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Writing & Illustrating

Articles about writing and illustrating children's books

1. Artist's space

2. Illustrating children's books

1. Artist's space

The studio

My studio started in the spare bedroom. It wasn't quite 'spare' though. It was full of the usual clutter, extra bed, unused furniture and a whole host of forlorn and mostly forgotten odds and ends. Once the space was cleared, mostly given away or thrown out, the archaic computer remained on its tiny perch with a very old stereo next to it.

The room then accumulated a small easel and a few experimental canvases were hung on the wall. An old cane T.V. shelf became storage space for meager art supplies: a few paint brushes and my remaining paint supplies, some watercolour pencils and an A3 sketch pad. I purchased a white trestle, drawing table with a glass, tracing panel for $300 from a large furniture warehouse.

A chair came later. I would write some days and draw others. It was a small space but it allowed me the freedom to leave work out ready for another day. A large basket of blocks rested near the doorway to arrest the attention of little ones.

Early on I ordered some supplies through an art shop that was happy to take them to the post office and post them out to me because I wasn't out of the house just yet!!!.

2. Illustrating children's books

When illustrating a children's book to build awareness of emotions children might experience if their family has been affected by PND or grief I started with a train track sketched on a piece of A3 paper...the ideas flowed from there.

Children seem innately drawn by the power of bold colours, crisp lines and movement. Especially when exploring emotions. These elements create a sense of adventure that pulls them into the story, not merely as observers, but as participants. They look for the details that highlight what they are hearing and search for extra details held within the illustration.

If the illustration is good they will gasp and point out to the adult reader all the details that as adults we often overlook...at least in a child's eyes we do. They become the experts. Understanding pictorial information is their expertise. They are surprisingly adept at deciphering quite abstractly presented information in an illustration.

A good children's book illustration weaves in details from the text and poses the question 'I wonder what might be happening beyond the boundaries of this page?' Each illustration will link carefully to the next. They will lead the young and the young at heart through a journey with simple elements that appeal to the hearts of children.

As for the adult reading...well the elements that appeal to them vary but the ones that are consistent with their younger reading partners include a sense of humour and details that elaborate on the text and are paramount in telling the story.

Eventhough many books are taken home by adult choice, children make the selection once they are in the home. I want my book to be the one that they request night after night after night...

My preference is to keep it clean. I think clean also removes the adult innuendo that is often commonplace amoung varying forms of children's entertainment, particularly televison. Young children are exposed to so much adult content in their everyday world, they really don't need more violence and sexually implicit information subtly woven into their educational and entertainment material. Are we doing a great disservice by providing those types of hidden agenda in their literature? I wonder if a more positive impact could be made by presenting age appropriate information in a censored environment that allows them to better process their world. One where they are invited to talk about the things that concern them.

I like real art that deals with real issues but still stands as a message of hope for our younger generation. I believe that children's book illustrations should appeal to children first.

My ideas:

Know your audience and your competition. Spend time with your audience...adults reading to children look for opportunities to discuss illustrations with a child 'read' the illustrations of a good children's book by just focusing on the illustrations. Tell the story to a child just using the illustrations.

Ask open ended questions...'I wonder why...?', 'what will happen next?' check out websites with submission guidelines for illustrators. Visit bookstores to investigate what is moving, what is popular now and then consider what you have to offer that is unique.

Practise your craft

Create a portfolio of several illustrations to submit to publishers. Use a poem for the text if you're not sure where to find inspiration.

Only send you best work.

Experiment with different media.

Critically assess your effectiveness in conveying your message.

Focus on the elements of fluency between pages, character development and positioning of the main elements.

Don't let your creativity be stifled by trying to illustrate for a specific publishing audience. create your own style...look for elements that repeat in your work.

Experiment first then reflect on what feels comfortable for you. That will be your style.

What you gravitate towards as you illustrate.
Think about what childhood means to you and what you would like to share with children.