This, my first adventure in Kidlit, continues to be such a fun and rewarding learning experience. On my first review of the concept sketches, I was focused on what I’d characterize as “big picture” sort of stuff to make sure I was comfortable with the general nature of each illustration as a tool to carry the story forward. Now, as the illustrator with whom I’m working is adding beautifully rich details, I’ve noted a need to really pay closer attention to the granularity of each image. For example, are the wall hangings and furniture arrangement in a room consistent from one point in the story to the next? Are the characters wearing the same clothes in two scenes depicted moments apart? Did colorizing and adding detail subtly change the feel of a character’s expression from sad to angry? The good news is, addressing these sorts of fixes wasn’t only an upfront specification of the agreement with my illustrator, she is unfailingly gracious about making them. My observation: There really is SOOO much more to this process than is apparent to the average mom or dad who read lots of books like the one I’m creating to their own kids. Props to all who’ve done the work and made wonderful, memorable stories for so many children!
