Carmelite development 1

I have been experimenting with colour, character and composition. I have been trying to find ways to make the simple landscape of the ocean and flat horizon more interesting and appealing. I have been changing the angles and perspective as well as adding features like rocks and land masses that break up the flat surface of the mater. I really like the simple forms of the rocks, they add depth to the compositions and can be use to guide the readers focus to the main character or main points of interest. I think the most interesting and important result of adding the rocks is that they add shape and form to the water. The ocean could be left blank and only signified by the interaction with the rocks. This could help me simplify the composition making the focal points bolder while still creating an immersive landscape.
I am still unsure about the characters I have created so far. I cannot decide whether to make them more realistic or more cartoon-like. I think moving away from realistic illustration will allow me to experiment more with the entire compositions, use of colour etc. One thing I have discovered so far is that otters are hard to draw. If the proportions of the character are at all off they look very strange. I have tried accentuating some of the characters features and they either look like other animals or just look wrong. Needs more work.
 

Carmelite Prize roughs

These are my roughs for the Carmelite prize. At this stage I am roughing out ideas to see how the aesthetic and composition will work with the narrative of the book. I think that using scale will be important, depicting the small young sea otter venturing into the big wide world by herself. Not just with the landscape but with the creatures she encounters on the way. This use of scale could help the reader relate to the character and make the story more immersive. The entire book takes place at sea and the only real changes to the setting are moving from above the water to swimming underneath. I will need to make sure I experiment with a range of compositions to make the books layout more interesting. The compositions could easily become monotonous if not carefully considered.

Carmelite prize

I have been working on the Carmelite prize brief for a few weeks now. I started out focussing on character design, the book features animals as the main characters that I have not drawn before. I have been testing out a number of different methods to try and capture both the characters and appearance of these animals. The character tests range from simple cartoon like illustrations to much more realistic detailed images. The most successful to far combine block shapes drawn using pro create bushes that give the appearance of rough edged markers and pencils. The rough edges and gritty textures to the shapes add detail and depth to the environment.

I have mainly been working in black and white recently. I have really enjoyed working in values rather than colour and I am happy with the results. In the brief the notes from the author specifically mention wanting to see colourful landscapes. This gives me the motivation and opportunity to break the pattern and process I have become used to recently. I want to use this brief not only to work towards a professional end product in the specific are of illustration I am focussed on but to also push my practice further. I want to approach this project with freedom and not get caught up with feeling pressured to create a "looks good" because whenever I think that simply I fall back into habitual practices and don't learn anything new.

Window Desgn Brief

The Elmwood studios window project brief was to create a design for the front widows of the building. The briefs theme was left open but we were asked to consider creativity, the secret life of a design studio and the surrounding areas as possible ideas. The design had a budget of £500. In the past I have seen the brief completed using paint markers but I liked the idea of creating something digitally and using see through vinyl to apply it to the windows. That way the design would be exactly as I designed it and not constrained by the media.

I focussed on the idea of creativity and being inspired by what is around us. I sketched out the idea using the template provided. the idea behind the design was a rainbow coming into the studio through the window representing an idea. The idea was then communicated between the members of the team through a range of methods and technologies. I wanted to highlight and celebrate the creative process and collaboration. The rainbow then exits through the opposite window as the idea goes back out into the world as designs and products. I applied textures to the illustration to give it a hand crafted feel and make it more appealing. The rainbows look like they have been drawn using pencil crayon and the characters are drawn with rough edges and imperfections. I originally drew the characters as outlines to make the rainbow stand out but decided to make the entire illustration full colour to stand out more clearly on the window.

Character design brief

I was asked by an animation student to produce some character concept art for a larger project. The brief was to create two illustrations of a character to be used in a game. This was only a small project but gave me the opportunity to work on something outside of my usual practice. The brief was very specific and featured a detailed description of the character which made the design process straight forward. I completed the brief over the space of 2 days. it was a very short process but an enjoyable one.

Tutorial

Todays one on one tutorial has helped me to understand how to plan out my work for this year. I need to concentrate solely on briefs that will help develop my practice and if I cant find competition briefs that will do this I should set a brief for myself.

