mole is not alone: 01
process process process
I have to start with a big apology about cancelling my event at Porter Square Books on Saturday. I caught covid (first time!) the week before and was still testing positive :\ Little Mole was still feeling anxious too and wasn’t quite ready for an audience. We’re working on it though!
So… I will share some of the process I was planning to show at the event here instead! This is a quick little video I made for Macmillan Children’s internal launch last year to show how I made the art for the book.
But it all first started with this image I made way back in 2018. It was for a completely different book idea but looking at this sketch, I thought it would be fun to have a book where the ground line connected throughout the whole book showing both the underground and above ground animals.
I always draw my sketches on one paper so I can think about the design and composition of the entire book. I spend a good amount of time in the sketch phase reworking the visual flow until I’m happy. Then, I’ll refine details as I tighten the story with the editor and art director. The final sketches become the base for creating all of the pieces and textures for the final art.
Then I get to start my favorite part of the art making process - working with my hands! I trace all the different shapes (animals, trees, objects, etc) and cut them out to create stencils. I’ll use those to print the shapes with different kinds of mediums & techniques and just have some fun. I did the same thing with the tunnels by ripping out the pathways for a more natural edge.
Once I have all the different pieces, I scan everything and get ready to stare at the computer for 2-3 months. The first month usually causes me the most agony and headache as I figure out color palette and struggle with how I’m going to finish the art, especially when some ideas don’t seem to be working. Then the second & third month is getting into the details and refining the art.
This is just a very quick overview of how I make art for my books. (I can’t give away all my secrets!) Sometimes I wonder why I make the process so labor intensive and complicated for myself. But I also like pushing myself with each book and trying something a little new!
