redgreen ezine 1
DESCRIPTION
Ezine,cartoonTRANSCRIPT
LOOKING AT THE WORLD OF BOOK PRODUCTION
A TALL TALE IN LISBURN
Lisburn author, Sandra Vanner (Photo top left) has had her first children’s book published. Early sales in bookshops have been promising. Her book is also available online. It was illustrated by Martin Kenny from Belfast who specialises in producing artwork for children’s books. The following pages show some of the creative process behind the book.
‘MY GRANDMA HAS TWO GIRAFFES’ BOOK PLANNING SKETCHES
IN THE STORY THE TWO GIRAFFE SHAPED
DRAUGHT EXCLUDERS THAT SAT ON THE
LIVING ROOM SOFA APPEAR TO COME TO
LIFE AND WANDER AROUND GRANDMA’S
GARDEN EATING HER PLANTS.
THESE FIRST IMAGES WERE DONE IN
WATERCOLOUR AND PENCIL.
THESE IMAGES WERE DONE IN
COLOURING PENCIL AND SOME
HAVE BALLPOINT PEN OUTLINES.
ROUGH LAYOUT SKETCHES WITH
COMMENTS LIKE THIS CAN BE
USEFUL BEFORE THE SHARPER
MORE FINISHED WORK BEGINS.
‘MY GRANDMA HAS TWO GIRAFFES’ SKETCHES
AND SOME OF THE MORE FINISHED ART
THESE IMAGES WERE
CREATED USING A WACOM
DIGITAL TABLET, A DIGITAL
PEN AND A PROGRAM
CALLED ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR.
THE PHOTO OF THE TWO
BOYS WAS USED AS A
REFERENCE.
‘MY GRANDMA HAS TWO GIRAFFES’ MORE FINISHED ARTWORK
Giraffe Book CS5.indd 3 26/07/2010 16:35
THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AT
THE AUTHOR’S HOME AND
USED FOR REFERENCE.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE
MORE OF THIS BOOK
YOU WILL NEED TO
VISIT A BOOKSHOP,
GO ONLINE OR ASK
IN YOUR LOCAL
LIBRARY.
Transforming a story into a book.Obviously choosing a talented illustrator is important, but don’t forget that turning words into pictures involves mental work as well as artistic ability. Look at examples of drawing styles and ask for some sketches and a plan of action before work goes ahead. The research, illustration, design and layout process can take months from receiving the manuscript to the day it is passed for printing.
It’s not over just yet.The author is not finished when the story is written. Their ongoing input is very important. Author and illustrator should whenever possible work as a team. Close co-operation will usually get better results. Publishers will also want to be included.
Other people’s opinions such as parents, teachers and librarians regarding content and appearance of a child’s book should be sought. Booksellers are also worth talking to if possible, after all they know what sells and what could get ignored.
Not all illustrators offer an overall layout design, typesetting and preparation for print service. They may only provide the images and a designer will be asked to take over the preparation for printing.
He’s almost extinctHe may even die!
But one thing may save himand that’s banana cream pie!
A fun rhyming story about a dinosaur who made a big impression on
George’s parents as well as their lawn. DESIGN
Dino Book Cover pgs.indd 1
23/11/2010 11:58
IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK
Questions save time.There is more than one way to interpret a story visually, so to avoid wasting time creating unsuitable images, it helps if the illustrator can think the way the author thinks. Research is vital, and photo reference very useful. In the early stages many questions are asked. Some of the more obvious ones for the George and the Dinosaur book were:
Describe George.Was he shy or confident, athletic or lazy? Was he popular at school? Was he an only child? Was he a menace always in trouble? What about hair colour and physical shape?
Describe the dinosaur.Is it male or female? How tall, fat or slim, hairy, scary, angry, funny, clumsy is it? What colour is it? What does it eat? How does it move around - two legs or four?
Describe the mother and father.
Do they both work if so what job? What do they wear? What about hair shape, length, colour and physical shape?
‘GEORGE AND THE
DINOSAUR’ BOOK
SKETCHES AND
FINAL ART
THE DINOSAUR WAS TO BE
HARMLESS AND POLITE
‘GEORGE AND THE DINOSAUR’ BOOK REFERENCE AND FINAL ART
THE UNBELIEVING
FATHER HAD A
FRIGHT WHEN
THE DINOSAUR
RETURNED TO
THE GARDEN
‘GEORGE AND THE DINOSAUR’
BOOK SKETCHES AND FINAL ART
The fewer the better whenever possible.It would seem that younger children prefer more pictures and less text so many children’s books reflect this. Authors who have spent many hours writing their story may be advised to summarise and cut down on body copy. The object is to make a book appeal visually to children and their parents / guardians alike and increase sale potential.
Dinosuar BookMK.indd 1 15/7/10 11:18:17
A matter of seconds.People really do judge a book by it’s cover. Your cover should look good from a distance. If possible it should stand out from the rest visually. The use of strong colours and a legible typeface can help achieve this. The general subject should be clear and the age group it is intended for. If someone doesn’t like what they see in the first few seconds they will not pick it out or open it up.
On this page you will see some of the other cover options. The versions showing frightened neighbours running away made the dinosaur look dangerous and George some sort of menace. The one with the dinosaur’s eye as the letter o was judged as hard to read for the target age group. The bottom right cover was dropped because the fence and background seemed to distract from the text.