Plan of action

Elmwood Studios- Window Brief- Already completed

Poster Spy- Red Dwarf brief- this will be a fun and quick brief to complete to start me off

Penguin Design Award- Children's cover award- The book for this project is 'Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman'. This isn't a typical children's book. The book tackles "racism, terrorism, the class system and the artificial divides we always seem to put between ourselves and others". The book ties in to the research I have been doing for COP this year and will help me to explore the theories from that module. The brief will also be a an interesting challenge, dealing with more serious subject matter than my usual practice. I think the change of subject matter could be beneficial to my practice and help me with future projects.

Editions- This will be my self directed brief. I want to write and illustrate a children's book. Later in the year we will be briefed on a large projected leading towards the end of year exhibition. To start I am going to conduct some smaller initial projects of character design that will be part of the final book. I think this will help me to spend more time in the development faze of the book and allow me to explore the characters in much more depth and help me to develop emotion, movement, posture etc.

D&AD- Beano Brief- To reimagine a female Beano character. This brief sounds like it could be fun and could help develop my skills as I would be required to animate the character. There are a list of characters to choose from and the brief states that " All illustration and animation styles are welcomed" so I would keep my visual identity within my work. The brief says the "the world (and Beano) needs more rebel girls." and that they want us to "bring your updated designs to life through a short, narrative animation, bringing new stories and exciting new perspectives to an established and well-loved character". This project will allow me to work on character design loosely based on a pre-existing character (providing some constraints to work creatively with), develop the character (come up with narratives for the character to be part of) and to expand my skills working with animation (could collaborate with an animator?)

Carmelite prize- Illustrate a children's book.

"The judges are looking for a series of original and outstanding illustrations demonstrating competency and creativity in visual storytelling for children. The illustrations should show characterisation, continuity and progression, plus a range of emotion and pace appropriate to the text. Originality is key as is the consideration for text placement and page design."

Author's notes

“This is a story about opening your mind to greater knowledge and wisdom. Sophie knows she will never find the place where the sea meets the sky but her own horizons have expanded.”

“I am very much looking forward to seeing how Sophie’s world is created visually. I hope my story will offer the opportunity to show a wide variety of scenes, from intimate, close-up personal moments to colourful underwater vistas and stunning, atmospheric seascapes.”

Spec

The full text is split over 12 spreads and entrants are required to submit roughs for 8 spreads and final artwork for 4 spreads. The text, with suggested page breaks, can be accessed on completion of the Registration form.

There is a choice of two formats for the finished book: 245mm x 245mm or 275mm (high) x 250mm (wide). Please choose the format most suited to your style.

Artwork must be created at 100% size, or up to 30% larger, allowing at least 5mm extra (after reduction) for any images that bleed.

Any medium may be used, but final artwork must be flat so it can be scanned. Illustrations with novelty elements or 3D structures will not be eligible.

Artwork can be supplied digitally but should be supplied as one low res PDF, file size to be no larger than 8MB. Please ensure file is labelled with your full name as follows: firstname_lastname.pdf. Note, original files should be created in high res – and retained as such – should your entry be succesful and selected for print.

Text should be shown in black, either typed or handwritten, and should be removable (ie, supplied as a transparent or trace overlay). For digital entries, flattened text on PDF is acceptable, but original high res files should place text on a separate layer

This is one of the bigger briefs and one that I plan to devote a large amount of time to as it is best suited to my practice and I think it will be one of the most beneficial.

Briefs

Thought experiment

 My work is focussed on digital processes, I have been using illustrator over the last few years building up illustrations using shape and texture. I feel that this process ahs caused my work to lack movement and a feeling of crafting and freedom that is appealing. I have recently moved away from this method and have been using procreate to make digital illustrations that are rigid and calculated. I have been enjoying this transition and think my work has improved but it has been a frustrating time learning new processes and I still fall back to methodology I have used in the past. I feel like I am trying to make illustrations do 100 things at once and that I lose focus of the overall aesthetic, composition and purpose of my illustrations as I build them up to finished product. I need to spend more time reflecting on my work throughout its development, stepping back and assessing what work s and what doesn't at regular intervals. Once I get find a brush or pen that I like I tend to stick to that one process and stop experimenting, and if something doesn't work straight away I often abandon it. I need to have more patience when experimenting, roughing illustrations and exploring ideas. This summer I have had a bit of a lack of confidence however I feel like I am starting to make some progress, I need to keep a few ideas in mind while I continue to develop my practice..

