After writing my original proposal and beginning the initial sketches, I was struggling to focus on a concrete outcome for my FMP and therefore I didn't have a specific audience or client. So, I went back to the beginning.  I looked at what interested me, my ideal job, or what aspects of illustration I enjoy.

Notes and Scribbles...

I settled on producing a children’s book. I then had to decide what age group I wanted to aim for and what kind of story would be suitable. Do I write my own or do I take one that is already done and alter or interpret!? For example, ‘Struwwelpeter’ by Dr Heinrich Hoffman which is a collection of rhyming cautionary tales for children or 1001 Nights, a collection of stories often referred to as the Arabian Nights…

First published in 1845...

Hilaire Belloc, illustrated by Edward Gorey

This example was published in 2002...

Rhyming cautionary tales for children has been a very popular format for hundreds of years, and many examples have been published with great success. I love that they don't shy away from some darkness, but manages to balance that with the right amount of humour. 

I decided to give writing my own story a go, so I thought back to what appealed to me about children’s books when I was younger, and the types of books that stand out, were the ones my parents read to me, and then as I got older I could read them on my own. So a picture book, with lots of interesting and detailed illustrations and a substantial story; they were nearly all part of a series of stories with a set of principle characters that continued through the books.

So with that in mind, I plan to write a story that would have the potential to be a series of books with a cast of original characters. My audience age range would be quite wide, 4-10, when you take into consideration that to begin with the parents would read the book to younger children. This means that it will be something that parents would buy, so it has to appeal to them first.

The intent of the story is to inspire young children to use their imagination to entertain themselves and to encourage them to rely less on things like TV and computer games; and help them to look at their surroundings more creatively. There will hopefully be an element of humour in the illustrations also. 

During my initial research I had been focusing on Family (i.e. mine) and collecting as much information on relatives, any stories they had, who was who, personality quirks etc. I had gathered quite a lot of useful information and this then became the base of No.12 Sutherland Rd and its inhabitants. Francesca Groves or Frankie, as she prefers, is a 7 year old who finds herself having to spend the whole summer at her great aunts’ house. The first book introduces the main characters and settings; and as she begins to explore the house, she finds an old chest in the attic. Frankie, and some of the other characters are then transported into an adventure; each book they would be transported to different areas, such as a jungle, ancient Egypt, the Wild West etc. A lot of the details will only be in the illustrations, so it is only with the combination of text and image that you get the whole story; So it then becomes an interactive book.

Because the idea is not necessarily that the house or the chest is magic, but that Frankie has a very vivid imagination, when they are in an ‘adventure’ some of the props they would use are everyday objects, for example, the swords would be an umbrella and a walking stick, or the crows-nest of a ship is an upside-down lampshade.

Synopsis:

No.12 Sutherland Rd:

The adventures of Frankie and Clive…

It was the start of the summer holidays, and a miserable Francesca Groves stood on the doorstep of number 12 Sutherland Rd. Frankie, as she prefers to be called, is about to spend the whole summer with her Great Aunts Mim and Iris and their three yappy Scottie dogs. Along with her cat Clive and Mr Button-nose, her knitted teddy bear, Frankie arrives at the house and after settling in, starts to explore. Up on the second floor she discovers a door leading to the attic.  Frankie, Clive and Mr Button-nose climb the stairs, unaware that the Aunts Scottie dogs have followed. Frankie discovers an old chest and inside finds an array of objects; she reaches in to grab something with multi-coloured feathers, and as she does this, Cheeseley, one of the Scotties, grabs Mr Button-nose out of her hand and runs off. Suddenly the attic dissolves into a vast ocean and Frankie and Clive are on board a ship in pursuit of the evil Scotties; on a mission to rescue the helpless ‘Princess’ Button-nose from their evil clutches. Eventually they catch up with the Scottie pirates. With the help of Clive and Frankie’s new feathered friend (a parrot) she is able to defeat the pirates and rescue ‘Princess’ Button-nose. Before the Captain Cheeseley walks the plank, the Gong sounds for dinner. They descend from the attic and Frankie feels that the summer may not be as bad as she first thought…

Frankie Groves 1st rough sketches

Mr Button-nose 1st rough sketch

(Frankie knitted him herself)

Clive 1st rough sketches

(Frankie's pet cat- he is terrified of heights)

1st rough sketches of two of the three Scottie dogs

(they are Aunty Iris's babies, Cheeseley the ringleader is Frankie and Clive's nemesis!)

(1st initial front cover design layouts) 

Firstly, after settling on the main characters in the first book, I started to write the beginnings of my story. To help formulate the details and structure of the book, I used a standard 32 double page layout, and began doing a rough plan of all the pages. This helped me to produce a first rough draft of the story.

