8.20.2012

Book Idea

Been working on a picture book idea for a while now, and so I thought I'd share with you some of the character designs and a spread from the book. It's mostly in rough form - a book dummy, actually - with a few color treatments. Here are the main characters: Daddy Book 1
A Dad and his disapproving twins.
Daddy Book 2 At one point, the kids have to get Daddy up since he doesn't want to. Both have to put their backs into it!

Of course, I'm in the midst of changing a big portion of the story around. As typical in creating stories, what sounded perfect one minute might sound completely ridiculous the next. Or, it's just not working. That happens in making books. The hard part is to be open and honest with yourself. And not get too married to certain aspects of the story. Because more often than not, you'll find yourself exorcising those parts in order to make the best possible story for your readers. It's been a learning experience for me, which is always a good thing. Below are some rough sketches of the characters: daddy sketches 1

daddy sketches 2

So, it'll be interesting to see where this takes me. I'm excited about the possibility of reworking the story and seeing how all the pieces will fit. I love the process. It's not an easy thing, writing a children's book - that's for sure. Don't let anyone tell you that it's a cinch. It's not. Just ask any successful children's book writer out there - they'll be the first to let you know that it's a very difficult thing to master. So, yeah - it's going to be difficult, but I know it'll be fun going through the process.

12 comments:

  1. I can see this working really nicely. I like how the focus at the moment is the everyday. Love the characters and the colours!

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  2. I have a poem that I wrote when I was younger. Would love to chat with you about the process sometime. And Noah misses E. Andrea A.

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  3. I love the characters!
    Yes, I hate it when people think it's sooo easy to write a children's story!

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  4. This is fun to watch it unfold. I'm in awe. I remember as I kid I one of my dream jobs was to write and illustrate children's books. I appreciate your work!

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  5. Love your work. Great to see your process unfold. I also appreciate the candor about how hard it can be to create, yet fun and fully satisfying.

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  6. Your artwork is fantastic!, and the peek into your process is fun and appreciated! Art is work but enjoyable!

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  7. Really enjoyed checking out your site today - came to it because of UPPERCASE magazine. Just pinned your Chicks Run Wild book as a gift idea!

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  8. Inspiring! I love the idea that the characters are determining their own future...

    On an unrelated note, it looks as though you were 'Quote of the Day' a few days ago!
    http://www.quotationspage.com/mqotd/2012-08-27.html

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  9. The image of the dad on the bed with the kids helping out is great!

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  10. Love this idea! And I agree, it must be such a hard task to write a children's book. The simple stories are often the best but so much work goes into the process.

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  11. Love the process! I came across your blog through your work at Hinge Digital.

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