7 Ways I Messed Up My Children’s Books
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ส.ค. 2024
- I've illustrated over 30 children's book for national publishers and I'm going to share the things I did wrong early on. If I could talk myself back in the day - this is what I would say...
My online illustration classes svslearn.com/
My Website: willterry.com
My Blog willterry.blogspot.com
Twitter: / willterry333
Instagram: / willterryart
facebook: / will.terry.733
1 Cover not “reading” from a distance
2 Not exploiting the graphic designer’s work
3 Telling ancillary stories that distract from the main story.
4 Not having consistent character Consistency.
5 Using arbitrary colors.
6 Getting too dark behind the text - or too busy with detail.
7 Not spending enough time - books can last forever.
8 Not creating enough illustrations to tell the best story.
9 Not valuing the team.
“Let’s dive right in” at 6:30 lol
exactly
Actually more like, 8:00
Subscribed!
I want to illustrate children's books, and although I'm a graphic designer and already know these things, they're good points to keep in mind so you don't forget while under pressure. Thanks for the tips! :D
Kasey Golden !!! I can't believe I found you here!!! You're the reason I even looking into this stuff lol. Thank you for inspiring me!!
I hope you do get to make a children's book one day!
Kasey Golden kaseyyyyyyy you really should follow your dream, ad mak that book! I would buy it. I love your videos, vavourite chanel on youtube
Omg every video I click
It’s happened like 9 times now
This is so funny, I moved to a different state 1 year ago around Halloween an the first thing me an my toddler did was go to the library an we read this book an here I am a year later thinking about writing childrens books 😂
I’ve actually been asked to possibly illustrate my first kids book! I subbed! This is really helpful😊
Another innthe great series of Will It! Man, you know how much I love your work and the thought behind it is always fascinating. The lessons learned the best yet.
Thank you! Really appreciate it!
This was really helpful! I've never really seen an artist go through their book before an point out important details. Thanks so much.
Also! Blacky Widow is SOOOO cute. Oh my gosh.
I couldn’t wait through the personal stuff.
Yeah that's why I stopped clicking on Will's videos too. He takes too long to get to the point. The part about his college years and part time jobs etc should have been a separate video.
Very very valuable!
I just came here from your video @katnipp thank you both for sharing your experiences!
Actually pretty cool to see @Katnipp here too
I love all this great Notes, Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us! I'm just begining this Journey and is very helpful.
Love all your work and advises Terry.....just starting in this businesses after years of commercial work an you're a great inspiration
This video is maybe a little too long and rambling.. sorry XD
Thanks for sharing all these details. As an art director, I came from the world of Toys and have worked with many freelance illustrators (from packaging to animation). I love that you mentioned client deadlines & understanding the decision makers "behind the scenes". I had defend and protect 'my artists'... haha! It may seem easier, but it can get complicated with even style-guides provided. About 1 year ago, I quit the corporate world to focus on my own creative projects (inc. making kids books!). You ignited a spark in me, talking about color! Thanks again. Love your work & channel.
Great video, so nice of you to share your book and process with us!
Adorable!!! Love this new style. It's so sweet and easy to follow.
Thank you!
I love it how you showed mistakes from the past through a positive example.
Great teaching right there.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🖤
Thanks for sharing this great info... and when you grabbed the bass I’m so glad you let us hear it! I worried for a moment you would just show it to us. :) Have a great next book!!!
Always such great information, thank you for sharing! So glad I joined SVS :)
THANK U WILL
WE HAVE NEVER MET
BUT U KEEP ON INSPIRING ME
THANKS A TRILLION
Really great and informative video, Will. Thank you. I'm sure the book will do well, and will be reading it to my kids real soon. soon.
When you turned to the last page, the first thought I had was 'Go Dog Go' a dog party! I, also, loved that page! And, just last week I read that book to my grandson!
Thank you for everything you tell us about you're process ❤ This content is gold for me, you not only teach me a lot of things about the picture books, you motivates me 🌟 five years since you share this 😊🎉 (sorry for my english)
Hi Will! I just want to thank you for your generosity and
for being so open about childrens books!
It is of great help and very useful information!
Thank you! =)
I`m working on getting better on drawing and painting AND I`m into bassplaying too...but I need to practise. Thanks for your videos and sharing your knowledge...do I need to say that I like what you do? Yes !! Love your stuff, Cheers!
Very helpful and insightful. Thank you for sharing this advice and for being so open and honest about some of your mistakes I order to teach others.