After having a rough draft of what I wanted to produce, I needed to consider how I wanted to present the final draft of the book, and what kind of deadlines I wanted to work towards. As my initial intended client would be a publishing house, it would be useful to have a finished full colour dummy of my story that I would be able to take around the LBF (London Book Fair 2014). As a rough guide this would most likely be in April. I want my book professionally printed and bound, but only one copy to begin with. 

These are 1st rough drafts, Portrait/Landscape page layouts.

Starting to research printers, there were a number of companies that I found would print from one copy. The problem I have found so far, is that for digital printing (much cheaper than litho) there are limitations on size and orientation for PUR (perfect) binding. So I wanted to produce a book that was about A4 Landscape, because it is something that adults would read to kids it needs to be relatively large and a landscape book would spread across two laps nicely. The problem with that was that most companies can’t digitally print A4 Landscape (due to the cover length), which means that it would have to be printed in litho and most quotes for one copy in litho were over £1000!

Printers research/quotes

I definitely don’t have that much money to spend so it meant having to rethink dimensions and orientation. Having looked at all options, I don’t want the book to be any smaller than A4 so the most likely orientation would be portrait. Does a dummy book have to be the size you want to produce it in already? Or can I produce a smaller version to take round places? The illustrations may suffer if the size is altered too much, and may not be true to how it would look/read/handle. 

Rough timetable of production

The rough timetable for production gives me an idea of the structure and order of my project. I want to create a survey of my book in rough form to a selected audience; for example parents of children aged 4-10 and their kids, maybe schools. Hopefully the feedback I gather from that will help me determine whether the story and the illustrations are suitable and appealing to my target audience, and highlight anything I may need to change. I would then have to re work parts or all of it before the beginning of March, to give me time to send it to print.

My next step is to research the kind of illustrations, styles, mediums, composition and content of other artists/illustrators and current and past examples of children’s books. I need to determine what is appropriate to my target audience and also potential clients, i.e. publishing houses. I want to produce something original and eye-catching that does not necessarily conform to a typical story book. The illustrations have to be distinctive to make it stand out from the hundreds of other children’s books on the market.

RESEARCH

“…always with her characteristic attention to detail and effortless evocation of the everyday life and concerns of small children…” (www.alfiebooks.co.uk)

Shirley Hughes wrote and illustrated children’s books like ‘Dogger’ (1977) and the series ‘Alfie’ (from 1977). They are all still available today, and are a testament to the strength and popularity of her stories and illustrations. 

(double page spread from 'Alfie')

I love the composition of this illustration, and the views of both inside and out. Even without reading the text you are still aware of the narrative. The placing of text is clear but doesn't distract from the image. The detail is good, and that other characters or information unrelated to the immediate text are in the background; this adds to the overall setting. It is important that the illustrations add more information than the text, but also supports it as well; so there are then two levels of understanding.

(illustration from 'Dogger')

Vera Pavlova was born in 1952 in Chita, Russia. I can't find a lot of information about her or her practices, but have found some really beautiful illustrations.

(illustrations by Vera Pavlova)

I love her use of colour in particular, and the subtle palettes she tends to use in all of her illustrations. She manages to create interesting compositions and the odd perspectives of her drawings. In a couple of the examples you can see texture almost like painting in acrylic or oil which gives the images depth. Quite whimsical and atmospheric, almost in a medieval style with the characters in each image.  

Image by Jon Klassen

Jon Klassen is a Canadian illustrator/author. He usually works with '...ink or gouache or acrylics, but everything is assembled and altered digitally afterward. A lot of the work is generated digitally from scratch too.'- Jon Klassen

(more examples of Jon Klassen's illustrations)

The textures used in the images really appeal to me, and the variations of tone and colour create light and dark. The compositions are great and i think they create good atmospheric presence; you get a real sense of the spaces and rooms in the drawings, which I will want to try and recreate in my own illustrations.

illustration by Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan, born in 1974, is an Australian Illustrator and children’s book author. He works in a variety of mediums such as pen, inks, acrylic, charcoal, lino cuts and collage, which are often layered up; though he does use colour, most of his illustrations are drawn in pencil and graphite.

(more examples from Shaun Tan)

I particularly love the detail in his mark-making, and that many of his drawings have a humorous and slightly warped perspective or nature to them. All of which are elements that I hope to use in my own work. 

It is important that the illustrations have warmth and charm, are memorable with enough detail to entice the viewer into this other world. They should be quite quirky and humorous, with the right atmosphere and colour palette. My main concern is that the characters and settings compliment each other and that I can create and maintain a unique style and set of characters.

