What does an illustrator do?
Tip:
Even if you use a regular pair of scissors, try to hold it the way a haircutter does for maximum control.
Let’s concentrate on the spread that the red arrow is pointing to. I didn’t have to make any changes except to flip it for the final art. I enlarged the sketch to the actual size of the final art on the computer, traced it and fixed whatever I thought was needed on a piece of tracing paper. Tracing paper is great for the way I work, because I can fix any part of my sketch just by working on another layer on top of the sketch, flip it and transfer it onto color or pattern paper to be cut out. I leave out the fine details for free-cutting with my x-acto knife.
The job of an illustrator is to interpret an idea, a concept, or a story visually on paper.
Creating illustrations for a book requires a lot of planning. A picture book is usually 32 pages long. It helps to make a dummy to see how each page or spread (2 pages) flows to the next. After I decide on the size and shape of the book, I make rough thumbnail sketches of how I like each page or spread to look. They are called thumbnails because they are usually no bigger than the size of a thumbnail. It is a quick way to put down my thoughts. I keep the sketches simple, because there are always changes to be made after the editor and art director review the dummy. When the book debuts in April, get a copy and see if you can find which spreads are changed.
It has taken years of trials and errors (and damage artworks) to find the right glue. So far, spraymount is great for positioning big pieces of cut-outs without buckling. It doesn’t stay permanent however, so I try to go over the paper edges with archival glue. Sometimes I have to re-cut a piece if the glueing is off.
Film ruler is use for precise measurement.
X-acto knife is one of the most important tool for my paper-cutting style. I go through about 50 blades for each book I create.
T-square and triangle are used for drawing and creating straight lines at 90° angle.
Tools
Honk, Honk Goose dummy
I like using a mechanical pencil to sketch, because I don’t have to sharpen it.
The best kind of scissors is a pair of haircutter’s scissors, because they are very sharp.