- Draw with freedom and experiment through media, composition and narrative.
- Reflect and regular intervals when researching, developing ideas and creating final pieces.
- Have more confidence, talk about my work.
- Have more patience, take the time to full explore ideas, compositions and processes, take a step      
   back when needed.

first illustration

-getting out into the industry (fear)

-stepping out of my comfort zone

-taking a leap of faith

-not knowing where my practice will end up

Second illustration

- trying to combine what I have learned to inspire my practice can feel like I am lost

- balancing act between different aesthetics and processes 

- unsteady

- goals just out of reach (feels like)

Third illustration

- frustrated

- not happy with work produced

- need more patience

Briefing 2

Briefing-extended practice

Thought experiment 

Write a confessional statement about your working comfort zones 

Go to ways of working?

Strengths?

Processes, media?

What’s holding you back?

What are you bored with?

Can your work be too safe?

Be honest in answering these questions!!

Set in my ways

Making images appropriate for audience 

Caught up in making work that looks ‘good’

Stuck between old habits and experimentation

Don’t spend long enough roughing and refining illustrations

Negativity 

Get comfortable with a process then work becomes repetitive 

Make a visual response to your statement 

Invert your practice

Play

Make mistakes

Take risks

Consider everything, experiment 

Break your own rules

7” by 7”

Black and white or colour 

Make mistakes, play, have fun!!!

Shaun tan- the arrival 

David Hughes - new persona for children’s books

Animation

Editorial 

Character proportions

Forget the word style

Integrity

Luke Pearson

Portrait

Extended Practice Briefing

Extended practice briefing 

Lauil603 

Submission 17/05/18 1:00

60 credits 

3 hours everyday on this module 

Develop book

Don’t think you can write and illustrate a book in the time 

Could work towards a plan for a book 

Chose a story that already exists 

Make as part of a continuing personal project 

Don’t see end of year show as a cut off for a book project 

Part one- statement of intent 

Start to list ideas for a project 

Themes and subject matter

Research methods

Practical development 

Contextual references 

Approaches to documentation

Reflection and evaluation- professional reflections

Time scales and project management  

Write down questions for group Frits and tutorials 

Part two-studio practice 

Select briefs that will further your practice 

Complete a range of briefs 

Adds variety to portfolio

Find a range of briefs that will allow me to showcase different skills 

Individual and collaborative briefs 

Briefs negotiated with tutors 

Part three- the journal 

Professional document 

Up to 2000 words in total 

research, development and management 

4 500 word interim summaries 

These summaries will be posted through estudio 

reflect back on original statement 

What has changed, what is going well, where are you going 

Can refer back to blog posts in summaries 

Critical and formal 

Part four- project report

750 word summary 

Clear, concise, professional 

Should work almost like an easy when combined 

with original statements and blog summaries

Reflect and critically analyse 

Blog summary points 

30th October

11th December 

29th January

19th March 

Live briefs 

Hookworms- a2 screen printed poster

Folio society- Sherlock Holmes January deadline 

Lifting tower- briefing 10/10/17 3:00 studio 1 

Cape- four-page short comic

Editions (personal briefs)

Can be ongoing brief 

Clients like to see more personal work as well as commercial 

Turn roughs and rejected work into books 

Henrik Drescher- sketchbook 

Who am I?

Pitch 

No more than 10 slides

No longer than 5 minutes

principles, theories and tropes

Past failures and successes (why)

What are your interests that influence your work 

Examples of other people’s work that you like (why)

Process/content 

Pitch is on Friday 13th 

Self portrait 

7”-7’

Full colour or black and white 

Things to ponder

Tone of voice 

Opinionated?

