Discover the behind-the-scenes and secrets of the creative process behind my first children's book illustration project.
Recently, I showcased a very special project on my portfolio and social media: the development of illustrations that tell the story of the children's book "The Girl Who Speaks," the first book I had the pleasure to layout and illustrate.
This book holds a special touch as the entire narrative is seen through the eyes of Adeline, a beautiful girl with Selective Mutism, a condition hindering speech development. The story illustrates how she overcomes her fears and finds her voice in the world.
Working directly with the book's author, Adeline's mother, provided ample creative freedom but also presented some challenges. In this post, I aim to share more about this experience, delving into the details of this beautiful project.
How did the invitation to illustrate a children's book come about?
Unlike many books produced by publishing houses, this book was a direct collaboration with the author, who resides in the United States and found me through a freelance platform.
Initially, she sought a book cover, a task I'm well accustomed to, and upon liking my drawing style, she invited me to illustrate the entire book.
We had two months to complete the project and a somewhat limited budget, with print-on-demand handled by Barnes & Noble Press. While I study drawing, I had never undertaken a complete book project. However, as an artist who loves new challenges, I eagerly accepted and began planning my approach to the project.
The creative process of illustrating a children's book can be quite challenging. However, by following the steps and trusting the process, everything falls into place in the end. Let me walk you through each of these stages.
Development of the main character
I divided the creative process into several stages. Initially, I studied and developed the main character. This posed the first significant challenge, as the family I was illustrating is of Asian descent, requiring attention to specific details in the drawing. I began with pose and expression studies, gaining approval from the author along the way.
Sketching and scene planning
The author preferred to describe the scenes for each part of the story. The story itself was handwritten by Adeline, but I'll address that in the following paragraphs. Thus, I worked sequentially on these sketches, gaining approval before moving on to the painting stage. As I would also handle the layout, I decided the entire book would feature simple pages to streamline the print-on-demand process.
Finalization and painting
After gaining approval for all the sketches, I delved into color studies and began the painting process. This phase is incredibly enjoyable, as by this point, you have a good sense of how the entire book will look, and it's also the part I most enjoy working on.
Layout, cover, and delivery
Following the completion of the paintings, I created the cover, opting to use some pre-existing illustrations due to our tight deadline, along with exclusive lettering, my specialty. Finally, I handled the layout and finishing touches.
As mentioned earlier, the entire story of the book is handwritten by Adeline. Her mother digitized these writings and sent them to me to incorporate into the layout, making her the co-author of the story, which is quite unique.
Where to find the book
As previously explained, this is an international publication available for sale on the Barnes & Noble Press website, with content entirely in English. Unfortunately, this is the only release for now, but I'll provide the link for anyone interested in checking it out.
Follow this and other creative adventures
I hope you've enjoyed learning a bit more about the development of the illustrations for my first children's book. This is a market I'm passionate about, and I hope to have new opportunities in the near future.
If you're in need of an artist and designer to illustrate and layout your next children's book, feel free to contact me at contato@syproduce.com.br. It would be a pleasure to collaborate with you on your project. Additionally, I invite you to follow my other works here and on my Instagram @syproduce. Warm regards, and see ya!
Comments