Creative Journey

When the idea is slowly transformed from an initial spark to a final product that you find in the book, it undergoes a creative journey.

The below images give us an insight from how Chloe was first drawn in sketches and black and white pencil drawing to later be studied in multiple version using watercolour.

It is a fascinating insight and provides a perspective of how the journey unfolded.

Chloe in one of the initial drawings. Note the author’s annotations and part of the initial version of the story
The same drawing transformed into watercolour. You will notice already some of the detail and features that will make the reader recognise Chloe throughout the different pages, such as the hat and scarf

The different characters of the story are studied. Chloe’s dad appears first in the part of the story where Chloe asks for a day off. The author here gives dad some characteristics that the child reader will recognise in their own dad’s such as the glasses, facial hair and a tie.

The first version of Chloe’s Dad had the glasses.
The second version of Chloe’s Dad added the the moustache and the tie.
The final drawing combines the elements of glasses, tie with a hat and colour to draw attention.

The artist often proceeds with a complete story book, in which the scenes of the various pages are sketched. Sometimes the sketch is not modified that much and when drawn in watercolour is almost exactly as originally imagined.

The original sketch of Chloe returning home at the end of a hard days work.
The watercolour final version of the same page. Notice the placement of the text in a part of the drawing where it can be read easily and the more central placing of the house

In some cases already from the drawing the artist imagines the splash (double) pages, where the complete drawing flows across the pages. These are used to emphasise specific moments in the story and particularly beautiful when drawn with vibrant colours as can be seen in the following example.

The original sketch of the splash (double) page sunset.

When going to print sometimes the size and dimensions of the pages are altered. As one can see below, the pages of the final book are square.