I start off by trying to find my design for the main characters. In this case I began drawing James and figuring out what all his dragon friends would look like.
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| Angel M Alvarez- Illustrator- Character Designs for Children's Book James The Magnificent Dragon |
I then go on the "Thumbnail" the entire book to make sure I have a plan for the flow and compositions of all my spreads. I try to have variety in my designs and think about how each page flows with the entire book. All my sketches are kept rough and loose. The main goal of this critical step is to come up with a visual plan for the entire book.
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| Thumbnails for "James the Magnificent Dragon" by Rachel Bardon |
Once I thumbnail the entire book and figure out what my characters look like, I move on to drawing the entire book. Below is a pencil drawing of one of my favorite spreads, James flying with all his dragon friends. I have to make sure in this phase that all the characters stay consistent. This part is very important because the pencil drawing is the foundation for the painting.
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| Pencil Drawing for James the Magnificent Dragon |
Before I actually paint the illustration, I always do a quick color study to have my color pallet set before painting begins. While I'm establishing my color pallet, I also make sure the my value structure is correct and the I have contrast in my compositions area of interest.
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| Color Study and Value Study for James the Magnificent Dragon |
Finally, after all this work has been completed I can move on the the final painting.
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| Dragons Flying Spread for James the Magnificent Dragon- Illustrated by Angel M Alvarez |