THESE WERE
SOME OF THE
COVER OPTIONS
CONSIDERED
THE FINAL COVER CHOICE (CIRCLED ABOVE) CONVEYED A FEELING OF FRIENDSHIP AND FUN
Finally let them know about it.Promotion is vital, advertise by word of mouth, in newspapers, magazines or on the internet. Give a few away for free if you need to. Generate an excitement about the book with a book launch. Ask people to write reviews. If potential customers haven’t heard about it you - an opportunity could be missed.
DESIGN
Anothergreat book by Lisburnauthor SandraVanner
A fun rhyming story about a dinosaur who
made a big impression
on George’s parents as well as their lawn.
£6.95
He’s almost extinct - He may even die!But one thing may save himand that’s banana cream pie!
OUTNOW
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30/12/2010 11:54
ABOVE IS THE AUTHOR SANDRA
VANNER AT HER BOOK LAUNCH
IN EASON’S BOOKSHOP WITH A
SCREENSHOT OF THE WEB ARTICLE
TELLING OF HER LATEST BOOK
TO THE RIGHT IS ONE OF THE
PROMOTIONAL POSTERS TO BE
DISPLAYED IN BOOKSHOPS
THE SURPRISE IS THE ENDING
Written and
illustrated by
Martin Kenny
A BIG JOB
FOR TINY
This story includes 18 fact
and photo pages on
the subject of
concrete
making
The big trucks get a surprise when they
find out who needs this strange new arrival.
Written and illustrated
by Martin Kenny
www.martinkenny.co.uk
The big trucks found out that appearances can be deceptive. They
judged Tiny as being useless. But big or small, everyone had their place
working in the team that help produce and deliver Stoneyford concrete.
There were lots of things that Tiny couldn’t do but there was one thing he was just perfect for!
BAR CODE
Big Job for Tiny Cvr.indd 1 04/07/2011 18:51
Former three times world champion quad biker produces a children’s book.Trevor Leckey (owner of Stoneyford Concrete) has had an unusual children’s book written and illustrated by Belfast born Martin Kenny.
Aimed at primary school children it contains many educational facts and photos about the making of concrete as well as a great cartoon story.
The new arrival causes a stir.A tiny golf cart with no name and no idea of what he is needed for arrives at Stoneyford Concrete. The other trucks/machinery start asking questions and point out all the things he cannot do. They compare him to themselves and only think of his negative points. Tiny is made to feel useless but Trevor needs him every bit as much as Karl the giant quarry truck. It’s only at the end of the book his ‘big job’ is actually revealed.
The subject of disability is addressed in a child friendly way.Trevor shares his personal story at the end. An actual news clipping tells of how he came to be in a wheelchair. He shows that he can continue with everyday life and work within his limitations. This book has a positive message. It should encourage wheelchair users and their peers to look for abilities and not to make hasty judgements about usefulness etc.
A DVD is also available for the classroom.Trevor Leckey has also had the vision to produce a video showing the process of concrete making. As well as being a great educational tool, a percentage of the sales go to the Mitre Trust charity based at the Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast.
Each left hand page presents an interesting educational fact with photos taken at Stoneyford Concrete while the right hand pages tell the main story about Tiny and why he was needed.
THE ART OF LOOKING THE PART
Maria Scullion talks about her Book of ShadowsThe Book of Shadows is designed to fit into a handbag and consists of over 50 unique eye design ideas. To recreate them, all a person will need, is some eyeshadow, eyeliner the booklet and nothing else. The target audience would include the teenager, clubber, bride, professional, or model.
The thinking behind these eye images is that they can be easily re-created and there is no need to apply any other makeup. In fact there is no mention of any particular brand names and no advertising has been included.
I realised early on that employing models, a stylist, a photographer, booking studio time etc, would have made this project uneconomical for me. I decided to use an illustrator rather than a photographer for a more unique look. This approach offered me more control over how the designs should look and I could request alterations if necessary.
Martin Kenny airbrushed the artwork directly on his computer with a digital pen tool using my sketches as reference. He deliberately avoided showing a complete face. It was felt that hairstyles, lipstick, ear rings, necklaces etc would distract from the main subject, in this case the eye area.
Martin also designed the booklet itself and helped me with a mock-up to help me promote the project. The final artwork produced is quite realistic and professional looking.
SAMPLE PAGES FROM MARIA’S
BOOKLET SHOWING DESIGNS
AND BRIEF INSTRUCTIONS
REGARDING APPLICATION
COMING SOON
Story based on the ‘Good Samaritan’ Bible Parable
Another funny story from the Knitmore Farm series is on its way!In the next issue of Redgreen E-zine we will take a more in-depth look at the artwork and design process behind this great book. In the mean time here are a few images to give you an idea of what to expect.
JUST BECAUSE SOME ANIMALS
HAVE A BAD REPUTATION IT
DOESN’’T MEAN THAT THEY ARE
ALL BAD. THIS STORY SHOWS
HOW ENEMIES CAN GET ALONG.
THIS BOOK INCLUDES SOME
NEW ANIMALS SUCH AS THE
HORSES FROM MRS NEWLIFE’S
RESCUE CENTRE AND
BRADSHAW THE HEDGEHOG
MARTIN KENNY DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION
www.mart inkenny .co .uk / in fo@mart inkenny .co .uk
Graphic Designer/ Illustrator BA (Hons) DESIGN
SPECIALISING IN: ILLUSTRATION & CARTOONS
028 9050 4575Follow me on Facebook:Martin Kenny Artwork
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