1. Author writes a book.
2. Author mails book to agents and publishers.
3. Author files rejection slips.
4. Author passes out from shock during phone call from interested party.
5. Publisher selects illustrator that fits the manuscript; Author fights for 10-year old niece to do the pictures in crayon and loses.
6. Illustrator gnaws hand off during anxiety attack, wondering if he/she is up to the challenge.
7. Illustrator makes a dummy.

A dum – wha? 

Before the illustrator makes the pretty pictures, he or she makes a preliminary mock-up of the book, called a dummy. Working with the editor, the artist breaks down the manuscript into pages and sketches concepts for possible illustrations. It’s much simpler to sum up in a sentence than it is to do. Humongous thoughts go into the process of creating a book dummy. There are considerations of color, overall tone, character development, logical text breakdown, flow and pace… it’s a huge task.

In fact, to read more about the process, I highly recommend “How to Write, Illustrate, and Design Children’s Books” by Frieda Gates. It’s a comprehensive textbook-style guide to the whole business of creating books for children.

When I created “Road Trip with Rabbit and Squash,” the whole process from idea to completion was about two years (not counting a huge gap year where the MS sat neglected on my Mac). When I got to the point of creating the dummy, I took a very large breath.

Who's the dummy?

I love creating dummies. When I worked on storyboards for TV, I loved breaking down the script into bite-sized chunks and creating the images to go with them. It’s a craft, similar to woodworking or knitting. It’s one of the things I do where I don’t think I would rather be surfing.

My process is very simple and very pre-school. I re-format the manuscript in the computer to manageable chunks of paragraphs. Once I print it out, I cut those sections up and try not to knock them off the desk. Order is good. Part of the process is deciding how many pages you will have, which pages will spread across the gutter (that middle part), and where that last page will go (by itself? hmm…).

I created a small booklet stapling and folding regular copy paper. I knew what size the book and pages would be, so I marked off the pages to the correct scale. From there, I start arranging the cut-out chunks of text across the pages, developing a flow and nice progression through the book. It’s a living process that keeps changing as I work out concepts and adjust the flow. I think about how it will be read both silently and aloud. Does it make sense? Can I put a little cliffhanger in here? Does this page even need text on it or can the picture stand alone? It’s a process that only a slightly insane person would enjoy. And yes, I do. Am. Whatever.

It’s a complex process of thought and impossible to explain. Hey – sort of like writing.

When I was setting up my new studio/office recently, I came across the first dummy copy I made of “Road Trip.” It was buried under a pile of demo reels and chunks of plasticine. I guess I had moved on when I got to the next phase. It was really freaky to see how the first few pages had changed throughout the course of developing the dummy. In the end, I could see why I had made certain choices and I still question others. The photos below give you a tiny glimpse into my secret dummy world:  

Pre-school skills come into play. I knew they would come in handy someday.

Here's page 1 as it's published. How did I get here from there? Lots of coffee.

If you want to see more images from the book, they are posted here. If you ask me how I created those concepts, I might even remember.

Typically I work with small to medium-sized businesses, helping them create visuals that complement their own words, ideas, and products. When Nick Collins got in touch with me and explained what he wanted, I knew it was already right up my alley.

Nick had an existing logo that was serviceable, but he wanted to get something that really popped, with some energy to it. He also wanted to keep his current color scheme and stay within four colors. In addition, he needed the logo to be available in black and white without changing the whole design.

When we first talked on the phone, my excitement was building because this is exactly the kind of thing I specialize in and I just love to do it. Nick is an excellent designer himself, but after explaining what he was looking for, he pretty much left it to me to come through with something cool. It’s tough for an artist to let go of that control ( I should know, I’m terrible at it).

One thing I like to keep in mind when creating a logo is the myriad types of media it will be reproduced in. I started my career in a sign shop and that experience has always helped me in thinking practically as well as creatively.

For example, at our sign shop we were often tasked to reproduce a company’s logo on one of those huge back-lit signs you see in a strip mall. When we would ask for the logo file, many times we would get a teensy 72 dpi gif image that was grabbed from a web site. Seventeen colors, gradient fills, and a complex bitmap image of an eagle looks great on screen, but at 48″ high it’s virtually illegible.

Clients would get upset (and rightly so) because they paid big bucks for a graphic designer to create their logo, only to find out that:

1. The designer now lives in an ashram and can’t be reached.
2. They created the original art at 72 dpi, 8″ x 10″. All they have is a color printout on inkjet paper and the web graphic.
3. It’s going to cost them a lot of money to have us recreate their logo for them.

As a small business owner, that kind of unexpected news is sort of, well, unwelcome.

Thankfully we had a few tricks up our sleeves (software) that would make things less painful, but the process was tedious. If they had only sprang for the pro designer and a versatile, scalable logo (or camera-ready art) in the first place, it would have been easy-peasy.

So with See Nick Design, I found myself on the phone with a business owner who new all of this. Very refreshing and very smart on his part. Doing his homework saved him a pile of money and at least one headache.

The challenge was up to me to create it. I started by sketching out a few concepts with my fancy… pencil. It’s true. I work digitally, but everything starts the old-fashioned way with a nice, sharp set of pencils and some good ol’ paper on a drawing table.

Here’s a sample of the concepts he had to choose from, based on our conversation:

We talked about these and there were parts of each that he liked, so I made a set of revised sketches and we went through the review process again. Nick was really clear on what he liked and didn’t like about them, so I didn’t have to guess if I was going in the right direction.

Once he decided on one image, I set to work creating it in Adobe Illustrator. Two reasons for using Illustrator vs Photoshop in this instance are:

1. Scalability of vector art
2. Drawing tools in Illustrator are more flexible for this kind of thing.
3. I could export an EPS file that any other vendor could work with.

Once I’ve pasted my sketch into Illustrator I’m ready to trace. However, it’s not quite that easy. Before I even get out my bezier tool, there’s a thinking process involved. Sure, I need it look nice, but I also need to think about how to create certain looks without using effects. There are some amazing effects in CS3 now, but if I use them to create an image, they may be wasted if a vendor has an older version or a different design program. Also, if I use the transparency tool on one area, what happens if Nick wants embroidered shirts at some point? This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to utilize the great tools in Illustrator, but I do need to consider those factors.

For brevity’s sake, we’ll say I considered everything from fonts to how long it takes to get around the moon with only one oxygen tank. Cool?

This was one of those magical projects that require minimal revisions. It was really a matter of tweaking the final art, and Nick gave concise directions. I kind of wish it was more difficult so I could chronicle the drama, or that Nick worked for SD-6 and demanded I fly to Belgium for clandestine client meetings, but alas, it was smooth sailing.

Where are those clients with nuclear weapons and nasty tempers, anyway? I have a blog to write here.

I joke, but this project was really rewarding because the focus was right where it should be (on the concept and execution), and Nick left me alone to do my job.

There was a nifty thing that happened on this job. Nick described himself to me and said that he wanted the guy in the logo to resemble him if possible. Funny thing is, after I did my initial sketch, he sent me a photo of himself(R).

Eerily close, no? That was pretty fun to see.

One change we made was to add a slight smile to the face. He wanted a happy look, but nothing goofy or silly. Done!

Here are the completed logos, in color and black and white:

That was it, and I was almost sorry to wrap this one up. Hopefully there are more clients and projects floating out there, waiting to be taken in hand.

Don’t forget to check out the See Nick Design web site and find how Nick has implemented the logo. Besides that, he does some very interesting work that you may have seen before.

I’ll be posting more client profiles over time. There are a few in the wings, and I’m only waiting for publish dates. Stay tuned!