Making Pictures
Because the book William’s Gambit is about being aware of the paper, I’ve decided to draw a good deal of the illustrations in pencil. I would like to inspire my readers to draw as well. Making a pencil drawing for a book these days isn’t always what it seems, though. Here’s a look at some of what went into drawing the “William Dancing with Earbuds” illustration.
Getting Started
First I brought together a bunch of sources. I got a 13-year-old boy to jump around in his living room. I visited and photographed the street scene in New York City. I took tons of photos of pigeons; styled earbuds flying with fishing line, and had my daughter grab them in a reasonable position; I found a source for the type of van I had used in an earlier illustration; and I stole a “shadow cat” image from one of my wife’s books. Then, I began drawing.
Photo Sources
Drawings of Elements Approximately to Scale
Next, I scanned the drawings into the computer and assembled them into one file.
William Dancing with Earbuds without Adjustments
Finally, I drew some grey-toned drawings that would retain the paper texture when I scanned them in. I then used these to make adjustments in Photoshop, knocking the background back, giving William more weight, and highlighting the earbuds.
William Dancing with Earbuds Final Illustration
I hope you have as much fun as I did when you put your own pictures together.