What do you want to communicate 

What aesthetics and processes are important to your work

What research do I need to do 

Project Report

Presentation Boards

Final Outcomes

Project Proposal Revisited

I have looked back at my project proposal to try and evaluate whether I achieved the goals I set for my self. I have researched a illustrators from my original proposal looking at their use of composition, colour, shape and text. I have also read interviews to find out how they approach their work and interact with publishers. The target audience for my book has remained the same from beginning to end and so have my goals to create a "bold, fun, colourful picture book". My themes and subjects have remained the same, the aim of the book is to be enjoyable and engaging, able to teach life lessons without seeming overly educational or even preachy. I have not tested all the processes from my proposal, I aimed to experiment with screen as well as digital printing. as my illustrations developed I started to use more tones and colours which would have made it difficult to screen print. I could have screen printed individual elements of the book them digitally developed them into full page compositions however time constraints and poor planning lead me towards more accessible media. In the creative skills section of the proposal I talk about creating a full book experimenting with paper and cover materials. I did take part in the book binding class but did manage to illustrate the entire book in the time frame. I plan on finishing the book outside of this module. Even though I did not finish all the pages I should have researched paper types and looked more at cover materials used for children's books to expand my understanding of the processes involved in production.

As well as the illustrators I listed in my proposal I found a number of other through the course of this project whose work has helped to inform my practice both in terms of how they interact with publishers and approach brief and also the processes and methods they use to create their work.

Book Cover

I was reading through my feedback from the mega crit and a couple of people suggested making a book cover to finish off my project and better demonstrate how my illustrations would be applied to the product. This is very last minute but I think the suggestions are right and also the idea of a minimal cover would suit the contents/narrative of the book.

I made a cover an mocked it up using stock images to see how it would look. I didn't add a blurb to the back but I left space for it to be added my a publisher. I kept the cover simple using a white background the partially disguise the dog character to try and create intrigue when combined with the books title. I used colours from the pages of the book to make sure their is a consistent aesthetic and colour scheme. I want the book to be an appealing, high quality well designed product that is appealing just as a object as well as means to tell the story.

More Possible Applications

I enjoyed designing t shirts to be sold alongside the book and would like to expand the products to cushions and toys. I would need to look into getting the toys made but there are some children's book illustrators that sell high quality toys of the characters from their book such as Chris Haughton. He works with non profit organisations to make the his products creating high quality products ethically and helping communities in the process. I think this is a good example to show that you can create a successful business model providing quality products while being ethical and socially responsible. I would like to start collaborating with practitioners from other disciplines to create a variety of products using our combined skill sets.

Applications

I used stock images to apply my illustrations to products and show them working in the formats they have been designed for. The primary application of my illustrations is pages of a children's picture book. 5 of my illustrations are double page spreads, I chose these 5 pages to communicate important parts of the story so that the illustrations could be used to pitch the book to publishers. The sixth illustration is a front cover or poster that could be used to advertise the book.

The image shows how the double page spread would work as part of a book.

As well as the page designs I wanted to show how my illustrations could be applied to appropriate promotional and saleable materials. I wanted to find stock images to show products that are often sold alongside children's books such as clothing, toys, bags etc. I have designed and printed clothing in the past and still have an interest in it so mocked up 3 t shirts using illustrations from the book that I think would sell. I also mocked up some images of tote bags and paper bags that could be sold alongside/ or given away with the book itself to help advertise the main product.

Change of plan

I decided to work on a new page to replace the sleeping dogs page, I wasn't happy with the composition and after switching back to using white backgrounds the design I had made didn't really fit the aesthetic of the rest of the book. I wanted to illustrate the moment when the dog realises he definitely is not a polar bear, The dog goes to the zoo and meets a polar bear which is massive compared to him. I wanted to make the polar bear scary compared to the dog but still suitable for small children. I wanted to make sure the composition showed the size difference and needed to silhouette both the characters against the background.

Chris Haughton

Chris Haughton like Dieter Braun sells book through a range of retailers then sells a range of additional products through his website. His website contains a lot more information than the other I have looked at so far. He has pages dedicated to each of his books showing every page of the books so potential customers can get an rounded view of the book before purchasing. His site contains links to all the talks he has done and events he is taking part in and awards that he has won. All of the content shows how involved he is with creative communities. His site also contains a blog that allows him to keep his audience up to date with the projects he is working on and advertise events in a more personal way than simply posting an image of a poster.