Will, I'm so glad you shared these tips. I have admired you as an illustrator since BEFORE I took Business Practices for Illustrators from you back 2012. You gave me so many ideas for how to grow my business as an illustrator and even though I took it at a rough time in my life and I might not have been the most motivated at that time, I'm still super grateful for the privilege of having taken a class from you. It was so insightful and I was just so honored to be in a class by one of my all-time favorite illustrators!
Great tips! Thank you for sharing, Will. So so helpful.
This is so valuable. Thank you Will!
You did a great job, i dont think your advice is supreme....but it works for you and thats awesome.
Thanks for sharing - I work on indie comics and wear a lot of “hats” - I’m working on a few kids books now and am working on my art direction skills. This video has been more helpful than I thought it might be - again thank you :)
As someone that wants to be an illustrator I just want to say thanks for the advice.
I loved this. Interesting and I loved looking at your illustrations! Thanks
This book is awesome! Thanks Will for all those insights. I felt like talking to myself, all the things I have been trying to achieve over years, but it feels easier when actually someone else thinks the same, it somehow confirms one's thoughts, accentuate the value of them, make them weight more.
Loved this!!!!! Thank you so much. J feel a lot more confident now honestly
Great insights. Thanks for sharing. I think you did a great job with the illustration. The red hat makes the character (Bonaparte) memorable long after a child reads the book.
Super helpful, thank you for sharing, what a wonderful book!
Go dog go was my favorite book as a child! And I did the same thing: just stare at the end page! That's inspiring to think of, thank you!
I am starting to illustrate my own book also because I really want to create my first children's book to share it with the world. Your video is inspiring and your Bonaparte book looks great. I love the simplicity of the book that flows through out the story.
I made Campfires as a very young kid, once in the Kitchen!
Wow wow wow wow wow, im so impressed of this book. And im greatful amazon have it in the german store, so i could buy it tonight to have it in some days. As a former librian I now many good children books and always was impressed of the less unique illustrators they dont do the boring always same illustrations. Im so in love with ur book. I will be happy to have it. Thank you Will for ur great talent!
Loooove this video thanks alot really learned alot from this and by the way your illustrations are AWESOME!!!
That book looks so awesome! Great video and very valuable information! 😍👍
PhantomDrawing I got so triggered when he skipped pages (I was actually reading it lol)
Will, thank you for this video, it's really helpful!
And this book is so cool, I love how it turned out! Main character is so cute :) thank you for the inspiration
P.s. those first and last pages called "endpapers" I believe :D
I used to play the cello in school, until my teacher said to my parents I'd never be another Jacqueline du Pré !
So I took singing lessons.
And then I went to Art school after leaving school...
Evolving for me has been doodling, and writing books and children's books
So well done for getting back to making music!
With regards to tips...
1, Thumbnail visuals do need to show tltles so folks can buy it!l
(and your author name)
2, Communication is The Key! How the dream works!
3, Side stories add layers and texture to your world, but...
Clear Space is needed for the child's imagination!
4, Draw positions so the characters keep their integrity
5, 'arbitrary colour ' emphasises the action or point.
6, Keep text weighted correctly, and visuals away
7, Take the time to make it the best it can be, it's a time test!
(you don't have to admit how far along you are)
Bonuses:
8, Make sure you have enough illustrations to work from, multiple panels, yes!
9, Value the entire team. keep consistency, integrity of the story, listen to other people on the team. They, too, have their input!
Thank you Will! 😊
Thank you so much for the effort in sharing this! So many nuggets in there! I do have a problem that hope you would have answer to: My printer asked me to make the total ink density below 240 but I'm not sure how to achieve that by not scarifying the vibrancy of my illustration. Do you know the solution to that? And what is the best way to transfer a RBG illustration to CMYK? Thank you!
Thanks for all this information! I've wanted to do children's books for years, and then ended up going into gaming. I'm trying to find my way back to my original inspiration. I understand what you're saying about the white space and not distracting, but after my 4-year old son and I have read a book multiple times, we start playing with counting background picture elements or finding different colors as a game along with reading the book. It adds another level of fun to the reading. I do like how you've made room for the text. Some of the most beautifully illustrated books can hide the text a bit too much.
I was going to say EXACTLY what Teju said, lol. so DITTO, Teju! Thanks for this will. Agree with absoulutely everything. When I first came to it, I wanted to combine my lettering with the illustrations, so it was all integrated. This book is BEAUTIFUL! Congratulations to you and Margery!
Thank you Agy - Confession - I thought it was Dr. Seuss as a kid - when I started illustrating books I started looking back and when I read his name on that book I was like: "this can't be right" HA!
