Image idea needs a manuscript!

[ArtistErin]

Just putting together a series for my portfolio, and thinking this needs a manuscript. I am curious if anyone has written their own manuscript and if starting with an image sparks creativity? I know I need to just buckle down and write the thing. Anyway, wondering what your process has been. Also considering doing color studies digitally and see if I can replicate it traditionally. I see some of my favorite illustrators crossing both platforms.

[Yogita Chawdhary]

@ArtistErin I just wanted to say that this illustration is beautiful, and I absolutely love it! I often think about the story behind the scenes I illustrate, but I've never really considered writing a manuscript. It’s on my bucket list, though! I may not have the skills yet, but maybe one day I will.

[mag]

@ArtistErin Hi! Your illustration is lovely; it has the warm feel of classical kid's books to it.
I started a book because of an illustration, and a few of them, actually. The funny thing is that the illustration that sparked my idea never made it into the story.
All I did was ask questions.

For example, this one is behind my very first picture book.
I asked, why is the girl so sad?
Well, she just cut off her hair.
Why did she do so?
It was probably too long. Maybe waaaaaayyyyy too long, so it caused her a lot of problems.
What kind of problems? Well, maybe animals got stuck in it all the time.
(At this point I did a quick sketch, that did make it in the final book!)

Did she like the result? Probably not, she's lonely now, without all the animals...
And so on... until the whole story was born. It took many rounds of edits and re-thinking.

For me, starting with an image feels natural because I tend to tell stories in images. I think it's the same for a lot of illustrators, we tend to go with illustrations first, and words... not so important. Haha.
But every story idea needs a lot of work and a lot of questions. Don't be afraid to start over and over and redo the whole plotline if it doesn't feel just right. Do some more doodles from the world of your story.
Good luck!

[ArtistErin]

@mag Thank you so much for taking time to show me your process, and your adorable images. I love your work! Your consistent style and fantastic character designs are inspiring...

And understanding the process helps me too. I went to the library the other day to pick up some books, to shake some limited thinking loose so I can gather new ideas. I've been approached by self published authors (it's amazing how many people say they've written a manuscript) who want me to illustrate their book. I have learned to sort out the books ready for art, and the ones who really are not equipped for this business!

Writing for children is ALOT harder than it looks. As well as the process of making a book, well that's a whole other discussion!

Again thank you Mag!

[mag]

@ArtistErin 100% agree that writing picture books is hard.
What helped me a lot was thinking about picture book stories like any other story.
It needs an arc; characters need to have motivations, backstory, goals... so when I brainstorm a story, the process is quite similar to what it would be if I were writing a "normal" story. The only difference is it's very short. And I can literally SHOW, not TELL. So whenever I feel stuck with a story, I watch youtube gurus about writing, most advice applies to picture books as well

I am curious what will you come up with!

[ArtistErin]

@mag WOW... it's awesome actually, I took a bit last night and just messy wrote. I scratched and edited some but I wanted to get the arc you're describing here! Going to the library really helps too, to see how a well done book flows. I'm so excited honestly!! I know there is plenty of work to do but hey I'm good with that. What's fascinating about this process, too, tell me if you have seen this yourself: You just sort of have to dive in and you figure it out as you go, you do get better as you move along.

I just finished my 2nd picture book and I swear I am learning how very important story is! It's harder than we thought. I love the last 3PP episode where Sam was talking about learning from her animation friend and it helped her develop better compositions. So as I am writing I am keeping in mind the pace change. And how the emotions can play in, color palettes, etc.. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this stuff! When setting up your spreads vs. spots vs. angles for unstable emotion vs. calmness.

Rambling alot here! Just so excited

[StudioHannah]

@ArtistErin Check out the Hero's Journey concept by Joseph Campbell and the Story Circle by Dan Harmon - there are a lot of versions other people have some up with that are all MAGICALLY basically the same thing, because stories tend to have a similar rise and fall of action, it's just that people call the pieces different things.

It's basically a wheel with multiple "checkpoints" that are in every single story.

I've written 7-page comic shorts using this, and you can also find it in 1000 page novels. It's in Disney movies and the Harry Potter series and also any children's book that is story-based (as opposed to a poetry book or other form of book). I've been using it to write a video game script, too. I seriously could gush about this because I'm obsessed.

SO obsessed that I made this chart purely for my own amusement that shows five different circles developed by different people (including Aristotle!) and how they match up brilliantly. Please feel free to use! You might have to do some Googling about what certain things mean if you aren't familiar with them. The name of the respective circles and who proposed them are in the thin black labels to the top right of each concentric circle. HAVE FUN.

[ArtistErin]

@StudioHannah Oh wow thank you Hannah! I have heard about this yet I've never seen a breakdown in this way. This is really cool. This will help me so much! I can see why you're obsessed!!! LOL I am forever changed. My boyfriend will get so sick of me breaking down movie storylines HA HA HA

Thank you for taking time to share and send! In fact I am now breaking down a manuscript for a client and this will help me with the project I am currently working on. Many thanks!!!

[makekong]

This post is deleted!

[StudioHannah]

@ArtistErin It's actually SO FUN to break down films and books and figure out what parts are what. And yes, everyone around you will hate it lol

I'm glad this is already helping you!

[ArtistErin]

@Yogita-Chawdhary I feel like it can be a skill learned. I really love going to the library and just picking out a big haul, and pore over details. I love looking at endpapers, cover art, the whole gamut. Lately I've been finding myself looking even closer at everyday happenings and if they'd make a good character design. LOL! People watching! Love it