Chris Haughton sells products featuring characters from his book that hand made by a non profit organisation that helps train and provide support for disadvantaged individuals in Nepal. His products promote the positive message of helping others. Quite often I see toys and merchandise made to run alongside a book release that consist of mass produced low quality toys and gifts. Chris Haughton my be limiting his market by working in the way his products are made, they are higher priced than most but also higher quality and organisation making them is centred around helping its workforce rather than cutting costs. Chris Haughton's market for these products will be fans of his work that are happy to spend the extra money for something of high quality and the knowledge that they have been part of a process than helps disadvantaged people.

I always think the way products are displayed can make a big difference to how we view the quality of them, if a companies website looks like it has had no effort put into it then have they put enough effort into their products. Photography seems to be a common issue, an illustrator could spend ages making a high quality crafted product then photograph it badly and put people off. In the same way when it is clear that a shop, illustrator or collective put in extra effort constantly updating their website and adding interesting or even interactive content it makes them and their work more appealing. Chris Haughton's site features a downloads page where users can download posters, colouring sheets, activity sheets, origami and recipe's.

He has made the text on the page dark blue which means it is not too bold, it does not break up the composition. He has said in interviews that his illustrations tell the story and the works are secondary. Most illustrators of children's books would make the text stand out more but I think working this way keeps the emphasis on the illustrations and make the book cover more appealing. the important information is still clear and easy to read but is not the focal point of the image.

Dieter Braun

Dieter Braun is an illustrator that is probably best known for his books. His books are sold in a wide range of retailers from large companies such as Amazon and Waterstones to small independent shops. He is represented by 'Kate Larkworthy Artist Representation' which is an international agency that represents a number of illustrators and artists. Being represented by an agency means that Dieter Braun can expand the reach of his work and client base, the agency can act as a go between introducing clients to practitioners. Similar to a collective the agency provides clients with somewhere to find a large range of practitioners capable of meeting their needs. If you are an illustrator just starting out the agency can provide a platform the showcase work to a large pre existing audience of possible clients in a professional setting.

Dieter Braun has his own website but does not sell his books from it, he does advertise them on the site but you would need to visit one of the many book shops that stock his work to buy them. What he does sell on the site is posters, prints and postcards of his illustrations. I don't know if he has a deal with his publisher where he can not sell them himself or whether its because he would effectively be action as competition for the book shops that stock his work. The book shops no doubt have a larger audience than his website and make a perfect setting to expand public knowledge of his work as they appeal to a more general audience who do not need to know about his work in advance. The illustrations from his site are made up of one of designs and images from his books. The high quality prints of illustrations from his books will appeal to fans of his work. I think this works as a process, the most likely way to find his work is in a book shop, then if you like the work you would visit his site and possible purchase a print from the book that you like. In this way his website can act as a separate range of products that appeal to a more specific group of people, people who are fans of his and are happy to spend the extra money to get a product of higher quality or with a personal touch (hand printed or signed).

 I like the use of silhouettes in this image to highlight characters and add depth and contrast. The dog in my illustrations needs to contrast enough with its surroundings to become the focal point of each page.

Mirror page

Today I have gone back to my illustrations and feel much happier about them and much more confident about where I want to take them.

This  was the page I was most concerned about switching back to a white background but the grey tones help to show the dog more clearly. I tried adding more detail to the mirror as well but felt it looked a bit busy and took the focus away from the dogs reflection. I am not happy with the pink speech bubble, I am going to work more on the text for all the pages once they are all finished.

Re-think

I talked to the tutors today and it really helped me get some perspective on my work. I had convinced my self I did not have time to finish adding textures and tones to my illustrations and was looking for ways to simplify the process. I was also panicking about whether what I had made was right for the brief and what my final illustrations would need to be. The submission briefing really helped me to clarify what I need to do and gave me confidence. I need to look more at where my practice fits within the creative industries and the applications for my work. I am going to look in more depth at how illustrators apply themselves. Getting feedback today also helped me make some final decisions about my work, I think I had been second guessing myself and over analysing the images. I have decided to go back to white backgrounds as the pages feel lighter and less claustrophobic. Having a white background also increases the used for the illustrations, they can be used as spot illustrations, t shirt designs and vinyl window displays to advertise the book.

