Well, I was proven wrong yesterday. I did get the day to try out some sketching after all. I have been playing around with some new animal characters for my baby book idea (see Back to Drawing). I can't tell you too much about the actual concept at this stage, but it will require lots of different characters, rather than a small band of friends.
Because it is aimed at the youngest end of the picture book market, it needs to be much less fussy and detailed than I would usually do. I envisage the characters being large and bold, and working onto plain colour backgrounds, very much like the illustrations in When You're Not Looking! which is also aimed young. The whole book is like this racing snail spread - different cut-out creatures on various bright colours.
It seems to me that baby books often lack humour, which must make them pretty deadly for the parents, and possibly less fun than they might be for baby. So with that in mind, I want lots of the illustrations in my new project to be very silly, like the skateboarding dog above. I think some will also need to be cute and cuddly like these koalas too though:
I don't know what's happening with my other project idea yet (see Lila and Sausage Visit a Publisher), but I figure that, if I have other irons in the fire, I'll be less devastated if it comes back as a 'no'.By the way, I have just added some archive sketches of China to my Picture Gallery, if you want to take a look...
11 comments:
Hi Lynne,
I loved your illustrations! It's very beautiful!!
Congratulations!!!
:)
Sounds like a great idea.
Your images look wonderful.
Well done on getting those drawings done.
(I must get on with the two dummies I am working on. One of them would only take about 5 sketches to finish, and yet I somehow can't seem to get my behind in gear!)
As an illustrator first, do you submit a manuscript/dummy differently than I do?
(I would submit the completed manuscript as a text as well as the dummy book as a visual.)
I wonder if you submit yours as a concept rather than a completed text?
I don't create a dummy as such, but do complete the text, although I 'pitch' the concept first, to test the water.
For Lila and Sausage I did the entire thing in thumbnails (see Progress Report) along with a text and a colour sample.
For this latest I will write the text then sketch out maybe 3 or 4 pages to start with, to show to my publisher and see what they think. I have worked with them for many years, so they can visualise what I will do.
ohmigosh... you are outrageously talented! i found you through IF -- you left a kind comment on my blog. after looking at your work, i had to laugh at my sad and paltry efforts at drawing... :) your puffer fish is darling, and such a unique response to this week's IF theme. and those hugging koala bears just melted my heart into a big wet puddle!
~ kim
I love the humor in your illustrations... babies have funny bones too!
Thank you for your comments on my
Illustration Friday stuff.
I checked out your site. NIce work!
Ron
Very funny the tiger and the skater dog :)
Lynne
Your fish balloon , isn't he great?
I just love your work!!
Thanks everyone! You're a real boost.
By the way, for those who are confused, the puffer fish people have referred to is on my Illustration Friday page which you can see here:
http://www.lynnechapman.co.uk/Extras/illustrationfriday.htm
Your drawings for the very young will be something everyone can enjoy! You're so kind to the poor parents who have to read those, all too often humorless books for the very young, heehee!
Fantastic characters. For me is very interesting see your sketchs, your initial lines... It´s great.
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