Monday, 9 March 2015

Narrative Illustration. How to construct an illustration




There are many ways to make an illustration but there will always be a solid process that illustrators go through. This alters slightly from artist to artist but there is a general path which we are often shown in the early stages of art education. It starts with quick sketches and character design often derived from in-depth research and studies into a topic. Characters are often a starting point for design as they have to fit in the tone of that particular book and audience.

When the characters are being developed they are often drawn in a sketchy manner to decipher the best design. When characters are complete then the thumbnails are designed. Thumbnails are small sketchy drawings which are used in the early planning of a bigger illustration. This is a good option as it saves time and gets a lot of different ideas across in a short space of time. Thumbnails and early sketches are often combined and moved to try for more interesting compositions.  When a thumbnail sketch is selected it is then drawn in a lager format to be further edited. When the illustrator is happy with that image then it will be used in creating a final. 

For a final illustration its impotent to remember guttering and bleed. This is the perimeter round an illustration while it is being created. They allow for a clean crop for the final image which will be used. If the illustrations are to use colour then that is also something to be explored. Colour pallets are found through experimentation and observation. Colour can change the mood of a piece and can really reflect upon the book it complements.

I personally prefer to work in the way I have discussed but this process is different for everyone and can be quite personal to them.

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