Creative Process

• Writing

  I start my creative process with writing a manuscript, it doesn’t have to be totally finished, but the main ideas and sequence should be there. I write lots of stories, but only take the best ones to the illustration stage. The story has to inspire me enough to spend a whole year working on it.

• Editing

  I proof-read the manuscript and start to gather inspiration for how the story will look. I decide the size of the book and how many pages (most children’s pictures books are 32 pages).

• Research

  I research and study the characters in my story for illustration. For example, on page 8 in my story, “Papa, Why Does the Sun Shine?”  the text reads: “Does sun shine so eight caterpillars can eat milkweed so sweet?” So I decided to research Monarch caterpillars. I’m lucky I can easily observe them on my roadside from late August to early September. I watched how they moved, their different sizes, and their various stages of growth. 

• Sketching

  I fill a page with sketches which contains variations of my character ideas. In this step I play with perspective, pattern, shape, and size. I repeat this process until all of my character ideas are developed.

• Dummy Page

  I’m ready to draw out a dummy page containing all the ideas from my story. The dummy page reduces the whole story to one page with a series of small double-page spreads. It gives me a chance to see the whole story at once and make any changes before I start to fully illustrate.

• Paper, Patterns, Paint

  Once the dummy page is done I use a collage method to illustrate my books. I upcycle newspaper and paint it with brightly colored acrylic paint. Sometimes I let the words from the newspaper show through to tell its own story. Using everyday objects, I print patterns and textures giving my paper a unique look. I then cut my characters and scene from the painted paper.

   

  

• Storyboards

  I make a storyboard for each double-page spread from my book. I lay out the characters and scenes from the painted paper on the storyboard. At this time I also print out the text and fine tune its placement. This process helps me find a good balance between the text and the illustrations.

• Digitize

  Once a page is done and I’m happy with it I take a picture for reference and mail the pieces and the picture off to a graphic designer. The graphic designer scans in all of my pieces and recreates each page in a program called InDesign. Once the book has been digitally formatted I make final adjustments before sending it off to print.