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Pages 8-9 of my Picture Book Dummy, Ruby Rue!

Ruby Rue makes makes magnificent stew, though her secret ingredient nobody knew.
Pages4-5

I've been illustrating for a while now, but I've long wanted to both illustrate and write my very own picture book. I had jotted down a simple story a couple years ago, poking at it now and then whenever I had some spare time. Pulling it back out this summer, it seemed ready for the next stages - layout and sketches. This drawing will be the spread for pages 4-5:All the sketches for the book are nearly complete with only minor adjustments yet to be made. Oh - and I still have the cover left to design. I always leave the cover for last when illustrating a book so as to maximize the amount of time I have to ruminate on it. Once the sketches are complete, I'll need to paint two or three finished illustrations before it will be ready to submit to publishers. I'm contemplating dabbling in media different from my usual for this project - possibly digital or perhaps try out some the textured gel that's been sitting in my closet waiting to be cracked open....
For all my previous books I faxed or e-mailed sketches to the publishers, so this will be my first time actually assembling a physical book dummy. It should be quite a learning experience and I'm looking forward to it!

It's a little tricky, for me, to get proper values & contrast when working in color. I'm essentially a lazy artist, but have been making an effort to work out more problems like this ahead of time. This is for a picture book proposal (Jump).

In the world of children’s publishing, there’s a certain methodology to creating a new book. Chronologically, it goes something like this:

1. Author writes a book.
2. Author mails book to agents and publishers.
3. Author files rejection slips.
4. Author passes out from shock during phone call from interested party.
5. Publisher selects illustrator that fits the manuscript; Author fights for 10-year old niece to do the pictures in crayon and loses.
6. Illustrator gnaws hand off during anxiety attack, wondering if he/she is up to the challenge.
7. Illustrator makes a dummy.

A dum – wha? 

Before the illustrator makes the pretty pictures, he or she makes a preliminary mock-up of the book, called a dummy. Working with the editor, the artist breaks down the manuscript into pages and sketches concepts for possible illustrations. It’s much simpler to sum up in a sentence than it is to do. Humongous thoughts go into the process of creating a book dummy. There are considerations of color, overall tone, character development, logical text breakdown, flow and pace… it’s a huge task.

In fact, to read more about the process, I highly recommend “How to Write, Illustrate, and Design Children’s Books” by Frieda Gates. It’s a comprehensive textbook-style guide to the whole business of creating books for children.

When I created “Road Trip with Rabbit and Squash,” the whole process from idea to completion was about two years (not counting a huge gap year where the MS sat neglected on my Mac). When I got to the point of creating the dummy, I took a very large breath.

Who's the dummy?

I love creating dummies. When I worked on storyboards for TV, I loved breaking down the script into bite-sized chunks and creating the images to go with them. It’s a craft, similar to woodworking or knitting. It’s one of the things I do where I don’t think I would rather be surfing.

My process is very simple and very pre-school. I re-format the manuscript in the computer to manageable chunks of paragraphs. Once I print it out, I cut those sections up and try not to knock them off the desk. Order is good. Part of the process is deciding how many pages you will have, which pages will spread across the gutter (that middle part), and where that last page will go (by itself? hmm…).

I created a small booklet stapling and folding regular copy paper. I knew what size the book and pages would be, so I marked off the pages to the correct scale. From there, I start arranging the cut-out chunks of text across the pages, developing a flow and nice progression through the book. It’s a living process that keeps changing as I work out concepts and adjust the flow. I think about how it will be read both silently and aloud. Does it make sense? Can I put a little cliffhanger in here? Does this page even need text on it or can the picture stand alone? It’s a process that only a slightly insane person would enjoy. And yes, I do. Am. Whatever.

It’s a complex process of thought and impossible to explain. Hey – sort of like writing.

When I was setting up my new studio/office recently, I came across the first dummy copy I made of “Road Trip.” It was buried under a pile of demo reels and chunks of plasticine. I guess I had moved on when I got to the next phase. It was really freaky to see how the first few pages had changed throughout the course of developing the dummy. In the end, I could see why I had made certain choices and I still question others. The photos below give you a tiny glimpse into my secret dummy world:  

Pre-school skills come into play. I knew they would come in handy someday.

Here's page 1 as it's published. How did I get here from there? Lots of coffee.

If you want to see more images from the book, they are posted here. If you ask me how I created those concepts, I might even remember.

This book dummy stuff is wonderfully exciting, frustrating and mysterious all at the same time. Anyone know if any good links to other dummies, or dummy instructions? Please list here and I'll make a separate post for it--or even put a section for it on the side-scrolls of the blog if there are enough. Here is a link I found from Dav Pilkey's site. For one of his books he includes his entire book dummy, which I find incredibly inspiring. Also, Babette Cole is selling a DVD that explains her process for book making, which I purchased. I'll give a little review once I receive it.
Dav Pilkey's Behind the Pages
Babette Cole DVD

Suddenly my imac g5 is running like it has thick honey in it. It must have something to do with all the graphics I'm using and the generous 250 MB RAM included with the package (whoopie). I guess I'll be upgrading (cry) with more memory. I'm sure it will be well worth the purchase (she told herself). I'm tired of watching that little wrist watch count down every time I do anything to a graphic. At this rate I'll be well into my 90's before I get this sent off.

Since I am always pressed for time, opportunities to work on my own projects are few and far between. So, I've decided to make time. I'm hell bent on getting this book dummy done, even if it means adding a 25th and 26th hour in the day that didn't exist before. Everything posted below was done on a moleskin journal or scratch paper while waiting; lines, stop lights, drive throughs, etc. Instead of counting ceiling tiles, why not make use of the time we spend waiting for things in day to day life to complete projects that we can never seem to get to? The only way to get large projects like these done and on the desks of editors is to chip away - each chip counts!

As I've stated before, the polar bear story is being put on hold for a while since I found a book similar in plot and character (darn it darn it darn it!). So, my next story is "Something Weird At My Lunch", one which I ended up liking better anyway, so I guess it all works out in the end. Whether this book gets published or not, I'm really going to enjoy the process of putting the mock-up together and seeing the words and pictures come alive.




Thumbnail for a double page spread idea for pages 2-3 while waiting in Banana Republic. Moleskine journal.



Manuscript with notes on page divisions, illustration notes, and ideas for wordless spreads. These notes were written in while waiting for a friend at the mall.


Character designs for main character -drawn at the gym.

Double page spread thumbnail for pages 4-5. Possible character design for teacher. Moleskine journal.