wayfaringwordhack (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wayfaringwordhack) wrote2015-02-22 05:58 pm
wayfaringwordhack) wrote2015-02-22 05:58 pm
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Snippet Sunday
I finally got pictures* before the sun went down, so for once, you will get a true snippet. I have been hemming and hawing over what age range I intend this for and have still to make up my mind 100%. That decision is of supreme importance, as I'm sure you can imagine. Artwork and text hinge on the target audience.
Since this is a non-fiction concept book, I have to nail the reveal (the conceit is that the kid is asked to imagine something strange-sounding and then discovers the "real" thing). The only way my brain has thought of doing that so far is with flaps. Flaps are for younger kids, as far as I can tell. And I don't know if, say, 8 yr olds have books that operate on the "lift the flap" premise. I need to go to a bookstore.** (One picture book age division is 4-8, but while I can see 4yr olds being read "older" kid books, I don't know that the 8 yr old would have the same patience with a book geared more toward the younger end of the spectrum.)
Anyhow, here is the beginning of a storyboard, with the flap idea in place. I know it is hard to see; I was doing it with pencil and the point is to go light on detail.*** Storyboarding is a very cool tool. It has really helped me think about movement and dynamic images/presentation. Certain ideas crystalized for me by laying out my pages, and the places where I still need to do some work stick out:
And while I try to figure everything out, I've been drawing corals and such:
____________
* The sun was on its way down, so I was holding my sketchpad up to the light, hence the fuzziness. I might promise to do better in the future by getting my rear in gear ealier, but I don't want to fail to keep a promise. :P
** And maybe find some childrens' book writers'/illustrators' blogs to follow. Not now, though. I decided to limit net time to 30 min/day during Lent.
***Another important thing to sketch in is the values, which I haven't done much of either on most of the thumbnails.
Since this is a non-fiction concept book, I have to nail the reveal (the conceit is that the kid is asked to imagine something strange-sounding and then discovers the "real" thing). The only way my brain has thought of doing that so far is with flaps. Flaps are for younger kids, as far as I can tell. And I don't know if, say, 8 yr olds have books that operate on the "lift the flap" premise. I need to go to a bookstore.** (One picture book age division is 4-8, but while I can see 4yr olds being read "older" kid books, I don't know that the 8 yr old would have the same patience with a book geared more toward the younger end of the spectrum.)
Anyhow, here is the beginning of a storyboard, with the flap idea in place. I know it is hard to see; I was doing it with pencil and the point is to go light on detail.*** Storyboarding is a very cool tool. It has really helped me think about movement and dynamic images/presentation. Certain ideas crystalized for me by laying out my pages, and the places where I still need to do some work stick out:
And while I try to figure everything out, I've been drawing corals and such:
____________
* The sun was on its way down, so I was holding my sketchpad up to the light, hence the fuzziness. I might promise to do better in the future by getting my rear in gear ealier, but I don't want to fail to keep a promise. :P
** And maybe find some childrens' book writers'/illustrators' blogs to follow. Not now, though. I decided to limit net time to 30 min/day during Lent.
***Another important thing to sketch in is the values, which I haven't done much of either on most of the thumbnails.
no subject
As for the flap thing. I've read an adult book with flaps, so I think it really depends on context and what age-group you're addressing.
no subject
Something I may do is go ahead and do all the research and see what facts I end up with. Then I'll decide whether or not it merits being for older kids. Again, this will be up to my discretion and which slant I want to take, but it may, like the storyboard, crystalize matters for me. :)