

Try to start thinking about what medium would be most appropriate. As an example, if the book is to be have a complex old- fashioned feel, you would probably not use collage or big shapes of bright color. Reference may give unexpected inspiration. Character development: What is the character like? What would she/he/it feel like or react to? What are the physical properties of the character? Examples: age, race, sex, height. Reference is also helpful here. Minor elements: Do you want some images that are partially hidden or as a way of showing incidental elements such as a kitten playing with yarn in the corner or a spider web? Helpful hint: It may be a good idea to print out the text and xerox it onto a piece of acetate for an overlay so that you are sure the layout can accommodate the text.

TIGHT SKETCHES/COLOR COMPS

Tight sketches and color comps are ways of resolving the most complex and subtle qualities of the artwork. You shouldn't want to go to the final unless you and everyone involved are COMPLETELY happy about the tight sketches. You may possibly omit the color sketches stage if you are confident with the use of color. Try hanging the sketches on the wall and step back- are they confusing? Consider a few concepts to get started on the tight sketches/color comps: Lighting: Is lighting a factor that would enhance the story? Is the day progressing from light to dark, in to out, etc? Shadows can be an effective emotional devise.

Colour: Is this book for very small kids (usually primary colors along with strong contrasts are favored) or for older kids that may enjoy more subtle, moody palettes? Texture: Texture is a very effective way of adding visual interest to things if used in moderation. Too little and things can be lifeless, too much and things can get neurotic. Try to look for appropriate uses such as a scraggly coat.

Detail: You should also learn as much as you can about the subjects. Studying how things are constructed allows you to understand how to "ad lib" the forms beyond the reference in front of you. After the tight sketches are approved, you should be receiving your second advance check. Be sure that the work is passed on to the right people FINALS Well, it is time to reveal what the book will finally look like for production. If you have gone through all of the stages thoroughly, the finals should be a pleasurable. Even with all of the preliminary work, don't be surprised if you have to redo any one of the finals. Anticipate the flow of work from the blank boards to the finished pieces.

Try to work under the correct lighting if possible. You should avoid working under flourescent lights because they cast a bluish light. Like wise the incandecent ones tend to be warmish although they are certainly better than the florescent ones. Indirect sunlight is the best. The old masters preferred a north-facing window for indirect light, but you can use corrective light bulbs that will allow you to work well past sundown. You need to decide whether your finals will be at the actual size of the book or proportionally a bit larger. The reason for the latter approach is that when artwork is reduced it helps to "pull everything together" so that the possible flaws are less apparent.

After deciding on the size of your finals, make a template of the page making sure that elements such as page numbers are taken into account. It is mandatory that you allow a "bleed" around the artwork. A bleed assures that all of the image appears on the page regardless of printing and binding errors. Before you start, try to gather all of the materials you need ahead of schedule (your favorite watercolor paper could end up on backorder). I suggest working on many pieces at the same time to foster consistency, so go ahead and transfer the final tight sketches (only the contour lines) onto several of the boards. There are two ways of transferring your sketches to the final paper or board.

The easiest is to use a light table from which to trace through the paper and sketches. A large window can be used also. This technique doesn't work with heavy boards however, so use graphite paper. The carbon paper used in typewriters does not erase, so avoid that. If you would rather make your own graphite paper, start with a piece of thin paper. Take a soft leaded pencil (6B is best) and cover the other side with graphite and it is every bit as good as the store bought stuff. To transfer the image, place the graphite paper down so that it is laying against the board. Position the tight sketch on top and tape the corners to keep it from moving.

Use a ball point pen to redraw the image (the pen marks appear different than the pencil sketch so that you don't lose you place). Be as accurate as you can and don't press too hard or you will mar the board underneath or tear the tracing paper. Before you finish transferring, lift up the graphite paper on one corner keeping the other three taped to review your progress. If the transferred image appears too weak, apply more graphite to the paper with a softer pencil. After the sketches have been transferred, it may be a good idea to tape a protective piece of paper on top to keep the drawing from being smeared or the paper clean of flying paint and coffee cups. Cats seem to wait for this moment to claim them as beds.

Use a scrap piece of what ever board or paper you are using as a test strip before applying a new color to the final. Step back and view the work from a distance, upside down or in a mirror to gain a fresh perspective on your progress. Once again, it is a good idea to keep a couple of pieces going at one time. If you get tired of one or need to let it dry, you can go on to another one. Hairdriers are a good idea. Keep plenty of tissue nearby for accidents. There will always be things you would like to redo in your finals. Unless they are major problems, few people will notice. Endpapers, posters, ads may all need your attention.

Therefore, I would recommend finishing the book and then if there is time, you can rework what time permits. While doing the pieces you will probably have several check-in meeting so that you can show the progress of the book to whoever is interested. Because of the previous steps taken in the sketch stage there will be no surprises in store. Color and technique are the only unknowns at this point. THE COVER The front cover is the most important image thought the book.

It will appear on ads, commercials, catalogues- it is the symbol that stands for the book. You may find that the cover illustration takes much more time than the other pages. The marketing and advertising departments have a lot of say at this point because the cover becomes an ad in itself. When a customer comes into the bookstore, her/his eye should be drawn to the cover image and be impelled to pick it up. A simple image, a clear title, contrasting bright colors, a friendly feel are just some of the elements that make up a good book cover. After giving the artwork to an excited publisher, you are entitled to your 3rd and final advance check. You may be tempted to spend it on champagne and a week at the beach.

LAYOUT & POST PRODUCTION

After the finals are accepted, I suggest that you become involved with the layout of the book. You may learn a lot about the production and printing procedures at this point. Most layouts re done ion the computer using low resolution scans of your work for placement. This allows great accuracy and the ability to change things quickly. The layout on disk, along with your orginals are then sent to a production facility-usually, at the printing plant. From the production facility, the layout is assembled and printed out as a keyline (similar to a blue print). The keyline is a good indication of the placement of images, another chance to be type edited and allows everyone to see the book as a flow.

After the corrections are made, production then prints out film negatives from which (barring any additional changes) the final book will be made. A 4-color proof (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) is generated on acetate. Color corrections are made, glitches on the negative are removed and the book is given an go-ahead for printing. If the book is printed locally, you may get to see a press proof. The press proof is basically a review of the first acceptable book printed on the spot. I would encourage you to meet the folks and equipment to get a sense of what goes on behind the stage.

Many books are sent overseas these days for both the post production and printing stages because of lower cost. Because of the distances involved, press proof invitations are not issued. Furthermore, the shipping time eats into production time and makes for the wait to see your book almost intolerable. BUT, when you get the book, all is forgotten. The realization that something from your imagination will reach many children's hands is a magical moment. S

SELLING THE BOOK -PUBLIC RELATIONS

While the book was in production, many people at the publishing house were busy at work drumming up support for your creation. Orders from buyers are taken, signing dates are scheduled and you may get a launching party! All of this should be your time to enjoy the possibilities of the book and to look around for contacts to help you. If you know of any influential people in any business that may benefit from the book- pass them on to the marketing department. You should be scheduled for signing after the book is on the shelves. Signings are a great way to meet children and folks that deeply care about books.

As a way to entertain the kids, you may want to illustrate a story with the author. During the signing, try to find a way to add an image to your signature. People love to possess original artwork and it will be going to the people who deserve it the most- the book loving public. There is a good deal of work to be had going to schools and presenting your work and abilities for a fee.