The next process is to explore some different mediums, colour palettes, compositions and page layouts. This will be continually developing depending on the success of the images, the text and what my target audience wants: this will be very important! So my 1^st deadline for the 1^st or 2^nd week in Dec for initial dummy will allow me to get that insight.

This project, if the bones of it are strong, could be developed in a number of ways. The idea is that this becomes a series of books, principally following Frankie and Clive in everyday situations but with a twist of the ‘make-believe’; that maybe the ordinary can be extraordinary with the help of a little imagination. These could then be animated. I could then look into producing merchandise like bedding, dolls, stationary, lunchboxes, stickers, board games… 

(2nd rough cover designs)

Need to look into cover designs, and produce a rough example that will hopefully give an idea of the feel of the book. I really like the image in the 1^st idea, but am not sure how practical it is for a cover- a lot of the image would potentially be obscured by text. Could I use it inside the book? Maybe as an end paper design?

As a simple, yet hopefully strong design the second image may be better suited for a cover- it gives me options in regards to placing text. It would very much depend on the mediums I use to create it, that will hopefully give it interest.

The 3^rd design is supposed to be the front and back of no.12 Sutherland Rd. Simple idea, would very much depend on producing a really striking image.

The next process is to explore some different mediums, colour palettes, compositions and page layouts. This will be continually developing depending on the success of the images, the text and what my target audience wants: this will be very important! So my 1^st deadline for the 1^st or 2^nd week in Dec for initial dummy will allow me to get that insight.

This project, if the bones of it are solid, could be developed in a number of ways. The idea is that this becomes a series of books, principally following Frankie and Clive in everyday situations but with a twist of the ‘make-believe’; that maybe the ordinary can be extraordinary with the help of a little imagination. These could then be animated. You could then look into producing merchandise like bedding, dolls, stationary, lunchboxes, stickers, board games… 

Experiment with emulsion, card, pen and ink, gouache and collage for front cover:

Different layouts and colours

 

An example of Sutherland Rd.

Front cover designs with text...

I like these images as a starting point. There is a lot of scope with the materials I’ve started using, though I may have to explore whether they are suitable for what I finally want to achieve. Need to remember audience age- are these appropriate? I really like the combination of layering stencils to achieve depth. 

Will start on a page spread next using these mediums and techniques to see how the process works for a more complex illustration…

For the preparation of my pitch I have reworked my character designs using the same processes as the above 'cover roughs'. I have then photographed and adapted on computer, to give more of an idea what this would look like in print, as well as trying out different colour palettes...

First pencil sketches of Frankie, Clive, Button-nose, Aunty Mim, Aunty Iris and the Scotties 

( Hamish, Cheeseley and Blanche)

Second stage, Pen and Ink...

Then add emulsion, newspaper and Acrylic in layers...

Go over image with pen and ink, and then use Charcoal, Chalk and pastel...

Character roughs altered on computer- quite like the simple tonal ones, but with a children's book you need to have at least some colour- can I alternate?

I will have to make sure that my characters don't become too flat and static. I want movement in the images...

Storyboard roughs, page layouts...

I then made a small dummy book with the storyboard (not actual size)

To get a better idea of how the mediums would work with the storyboard images I started with the first page layout. So following the same processes that I used for the character roughs I produced a rough page and then photographed it, and played around with exposure and colour...

Then added the text in the rough layout I had intended- I did try the font in both black and white, but white stood out clearer from the image so was easier to read. Trying to keep in mind that the gutter in the centre will mean some detail will be lost; I designed all the layouts so that none of the important information will suffer and that the image is still readable.

What makes a good Children's book?

Honore Daumier

Daumier was a French print-maker, painter, sculptor and caricaturist in the 19th Century. The compositions of his pieces are dynamic and he manages not to make his figures too static. The tones and line making are expressive and help to create atmosphere. The sculptures he created and then drew from, and it is this aspect of his work that I will take into my own working process...

Erin Stead

A few examples of Erin Stead's illustrations...

Erin E. Stead illustrates books written by her husband Phillip C. Stead using wood blocks for the colour work and then pencil for the detail. The use of wood blocks gives texture and an almost graphic/screenprint feel to the images. The compositions are simple but effective, and the figures are characterful! 

Marla Frazee

These examples of Frazee's illustrations successfully create movement and atmosphere. The use of line and media enhance the compositions.

Lane Smith

These are examples from Lane Smith's book 'Grandpa Green'. The simple colour palette and compositions make it eye catching. Some of the pages fold out to give a more elongated image... I could use that method in my own book.

Observational sketches of Frankie...

