How do I illustrate a children's book?

When I receive an original to illustrate, I read it very carefully and lovingly, and naturally, a movie plays in my head as I'm reading that story. And from there, the first idea is born, which I quickly put on paper. After that, I search for hundreds of references from various artists. I gather all the ideas into a mood board and start working on the characters.

After a very detailed research for references, comes one of the stages I enjoy doing the most: creation. I study the main characteristics of the characters, their evolution in the story, their personality, and all of this helps me create the look that best represents them. I also do a brief color study and provide some options for the client. After meeting with the client to present ideas and discuss about the characters, the client may or may not approve. As many revisions as necessary are made to ensure it turns out the way the client imagined.

This stage also involves creation and a lot of study! It's the most important stage of the entire process; it's the concept, the idea. Here lies the difference of a quality illustrated book, demanding the maximum application of creativity and technique to ensure exceptional compositions and a clear representation of the story at hand. Collaboration between myself and my client is paramount at this stage, as it is during this phase that all corrections should be made, ensuring that the final result matches the client's initial vision.

A color study is conducted with great care to select the palette that best suits the story, and the magic happens! The colors and textures gradually fill each page in this process, bringing the story to life. This is one of the stages that requires the most energy and accounts for more than half of the total project time.

Finally, I deliver the final artwork to the client and make any necessary adjustments to details. The illustrations are delivered in the format preferred by the client. Additionally, I offer the open files in case the client desires them.

IDEAS UPON IDEAS

1.

SKETCHS OF PAGES

3.

CHARACTERS' DESIGN

2.

COLOR STUDY AND PAINTING

4.

FINAL ART

5.