<< Part 2
Illustration Research
From personal experience, I find that most non-artists think that we illustrators sit at our desk drawing pictures from our head — the way children do. They think we create beautiful illustrations just by sitting and drawing for a couple of hours and they cannot understand why illustration costs as much as it does or why it takes as long as it does.
Maybe there are illustrators out there who can do this. Maybe there are illustrators who have these perfect images in their heads and can accurately transfer them onto paper just by sitting and drawing for a few hours. I am actually following an artist on Instagram (@kimjunggius) who has the ability to look at a whiteboard and draw a beautiful image from start to finish. His skills are either a gift from God, or he has managed to somehow learn to visualise so well the image in his head that he is able to copy it exactly.
I am not at that level. I drew my sister so many times growing up, but if you asked me to paint a realistic portrait of her from my head, I could not do it. The best I can come up with is a Disney character version of her; big hazel eyes, lots of curly hair, strawberry nose, thin, Ariel-like lips.
I wish I had the skill to see the images in my head as perfect clear photographs that I can copy. Instead, all that’s in my head is a blobby impression of what I wish to draw. It feels real and three dimensional, I can move around the image in space. However, whenever I try to draw it on paper, I cannot see it there at all, except as the impression you see in my thumbnail sketch. I think, that’s because I relate to the world mostly through feelings. Details never stick around in my mind, only vague impressions associated with lots of emotion.
Since I have no idea what the things I wish to draw actually look like, I cannot begin sketching before I do some research.
Without research an artist may fall into that trap of drawing what he/she think the subject looks like, rather than what the subject actually looks like. Without research an artist would be drawing icons, instead of the subject. It is the difference between a child’s drawing of a house we are all familiar with and an illustration of an actual house that is unique on your street.
I return to the scene I am to illustrate inspired by Elatsoe and reread it again. I note down as much descriptive detail about the scene from the text as I can. Sometimes, there is not enough information about the characters in that scene, so I have to go back though the book to find the characters’ descriptions.
Example of the notes I take prior to illustrating.
If I still have questions, I would reach out to the Art Director, and then the Art Director could contact the author or tell me what I should draw. For example, I discovered that Elatsoe’s/Ellie’s ghost dog Kirby is an English springer spaniel. However, I have no idea how long the dog’s tail is, or what pattern of fur he has.
The fossil creature that triggers Ellie’s experience is a trilobite.
What is a trilobite?
Once I have all the elements that I need to include in this illustration jotted down, my next step is always to create a Vision Board — a collection of images intended to serve as inspiration. I would go to Google Images and search every single keyword on the list.
- Teenage Navajo Girl*
- English Springer Spaniel
- Trilobite
- Ancient Ocean…
*In the beginning I note that Ellie is Apache, but later in my notes I note that she is Navajo — this is the perfect example of when I would contact the Art Director to decide which culture I should follow. I fell in love with Navajo sand paintings, so I decided to use that culture for visual inspiration.
As I’m researching, I get this idea that instead of drawing realistic sea creatures, maybe I should draw upon Navajo culture designs. I love researching and drawing inspiration from the appropriate culture. The key word here is inspiration. I never copy other artist’s work. Though I borrow some figures and elements.
Google Image Search: “Navajo Art”
Another great resource were beautiful illustrations of ancient oceans from the Smithsonian museum.
I collect all of these images in a separate Album on my iPad, and that Album is my Vison Board:
Part of my Vision Board for the Ghost of an Ancient Ocean illustration inspired by Darcie Little Badger’s Elatsoe
Armed with the Vison Board, I am finally read to create some drawings. The first thing I need to decide upon is: What style of illustration will best illustrate this moment in the story?
H.O.O.T of Wisdom
Please, always respect the copyright of other artists, this included the photographers. If you need to, read the Copyright Act.
As an artist, you are allowed to use images you see as inspiration, however you cannot add someone else’s photos to your image (for example as texture) without their permission. You should also be aware that if you copy someone’s photo for your own composition, even if you change the colours or have completely different layout, you cannot sell that work without the original photographer’s permission.
Note: You can use a public person’s image, but you cannot copy the photograph. For example, for my Every Girl Is A Princess project I draw inspiration from actresses. I create versions of them in my style. Therefore, I can sell this work. However, for my ToonMe Murdoch Mysteries paintings, I use an existing photograph to create Fan Art. Since the photograph does not belong to me and I do not have the model’s permission, I cannot sell these paintings.
When in doubt, ask, or at least link to the original source. Give credit where credit is due. 😊