I'm intending that Granny Rainbow will have pictures.
The problem I have is trying to get the pictures that are in my head onto the page.
Now, I can draw - a bit. I spent some time producing black-and-white images to be made into rubber stamps for crafters. But there's no way I can draw well enough for a book. Which is where Laura comes in; she's already illustrated one children's book, yet has only just finished her foundation course in art. She'll do a much better job than me.
But she needs something to work with.
I think I know what I'd like in the book - but can I explain it sufficiently well for another person to translate? I know I'd like to focus on the characters rather than scenes from the stories. My idea at the moment is to have a gallery of portraits, all in frames. I found something by Chris Riddell which is kind of like that - he captures a character really well and often works within a simple frame.
But will pictures add to or take something away from the stories? I know how I picture the characters when I write them - if they don't end up being quite the same when committed to paper, will it matter to the reader? Or to me, as their creator?
I'll be honest - I'm a bit scared at the prospect of finding out.
I've had this conversation with my sister, Katherine. She's an artist, and we planned illustrations for my (on hold) children's book. It seemed best to simply let her respond to the story: the only input from me being which scene in each chapter to illustrate. That way, I could keep tabs on the narrative flow, and she could let her creativity loose in conversation with the text. I'm hoping it will still happen one day.
ReplyDeleteJohn - thank you - that is a really helpful observation. I hope your book happens too, because I love your kind of storytelling x
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