Cropped

I have cropped down my illustration for the first page of the book to concentrate more on the character in the scene. I think the landscape still looks good and maintains its depth. I really liked to original but don't think it worked for the purpose of telling the story. The original image could still be used for the cover possibly.

Sleeping Dogs

This page is one of the turning points of the book as it is the point where the dog first starts to question his identity. I am not sure yet how to finish this composition. I thought about having the bed with the dogs quite small in the bottom right hand corner of the page to try and create that feeling of lying awake at night surrounded by darkness. The lettering could be quite large and bold on this page as it is the big moment of realisation. I have tried to keep a constant colour scheme even thought he page is much darker than the others by using darker tones of the same pink landscape. I think I should try the same illustration with blue to see if it seems more moody and gives a clearer feeling of being the middle of the night. I have illustrated the other dogs fairly close to the background colours so that the main dog character stands out on the page and also because him looking so different is one of the reasons he feels unsure if he belongs. I was thinking of having a range of tones in the background like light shining in through the window from a streetlight but I haven't used tones in that way on any of the other pages, I think I should still try it as it could really improve the image and add a sense of atmosphere.

Improvements?

I have revisited the page where the dog character is looking in the bathroom mirror questioning his identity. I felt that the composition was way too simple before and needed to be changed. I have been thinking about how to change the scene and decided I should only add elements that make sense for the scene and help to create a connection with the character. I decided to add a chair to the image for the dog to stand on and be able to see into the mirror. It is a simple addition but highlights the difference between scale he really is and how he is beginning to see himself. I like the idea of telling the story of him dragging the chair over to have a look in the mirror trying to discover his identity, it is a simple idea but I think small touches like this add to the connection between the reader and the character, adding a back story, however small, to the image.

The chairs also stops the composition form floating in the middle of the page.

Trying something different

I have been really struggling with this project over the last week, I have not liked anything I have worked on, Just before Easter I felt like I made a breakthrough but taking a break from the project to work on other modules meant I felt a bit lost when I came back to work on it. I tried something different to try and get back on track and find some inspiration.

This was based on an idea I had to help me show the dogs facial expression even though he was facing the polar bear. I liked the idea because it helped to show the size difference between them as well as creating a connection between the two characters. I am not happy with this piece, I think the aesthetic and character design is wrong for a children's book, the scene feels a bit edgy and uneasy. I think given the small amount of time I have left I need to revisit my previous designs and try to approach them from a fresh perspective to improve the compositions to concentrate more on character and narrative. I think the idea behind this composition is good but I rushed my development of it because I am worried about the deadline. Starting to try and develop new processes at this stage will be too stressful and cause me to rush my work too much.

Sanna Anukka Quotes

Sanna Annukka Interview



What are some of your considerations when working on these design commissions?

"I occasionally have to reign in the amount of colours I use. Sometimes if i'm working with similar colours the design team and I end up stripping away some and see whether the design can work with a more limited palette. This is obviously cheaper and more convenient to print.
But if the design is a particularly large scale pattern then production restrictions naturally allow less colours to be used. At Marimekko though we think more about the possibilities than the restrictions so as designers we are encouraged to create our original visions rather than be too swamped down by technical issues. The artwork studio has a fantastic team and can usually make anything happen or then certainly come up with very good alternative solutions to any problems!
We are also very guided by the emotion of colours for each collection and how they correlate with the time of year. So Christmas time we usually have reds and other warm colours within the collection as a traditional nod to that time of year but we always challenge ourselves to bring twists and experiment with colours to create new and exciting outcomes. Colour is a key part of how successful a collection is.
One other consideration when designing a collection is to vary the scales of the patterns. Marimekko produce lots of small textile homeware products made directly from the fabric  (oven gloves, aprons, pot stands etc) so generally a smaller scale pattern would form part of the collection to cater for these smaller items. A large print used on an oven mitten for instance might look really boring as you don't get to see much of the pattern. This would affect the popularity of the item.
So when designing it's always a good idea to visualise what patterns will work best for each product category.
Ultimately our aim is to create beautiful products that have a longevity to them."

