THE FIRST PHASE

One of my current projects is a book cover for which the author has provided a pretty good sketch as a starting point. Although there's still a lot of work to be done, the sketch helps get the entire communication process rolling.

The first step is for the author to answer some basic questions that are necessary to give the illustrator an idea of the theme of the book and the work involved. Based on this information the illustrator will provide a quote for the job.

Here is the basic info on the book that was submitted by the author along with the sketch.

Title: God's Color Palette; The Origin of Color

Genre: Christian/Spiritual

Book Summery/Theme Provided by Author: God's given revelation as to the origin of the skin color of mankind.

Authors’ Cover Ideas: we have already sent a sketch of what we would like. this is integral.

Backcover text:The author has not submitted her backcover text as of yet, and just for now you can use filler text.

Trim size: 5.25 inches wide x 8 inches high – The cover will need to be centered on a 17 wide x 11 high page, so the spine and spine text will be exactly centered. You can measure out from the center mark.

Page Count: 200 pages for now. White. Will give you final at later date.

Having received this basic info, I estimated how much work would be involved and submitted a quote, which the author accepted.

Some authors have no idea how much work goes into this process and immediately back off from the custom illustrations but most realize the added value of artwork to their final product. Once the terms are agreed upon the creative process begins, each phase with a predetermined timeline for the illustrator (depending on the complexity of the project, the number of illustrations and my own interest in the subject matter, I sometimes can produce sketches in a day or two although two weeks is standard). This, to me, is the most exciting and challenging phase of the entire process: animating words and concepts and making them dance (hence "Dancing Ink Art"). I am always eager to impress the author, to make him/her relish seeing his/her concept come to life.

The first phase generally involves a couple attempts (especially when you don't h ave a sketch to go by). This phase involves getting on the same page as the author and making sure that he/she likes your style and your interpretation.

The first phase is crucial in setting the tone for communication between the illustrator and the author. Some authors have a fixed idea of how they picture the results bu t either can't communicate it effectively or have unrealistic expectations of the illustrator. Fortunately, I'm good at interpreting the intended message and have a pretty wide-range of styles and media to mirror the author's vision. However, I have dealt with some very frustrating cases, in which the time and effort that went into the first phase soured the experience and were hardly worth the compensation.

Clearly, the author needs to give the illustrator direction and direct changes as he/she sees fit but micromanaging the artist will ultimately hurt the product while making an otherwise enthusiastic creative collaboration miserable.

What it comes down to is trust: the author should look at a range of the illustrator's work, listen to his/her ideas and trust his/her talent and involvement. Although the author, in the self-publishing world, is the paying customer, he/she should try to approach the relationship with the illustrator as a collaboration. I generally enter every assignment hoping to do my best work, it only becomes "work" when I don't feel like I am creatively contributing to what I am producing. Does that make any sense?

The first sketch I submitted was just to get an idea of the type of characters the author wanted (cartoon, realistic). Basically, just to get the ball rolling and get some more feedback since, besides figuring out the style of drawing the author wants, there are still major visual obstacles left to convey: creating a microcosm of every ethnicity and the world population within 5 inches; making a paint palette morph into a cliff and making the humans morph into color puddles, etc. In other words, the character design is only a small part of the equation.

The author came back with some helpful feedback:

• The peoples facial features need to represent a broad range of ethnicities.
• The faces do not need to be happy, show a range of faces. But none of them should be happy or somber.
• The ink is to look like it is running up their legs from the ground, not like they are dipping their feet in.
• Add some detail to the background, the author wants to get an idea of what you plan to place on the land.
• She wants the illustration to be a snap shot in time, were you do not know if it is modern day or 50 years ago.
• No one person should stand out, you need to view the illustration both people and background as a whole.

This process is a learning one for both the author and the illustrator. Good feedback is intrinsic to creative collaboration. Although the author can provide feedback on his/her own schedule, it's helpful to the illustrator to keep a certain momentum going (or at least for me). If I don't hear back from the author for a month (the longest was THREE MONTHS) then it's hard to maintain the same enthusiasm.

So I submitted a revised sketch. To which the author had more revisions.

“The palette/cliff looks great. it is understood that the paintbrush will underline the text later. the changes that were made were in the right direction. could we have more interaction still between the characters (perhaps one person looking up at another, a hand on a shoulder, etc). they seem to lack life and also appear flat. i would think that adding color would help make them to appear more 3D, but you know best.

Also, the clothing needs to be a little more specific. for example, the woman on the left represents india, perhaps, but i am not sure. i notice the condition of the clothing (ragged) versus the type of clothing when i look at the man on the right. i was in a store a day or two ago, and i saw a painting by hyatt moore, called the last supper. i have attached it to this email. it can also be viewed at his website hyattmoore.com. i think he has done a great job suggesting nationalities and cultures...would you please reference this image. i think it would be helpful for sure. thanx.

Lastly, the paint doesn't have to go up each leg for each character. they need to have a least one foot and or one leg though. you may vary it up. also, may we discuss the color of the paints at a later time. it failed to be discussed on our side. thanx. please respond to let me know when to expect the changes.”

Statement of Purpose

I draw because it’s a natural extension of who I am, a form of meditation away from the pressures and concerns of daily life. When I immerse myself into a drawing, nothing else matters and I feel like I am doing exactly what it is that I’m meant to be doing. It has been this way as long as I can remember although growing older has somewhat perverted my carefree appreciation. When I start comparing my work to others, when I start thinking of the business angle, the beauty of it all begins to fade. This has kept me from seeking training or pursuing a full-time career as an artist. Despite this, I have come to two realizations. The first is that the bliss that comes from creating art is separate from the anxiety from my insecurities and the expectations of others. The second is that without formal training, my understanding of media and technique will hinder the creation of the artwork.

My personal background is marked by a deep appreciation for art. I was raised by a classical realist artist in Florence and Paris. Although my family discouraged me from becoming an artist, I have always considered it my destiny. My great-grandfather was the first artist in the family, a southern Baptist minister who secretly painted scenes from the apocalypse in his attic. When I first found out about him and his art was the moment I realized that art was not limited to the Renaissance and that I could take my own vision seriously.

The greatest satisfaction in my life has been from seeing people captivated by my artwork and seeing it published. During my undergraduate years, I was one of the staff cartoonists for the student newspaper. Since then, I have continued doing freelance illustrations, children’s books, and cartoons to supplement my income. Illustrations and political satire have helped me think of elaborate concepts and narrative visually. What has transpired from the commercial illustrations to my personal art is the emphasis on the story behind the subject, the narrative.

Although my commercial art has helped fulfill my desire to captivate an audience, I don’t feel it has helped me develop as an artist. I have tried to find my own artistic style on the side, teaching myself about the basic principles which I was never taught. I have been extremely reserved about my own artwork, separate from the illustrations and the market, as I juggle teaching myself the fundamentals of art with actually creating my art.

My vision is to create art that draws the audience into a world that is similar enough for them to relate but different from their own perception of reality. Once a relationship is established, the distortions created by my own interpretation and style become more accessible. I want to make the ordinary, sometimes ugly, reality appealing, softly infuse a little magic into the seemingly mundane.

First Entry

A first attempt at blogging, perhaps it will lead to more active writing. Let's hope, although we all know how many new year resolutions end up...