Maybe another direction?

Teamwork makes the book work

Do you know who I think is the most important person on the book making team (as far as visuals go)?

The illustrator? Hmm . . . well they do need to be involved.

But . . .

it’s the art director / designer that really keeps everything from going off the rails. Here’s a quick cautionary tale of what could happen if an illustrator (who just happens to be me) follows their own ideas blindly.

I was working on a truly lovely board book. The rhyming text pulls the reader along as we follow a child from babyhood through to early adulthood, taking in all sorts of ups and downs.

With the first roughs I was given free rein to interpret the text any way I wanted. I decided there should be a pet friend who can grow with the character.

So far, so sweet

They do all sorts of fun things together . . .

They grow together . . .

They have adventures together . . .

Then there’s a page turn with a line about feeling a bit sad and I do this:

What’s happened to her kitten friend? Are they missing? Are they dead? What do you think, kids? Well, goodnight then!

And luckily my art director Leslie gently suggests that maybe we go in another, “less intense” direction.

Part of me knows that a board book intended for the youngest readers is not the place to confront someone with the fleeting nature of existence.

But I thought it made a really powerful page turn, so let’s try it! Good thing there were other expert eyes on the project to nudge me towards more appropriate visuals!

Working alone in the illustrator bubble can lead to getting a bit lost in your own head.

But it’s ok, because books are made by a team!

Author, editor, art director, designer, illustrator, even the marketing folks who make you revise the cover image over and over again. They are all important for making sure that when a child opens a book it’s the best possible version of that book!

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🌟It’s Your Time to Shine is out now in the US🌟

🖋️ written by Dianne White
🎨 illustrated by me
👩‍💻 designed by Leslie Mechanic
📚 published by Little Simon / Simon & Schuster

Inspire readers to go off into the world as the bold and brave person they are with this empowering board book that tells them now is their time!

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Ps: the cat is totally safe all the way through!