Sanna Annukka talks about the application of her designs and the restriction that can be imposed when working on certain briefs. It sounds like she is given quite a lot of freedom in her work in terms of colour but still has to take into account a number of things when designing for specific products. Because she works on products that often have seasonal themes her work has to fit the theme and colour scheme of the that specific season. I need to apply the same thinking to my book, instead of seasons I need to look at colour schemes that suit the narrative and tone of the story I am illustrating. Sanna's work is often used on homewares of various sizes and needs to find the scale and layout of the items effectively, these is not point making a large intricate design if the details are lost when scaled down or only a small section of the illustration is used on the product. I need to take into account the dimensions of the book and what the illustration is being used for, what is it trying to say.

Jon Klassen Quotes

Jon Klassen Interview

"It’s been said that your children's books tend to be edgier than most; you avoid wrapping things up neatly with a bow. What’s your response to that impression of your work?

I never want to promote edgy things just for the sake of it. I think there's as much danger in that as going the other way and being too sweet or just too convenient. When the premise suggests that this can end more ambiguously, and if there's more to be gained there, it should be allowed to do that. I think kids are fine with that. They can’t necessarily tell you that they want sweeter things or edgier things. They just want a good story to be told as well as it can be told. They want to be entertained in a very uncomplicated way.
You could traumatize an audience with the wrong decisions. But I don't think that's inherent in scary stories. I loved being scared as a little kid -- through books particularly though. And I think that’s an important difference. With movies and television, it was too traumatic for me. I find it overwhelming when things are gratuitously violent. But with books, you can take it as it comes, trust that you can turn the page when you're ready. Children's books -- they’re supposed to be simple, and they are. A great challenge is to build the suspense with simple elements. You can condense everything about a scary story and bring it down to the language of the kid. They know that this is something for them and that they've not wandered into someplace that they're not ready for. It's amazing and it's so much fun.
You can deliver bad messages in a very sweet book, too. There's plenty of misguided stuff that sounds just as sweet as can be. These things come in many forms."

"Both of us here at Art of the Picture Book have been dog owners, and we feel that you really nail it with the eyes on your animal characters – especially in the way that their eyes move, while their expression remains the same. What's behind that subtle approach to character? 

I grew up with dogs. We have a cat now. You get used to animals showing how they feel. You can't help but look for human emotions in them. They don't have a lot of ways of showing those things, so you get attuned to smaller movements. But it's also fun as an illustrator to draw the same thing five times and then, when you change it just once, it becomes meaningful. It doesn't have to look very complicated. It's a symbol of how they're feeling.
You can't draw a frustrated dog. When the situation is frustrating, he should be frustrated. You can give just the slightest indication, like if he was frustrated, he’d be looking at us by now.
In Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, the dog has been looking down at the diamonds the boys have been missing in the dirt throughout the entire book. And then at one point they miss the largest diamond in the book—it’s almost two pages across. The dog has just had it, he’s so frustrated that they keep missing these things, that he doesn't even bother to look at the diamond anymore. He’s looking at us for the first time, like in a comedy show, where they break to look at the camera, as if to say, “Can you believe this?”
It's as if you are making a film with really bad actors. They can't stop looking at the camera or they can't help but comment on the story outside of their place in it. With this book, that was the moment to do it. In picture books, the images are so spare that there are usually some opportunities to do that.
I don't have any trouble with the idea of making up a character. But it seems so pompous to say, "I've made up this guy and I know everything about him.” You can't know a person like that. We’ve got these two cute kids and there's the dog. But they also have outside lives that we don't know or understand. We get them to say our very simple lines and make them do their actions. I can think of characters like that. Their actions are very stiff. There's one point when the boys begin to split up and Dave puts his hand on Sam’s shoulder. It's a theatrical stagey action. It's not a private moment, because we can see them making this pose, but it also is an emotional moment. Like in a play, you

Although your landscapes are often quite spartan and they make no attempt to be realistic, they do stand in for exactly what you need for your story. 