I need to find a better way to draw my characters as I envision them, that I can do observational drawings from various angles with highlights and shadows with more expression and movement. Can I try making models of my characters and then drawing them?

Need to readdress body of text, ie. cut down and simplify. The main focus should be the illustrations, and these should enhance the text and add details and humour to the story. From the feedback of others I need to try and involve the Aunts more in the story and incorporate them throughout the book. Going back and focusing on my intention to encourage children to use their imagination and creativity to entertain themselves without relying on things like TV or iPads, I needed to expand the story around the house and instead of focusing on one area, treat the house as a world in itself. So that it is clear that Frankie is in No.12 Sutherland Rd one will be able to see the rooms and the Aunts as they are, but there will be an added layer on top of that, for example: The Staircase is a waterfall, there is a jungle in the hallway, Iris is a sleeping dragon... For some parts, shadows will play a part in clarifying characters in their other forms...

Rough example of new concept...

Part of new rough storyboard...

The beginning of the story won't change much, the first 6 double pages will stay the same, but the story will then progress around the house, starting with Frankie and Clive sailing over the waterfall...

                                   

First attempt at model making...

Aunty Iris...

Unfortunately her glass eye went a little wrong, and she possibly looks too manly. Her hat is also wrong. I can alter these things through the observational drawings.

 Aunty Mim...

Mim turned out a little better, I couldn't make glasses with the clay, so I will have to add those later. Her frizzy hair was not easy to create so I tied it back, but those can be drawn instead. The point of these figures is to give me a 3D model to draw from, and means I can create them exactly as I envision them.

Observational drawings from models...

 Model of Frankie, without hat or hair...

various notes, research and storyboarding...

I then made another dummy book with the rough layouts from the last storyboard with the text and compositions of the images.

The next step was to start working on the final images from the storyboards I had revised. I decided to do the framework for the house and rooms in pen and ink, keeping the structure quite plain. I then scanned these into the computer and reprinted these. Cutting them up I placed these on a ground and then used gouache and emulsion to create texture with layers. I drew out the figures and objects from scrap papers, some with pre-printed patterns and painted these. Placing them in situ, I then layered more emulsion and gouache, finally highlighting and shading with pastel.

Room structures (pen and ink)

Final images for book...

final cover design...

This was dummy No.3 had colour images but basic text layout...

I think some of these have worked really well but they have all come out rather dark. Seeing as this was supposed to be a children’s book I don’t think they are particularly suitable for the younger ages, ie. 4-8 ish.

As I was producing these illustrations I didn’t always remember to consider text placement. This has then meant it is really difficult to fit the text and image together on the page. There is also a lot of text!

This was dummy No.4, made for the LBF...

I wanted to have a dummy of sorts ready to take to the LBF as I hoped this would enable me to get some professional feedback on it so far. I was able to speak to a few creative directors, who all gave me some really useful criticisms and this has meant I can refocus on the project having gained some great advice.

Firstly there was too much text for a picture book (2-6) there should be on average up to 30 words per page and no more. The images were a bit too dark and not enough detail. It would have better suited young fiction (8+) but the story as it was, was too basic for that age range. The text layouts also needed addressing properly.

I had to decide what I wanted to produce, and given the amount of time I had left to achieve it, I settled on producing a dummy picture book ( aimed at 2-5 ) with a colour cover, and 3 double page spreads, and pencil roughs of the rest of the book, complete with revised text and layout.

Back to basics storyboard...

More character designs...

Roughs for dummy book No.5...

This is what I’ve managed to do with the time I had left on the project. I will be readdressing the 3 finalised double pages ready for the degree show.

Final roughs with text for No.12 Sutherland Rd...

I have changed my mind quite often during this project, from planning to produce book art based on my family, to writing a children’s book with characters based on a couple of family members, No.12 Sutherland Rd. I have actually really enjoyed the journey, and learnt some major lessons. Firstly, something that would save on a lot of time would be starting out with a very clear objective, know your intended audience, and consider placement of text before you start any images! Once I had finally taken the time to do these, I found I was a lot more focused, and able to work productively. I am almost happy with the final draft, and how much it has progressed.

One thing I have realised is that I am quite inconsistent with my drawing style, and character design. This is something I will have to address, maybe have a more set plan of papers, mediums, colours and processes beforehand and stick to it! But hopefully by continually drawing, my abilities will improve and the consistency will get better.

I wasn’t able to produce a full picture book in colour which was what I had intended. I lost a lot of time because of my indecisions.  But through the whole process I have realised the methods of working that work best for me, and the most productive way of addressing a brief. I will continue working on this project to develop it further.