1-2-3. A post about process.

Here’s another peek into my book illustration process.

Here’s a very rough sketch from my first pass at the manuscript. This was for the art director’s eyes only. This way I could make sure I’m on the right track early without investing too much time into each drawing. If I have to completely pitch this sketch and start over, it’s not a problem. But it was approved so I moved forward.

After the art director gave the nod of approval, I created a more refined sketch. I still didn’t develop it too much, but it’s more readable. It still won’t be too painful if I need to change it. I did a photo shoot with a model for the main character before completing the second-level sketches. This way I could make the character look more consistent for the review team. This sketch went to the whole team including marketing, the editor, and the author.

Here is the fully developed watercolor illustration. This book hasn’t gone to print as of the writing of this post, so it may still have slight changes to it. But it will likely appear in the book very much like this.

#NotFinishedYetBook by Sharon Brown is coming out from IVPKids in 2024.