Where does an illustration begin?
For me, it starts with an image in my head; the finished image, hovering beautifully in my mind’s eye. Then it’s just a simple matter of translating the incandescent glory of that ideal image, through my hands, via pen and mouse, to become solid – or digital – reality. Easy! So what’s my process? Well, I have three stages from brain to page (or screen). They might not work for you, but this is how I get there. First, there’s the rough sketch (or storyboard), then I create a tight sketch – sometimes in colour if I want to get a feel for the palette – and then I grab my mouse and create the finished illustration.
Danny the [trainee] demon
Danny the [trainee] demon, is a children’s book I wrote and illustrated a year or so ago. It’s a good example of how my process works in the real world (at least in my real world). To show how my process works, I’ve chosen three spreads from the book and, over my next three posts, I’ll show you the storyboard, sketch and finished image of each, so you can see how I got from brain to screen.
I hope you find it informative and even useful. Hey, you can always let me know!
