How to publish an illustrated novel

How to publish an illustrated novel — the insanely condensed version.

1. Write the manuscript, then edit. 
2. Sweat. 
3. Design the storyboard. 
4. Sweat. 
5. Research then draw the illustrations. 
6. Sweat. 
7. More story editing. 
8. Redraw things as needed. 
9. Design the page and chapter decorations. 
10. Sweat. 
11. Design the actual book. 
12. Sweat. 
13. More editing. 
14. More drawing adjustments. 
15. Panic while book is being read by Beta readers.
16. Design the book cover. 
17. Get up from the desk and walk around. 
18. Write the book blurb. 
19. More editing. 
20. Paint the book cover. 
21. Consider what’s wrong with the painting then correct it. 
22. Photograph the large illustrations and retouch photos as needed. 
23. Set the book, then create PDFs. 
24. Send it …in my case, to Amazon for review. 
25. Pass out.

 The book is now at Amazon for review. Next step is getting it properly formatted for electronic formats. Here are some screen cap previews to wet your appetite. 

It's coming!!

How I Design A Book Cover Part 2: Choosing the right medium and surface

One of the best things about being an older and more experienced illustrator is that I have a lot of tools in my tool kit. I can make better decisions about what medium to use on which surface.

Star Map Inspiration

I’ve chosen the create a star map as part of my book cover illustration. The inspiration is a Tibetan Star map I found online. Because the map is highly technical I felt that paint wouldn’t be the right medium for it. I’ve used colored pencils on dark paper many times with great success. So I decided to do some color tests to see if that would be the right medium and surface for this piece.

Some of my colored pencil pieces on medium and dark Canson papers.

As it turned out the Prismacolors weren’t giving me the effect that I wanted. The colors were too dull, and the color harmony was off. I experimented with Neocolor II Aquarelles, next. They worked better, giving me the pop of color I needed with the added benefit that you can sharpen them for technical work.

As Canson paper won’t hold up for wet media, I dug out a sheet of black Stonehenge paper. This heavier paper can handle light and medium washes just fine and will be a better match for the Neocolors. Another advantage to using these watercolor crayons is that I’m able to give the girl’s face a more painterly look.

Color Design Tests for the Book Cover

Art is no mystery. It’s a series of carefully considered decisions.

How I Design A Book Cover Part 1: Getting the Right Feel

The expression — “don’t judge a book by its cover” is ridiculous! Of course, you'll judge books by their covers. We all do.

But how do you get the right cover for your book? If you’re not a graphic designer you’ll hire the job out, or buy one of the online services on CreateSpace, or something similar.

I’m an illustrator and graphic designer. I produced my first book cover for a small publishing company in the early 1990’s. A lot’s changed since then. But one thing hasn’t…you still need good design. Many book covers today don’t have it, the fault of a freelance marketplace of self-published books and inexperienced cover designers. Also, diminishing resources at publishing houses.

It’s a bit of a free-for-all, really. Some books have lovely artwork with no thought given to where the title and author’s name will eventually go. Others use generic or recycled artwork or photographs which may be attractive but don’t relate to the story.

The best design is an integrated whole which inspires excitement through appropriate illustration and principles of good design. Some book covers are stunningly interesting but also badly designed. Good design is beautiful in itself, even when simplified down to a line drawing. Individual elements are balanced and lead the eye appropriately. The thoughtful artist leaves room for the masthead or title, instead of producing the art and then superimposing titles awkwardly over the painting, or squeezing them in as an after thought.

Color can hide a multitude of design sins, but when you look past the paint what once looked intriguing can look like a mismanaged mess.

I’m creating a book cover for a pulp-style novelette. It will have the feel of the old Astounding and Thrilling Wonder Stories magazine covers, but with some modern elements. 

To begin, I deconstruct old magazine and book covers by creating simple line drawings called thumbnails. These allow me to see which designs are built on solid foundations and which aren’t. 

I do many small thumbnail drawings, pages and pages of them. Each sketch takes no more than ten minutes, and most about five. Here are some examples…

Designs by pulp artists Alex Schomburg and James B. Settles and others

Book cover designs by Stanley Pitt

Various pulp magazines and books, front and back covers

Pulp covers some from the early 20th Century

Once I get a good feel for what the genre cover designers did, and what I like, I can then think about the elements I want on my book cover and where to put them.

An Illustrator’s Life — Sara’s tips

The frame of a drawing is a useful tool for visual storytelling.

Recently, I had several students tell me that they broke the frame of their drawing to create a sense of liberation. This can be useful thing to do, but should be used appropriately, not because your initial planning was off.

In the book illustration I’m doing right now…the character is backed into a corner, both literally and metaphorically. I’m carefully debating how much of his body to show. At the scale I’m working fractions of an inch count.

In this case, it’s all about the tip of the elbow. Believe it or not…that can make all the difference in the world.

As I study the drawing throughout the day, I make minute changes to capture just the right amount of restriction.

I’m almost there now. I’ll certainly have it right by tomorrow.

"Lepus and the Ship"

“Lepus and the Ship,” pen & ink, 9” x 14”
Copyright Sara Light-Waller, 2015

For several months I’ve been noodling around with a new children’s book idea called A Patchwork Tale. I’ve written a third of the text in drabble format (linked 100 word mini-stories) and have done several art pieces both studies and more finished works. This is the newest piece, which brings the total number of book pieces up to nine — four color and five pen and ink. So I’m well on my way!

I envision A Patchwork Tale as a grand adventure story modeled after the gift books from the Golden Age of Illustration at the turn of the 20th Century. An ambitious project to be sure, but certainly one to be proud of.

P.S. As a note for pen & ink geeks like myself, many, many years ago I was given a large roll of linen-backed paper with a smooth surface perfect for pen & ink/drafting. Needless to say, I've held onto this gift and used it judiciously, well aware that there "'ain't no more" when I run out. I'm fairly certain that paper like this isn't made any more and even if it is, would be outrageously hard to come by. I used it for this piece and was reminded again of what a fabulous surface it is - moderately hard for the pen strokes, completely non-bleeding, and with the linen backing providing both structure and some give for the marks. Absolutely fabulous stuff! :-)

New Years Wishes from Flying Pony Studios!

Wishing all my friends a very happy New Year, 2015!

Ah, the new year…there are always resolutions, aren’t there? And then you break them…So ultimately, no one bothers to make them anymore. But I’m going to do this year. My resolutions are as follows: to keep up with my painting, plein air and in studio, building up my skills as a watermedia painter. Also, I will be publishing a book (one of them that’s almost ready) and perhaps more than one in 2015! It’s been an intense couple of years of writing and illustration just to get here and now it’s time to bring it all home. *smile*

On that note…here are some of my most recent illustrations, created for my “Patchwork Tale” a series of mini-stories written as linked drabbles (100-word stories). I’ve got it (still in progress) posted on my other blog, www.saralightwaller.com/ in case you’d like to see something of my writing at long last. ha-ha!

 

"The Elfin-Queen and her Griffin," 8” x 10” pen & ink drawing

"The Elfin-Captain," 9” x 12” pen & ink drawing

“Clockmaker, the Sorceress,” WIP 9” x 12”

Have a great year everyone!