A Day In The Life Of An Illustrator

In putting together our latest book, it was fascinating for me to learn of all the steps involved in creating just one book illustration. Talk about a lot of work! I had no idea what kind of labor and time went into this type of artwork. I now look at my daughter's picture books with renewed appreciation!

I invited Neesha Hudson, the illustrator of Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf, 

to share her illustration process with us. 

I hope you enjoy this journey of seeing one page from conception to completion.

"I start with a very rough, quick sketch to get the general feeling and composition."

"Then refine that sketch into a line drawing. 

This is exactly how the finished illustration will look."

"I then transfer the drawing onto illustration board by laying carbon paper underneath my 

line drawing and tracing over it."

"I then ink the line drawing with FW waterproof ink. Once the ink is dry, I apply thin washes of watercolor. The first layer is yellow applied to the whole image to get a base. While the paint is still wet, I dab some red in select areas, like noses and cheeks."

"Sometimes I have a little helper." :)

"Finished watercolor."

"I then scan the watercolor and paint it digitally. As you can see, lots of beverages are involved in the process!"

"Finally, the finished illustration!"

"And here it is with text."

From "this" to "this" in approximately 10 hours time. Amazing! Thank you Neesha!