Right, they’re just symbols. They can get more complicated the better you get as an illustrator, depending on what the story needs them to be. The audience is always looking for symbols. You can have a beautiful illustration, but if it doesn't have the symbols that simply communicate what you need to communicate, then they’ll get lost. It’s the same with film. You can have a beautiful sequence of shots, but if it's not organized clearly, you get lost and the story’s gone. You've lost your audience, no matter how well you've done visually. It always has to have the idea behind it first.

You've said that illustration for you is a little scary because, unlike with animation, your drawing is not one of thousands. Each one stands on its own. The reader can hold onto the page for as long as they like. You no longer have that sense that it's going to be gone in a second. Every line and every bit matters. 

Yes, at first it is really scary, because you're used to the safety of these drawings going by relatively quickly. Once you watch a film you've worked on, you realize how quickly this work goes by and it loosens you up. It’s just a different language. It's all moving instead of holding still.
With books, at first you think, “How am I supposed to live up to the idea that this is just sitting there on the page?” It's the only image that the readers will get to represent this particular moment. But then you get used to paper and leaving something behind on the page.
With animation, you fill up the frame all the time because you want it to be immersive. There's the implication of a much broader world off the frame all the time.
But with books, it's the opposite. You want it to feel like you thought of this picture specifically for this page. They are not just getting the book version of this story. This is the only story and this is the only way you're ever going to hear it. This is the only way it makes any sense, in this particular form. You choose your trim size for that, you choose your pages for that, and you know them going in. You don't plan an illustration that wouldn't work with that. You know you have complete control over it inside those parameters. can find yourself lost in the emotions. But at the same time, the actors are shouting the whole time. You can hear them from way in the back. And they're always facing the audience, favoring the theater’s audience. So it looks fake and you know it's fake, but you are still lost in what's going on. And I love that. When you can be artificial with the audience and you've done everything you can to convince them of that, but they can't help but get into your story. They get past all of that."

Jon Klassen talks about the way he builds compositions using symbols that help to tell the story and speak to the reader. You can make a very nice intricate illustration but if it is not geared towards communicating the narrative or if it is badly thought out then the message will become lost and ultimately it will not work for the purpose it was designed for. He talks about characters expressing emotions in his work especially dogs, which is very helpful given the main character for my book is a dog. He talks about not being able to express the same emotions as human characters, instead he makes the character look at the reader like a comedy actor as if to say 'can you believe this?'. I like this as a method of communication, creating a connection between character and the audience. I really like jon klassen's work, he seems to have a similar skill to Chris Haughton in being able to make a character stand out and catch the eye even when they make up a very small section of the composition. He seems to have found a good balance between creating intriguing compositions and tailoring pages to best communicate the narrative of the book.

Stuck

I feel like I am stuck between the aesthetic of the book and making it communicate the narrative, I think I had some ideas for the aesthetic and compositions before I started and that has influenced how I have worked on this project so far. I think I may need to change my way of thinking and concentrate more on the narrative and keep open minded about how I put the pages together. This should hopefully free up my work and allow me to tailor my illustrations to the tone, emotion and narrative of the book. I don't have much time to produce my 6 pages so will need to make decisions quickly.

Chris haughton Interview

As I have been struggling with colour I decided to try and find interviews with illustrators talking about their use of colour. I found an interview with Chris Haughton that I have not seen before where he talks about his unusual use of colour.

Chris Haughton Interview

"I don’t use the real colours of the animals and I just use colours in a way that best tells the story. For example the owl is the only thing black against the bright colours of the forest which helps define his body shape graphically. George fills so much of the book that he couldn’t be black. I wanted it to be a colourful book and for his shape to be easily recognised so I had him in one block colour which contrasted with the orange background and text. The whites of the eyes (which are the most important thing in every picture) are the only things that are ever white in any of the illustrations."

This quote was particularly useful as he doesn't use real colours. I like the way he tailors his colour ways to make serve the narrative and composition of the book. This frees up his use of colour to serve his needs rather than feeling he has a abide by colour schemes from the real world. he views the whites of the eyes as the most important thing in every picture. In my compositions the dog is purely white and stands out against the colour background to I have used black to make the eyes stand out. I want to try and use his ideas of colour to find new ways to work with compositions. Hopefully this new perspective will help me communicate my ideas more effectively.