Homework Assignment #6: Children’s Illustration
Choose a scene from your favorite children's book (or just a children's book you really like) and create a new illustration. It can be any scene you choose from the book. It should reflect your own interpretation of the scene, a completely new illustration based on the author's text for that page. You should redesign the characters, the environment, everything. Just make sure you don't contradict anything in the author's text.
My hope is that you'll have access to a physical book for reference for the full two weeks. Make sure you are familiar with the text. You’ll need to read the book in order to gather information about the characters and the world, and to choose your scene.
DUE Nov. 11:
From the thumbnails we started in class, sketch the page you'll be recreating, at full size, and include lines to indicate trim size, gutter, and bleed (an extra 0.25 inches all the way around your art). If your art is not full-bleed then I still want to see the bleed line. If you are working on a single page then be sure to place the trim and bleed lines all around your art, but there will be no gutter line.
If you missed class on Nov. 4, I still want to see your thumbnails on Nov. 11, in addition to your sketches. You can email me during the week if you want feedback on your thumbnails.
DUE Nov. 18:
A final illustration, in color, with supporting thumbnails and sketches to show your process.
____
AN EXPLANATION OF TERMS
Trim Size
Let's say you measure one page of your book at 10.5 wide x 9 inches tall. That's your trim size for one full-page illustration.
If you choose a scene from the same book that takes place across two open pages, and it makes sense for your illustration to span those two pages (a “double-page spread”), then your trim size for that illustration would be 21 inches wide and 9 inches tall.*
*For this assignment I don’t want you to spend your time sketching something that is 21 inches across, so think about the scene you're choosing and pick something that makes sense for the amount of time you have.
Bleed
If your final illustration has any elements (lines or color) that reach the edge of the page, then you will want to add extra space to your illustration, called “bleed.” Once the final book is printed, the edges will be "trimmed" along your trim line, and the bleed will fall away. The trimming process isn't always precise, which is why it's good to give yourself some extra room.
To make sure you have enough bleed, add an additional 0.25 inches ALL THE WAY AROUND your sketches and final art.** So, if your trim size is 10.5 inches wide and 9 inches tall, your sketch and final illustration will each be 11 inches wide and 9.5 inches tall.
**See diagrams below.
Gutter
The seam in the middle of an open book, where the book is bound. If you are illustrating a double-page spread then I also want you to draw a vertical line in your sketch to represent the gutter.
Safe Zone
Keep the important elements of your art, such as your characters, at least a half-inch inside the gutter and the trim line. That's your safe zone.
Sizing Up Art for Small Books
If your book is very small and you want to draw at a bigger size then you can size up by applying the same ratio of the book page to your final illustration. For instance, if you are working on a full-page illustration, and the dimensions of the book page are 5 x 8 inches, then you might want to work at 7.5 x 12 inches or 10 x 16 inches.
These examples below are how I want your sketches to be set up. The lines for trim, bleed, and gutter will ensure everything is very clear when you move into final art.
DUE Nov. 11:
From the thumbnails we started in class, sketch the page you'll be recreating, at full size, and include lines to indicate trim size, gutter, and bleed (an extra 0.25 inches all the way around your art). If your art is not full-bleed then I still want to see the bleed line. If you are working on a single page then be sure to place the trim and bleed lines all around your art, but there will be no gutter line.
If you missed class on Nov. 4, I still want to see your thumbnails on Nov. 11, in addition to your sketches. You can email me during the week if you want feedback on your thumbnails.
DUE Nov. 18:
A final illustration, in color, with supporting thumbnails and sketches to show your process.
____
AN EXPLANATION OF TERMS
Trim Size
Let's say you measure one page of your book at 10.5 wide x 9 inches tall. That's your trim size for one full-page illustration.
If you choose a scene from the same book that takes place across two open pages, and it makes sense for your illustration to span those two pages (a “double-page spread”), then your trim size for that illustration would be 21 inches wide and 9 inches tall.*
*For this assignment I don’t want you to spend your time sketching something that is 21 inches across, so think about the scene you're choosing and pick something that makes sense for the amount of time you have.
Bleed
If your final illustration has any elements (lines or color) that reach the edge of the page, then you will want to add extra space to your illustration, called “bleed.” Once the final book is printed, the edges will be "trimmed" along your trim line, and the bleed will fall away. The trimming process isn't always precise, which is why it's good to give yourself some extra room.
To make sure you have enough bleed, add an additional 0.25 inches ALL THE WAY AROUND your sketches and final art.** So, if your trim size is 10.5 inches wide and 9 inches tall, your sketch and final illustration will each be 11 inches wide and 9.5 inches tall.
**See diagrams below.
Gutter
The seam in the middle of an open book, where the book is bound. If you are illustrating a double-page spread then I also want you to draw a vertical line in your sketch to represent the gutter.
Safe Zone
Keep the important elements of your art, such as your characters, at least a half-inch inside the gutter and the trim line. That's your safe zone.
Sizing Up Art for Small Books
If your book is very small and you want to draw at a bigger size then you can size up by applying the same ratio of the book page to your final illustration. For instance, if you are working on a full-page illustration, and the dimensions of the book page are 5 x 8 inches, then you might want to work at 7.5 x 12 inches or 10 x 16 inches.
These examples below are how I want your sketches to be set up. The lines for trim, bleed, and gutter will ensure everything is very clear when you move into final art.
Comments
Post a Comment