Also - end papers...I knew it was such an easy name... :)
My first video of you and I subscribed! Thank you for all the tips!
Thank you so much! This is so interesting and useful!
Thank You Will Terry 😊 It is really really helpful !
hey men this is just awesome work you are doing for us i am been learning from you all the time this is just awesome.
i want to illustrate children's book as well. and i am just learning a graphic designer and i already doing some of my design .
i would love to send you ,
thanks men for all your work and help.
There's some really great advice in here, thank you! Congratulations on your success with this book, it's especially exciting that it was on an endcap!!! Think of how many other thousands of books they chose yours out of to display right there. Wow! =^.^=
Sounding good on that bass!
Thank you, very good information. Making your illustrations Perfection, with Simplicity☺️!
Thank you Will. This was super helpful information.
Thank you; this is very helpful; an excellent topic to share.
Can I ask you some questions about what size and file type do you submit your images in? And how many pages are required for children's books?
Thanks for the video. Im not the greatest comments researcher but I have question about Children's books and "industry".
Do You have to write Your own story and texts (in general/most common) or You get the idea for the book and story line, and we (the artists) just make illustrations ??
Hi! Do you know what fonts your graphic designers used in the books?
Excellent video - Wish I'd seen it before making so many mistakes in my book.
how do you download your drawings onto your ipad without it looking like it was just a picture that was taken of the drawing
Hi Will thank you very much for the precious tips where are all excellent.
I’m working to write children pictures book, with the consistency of the drawings where do you recommend to join to learn this skill?
Just checked out your online portfolio and I must say I love your work!! I've just gotten into pursuing a career in children's books as an author and I'm very nervous as it's not a conventional path but I'm very optimistic about the future! Any advice, i'm also thinking about illustrating my own books but i haven't been drawing in years :(
I learned a lot. Thank you for sharing!
This was super helpful, thanks for sharing. 👌🏼
Thankyou for sharing.
ummm.... btw how much you paid to get in to the project?
Sometimes, quoting price is a thing...
Really helpful advice!! Thank you!!! Especially the "go the distance" part. Can I be cheeky and ask for a possible future video on making sure the digital illustrations print true to what you've created on your screen? And do you work in RGB or CMYK?
I'm not very techy even though I use tech... I've been lucky with good art directors and good printers who interpret my files spot on. I haven't done anything on my end. I work in RGB and send RGB files...
That actually makes me feel better. I'm on my own with everything right now (no designers or art directors) and it's overwhelming. Thanks for your honesty!!
Thanks for always sharing what you have learned as an illustrator. You have no idea how valuable it is to us who are interested in illustration but don't have connections to the publishing world. (I am also enrolled in SVS Learn for good measure.)
And though I appreciate your humility, don't call yourself an idiot! You are clearly not, and furthermore, you are brave enough to share your improvements, even at the expense of your former self. My theory on the "end papers" problem is that being in art mode makes it hard to access stored vocabulary. Then later, when you're cooking dinner or something, you suddenly remember and say, "Oh, of course!"
And lastly, Go Dog, Go! has been a favorite for at least two generations in our family. As a kid I used to stare for ages at the dogs-in-a-maze scene and the dog party scene because the colors and textures looked so edible (remember those opaque Jell-O salads?). And all those animal limbs poking out of the tree really do evoke a sense of serendipitous fun. Life really should be "A big dog party!" But until it is, at least we have children's books.
Laura Alderson Thank you Laura!
Wasn't it Dr. Suess's "Go Dog, Go!" that had the tree in the end with all the dogs?
Great book by the way! I love the pictures.. You did awesome! I should buy it for my grand daughter... Hmmmm
You would think - but google it - PD Eastman ...at least I remembered something right :)
Will Terry OMG... Your so right!! All these years I thought it was Dr. Suess's book... Lmao... Thanks Will!
Blessings from Poland :)
Thank You very, very much for Your videos and ART :)
Kiara
Can I do illustrations with markers and colored pencils? I’m going to do some different textures like cut outs with scrap paper, stamps etc.
I play guitar and and draw as well. I'll be damned if I ever give up my Gretsch. I love that thing so much. I realize I won't be able to dedicate too much time to it but I know in the end, she'll be waiting for me.
Very interesting points, and helpful video!
No lie, seeing this book made me want to have kids to share this book with, lol. Great work as always Will!
Geez your work is Awesome!!
Thank you Will for all the insides you give - what a wonderful video when you just start illustrating book like me. My biggest struggle ist colorpalet do you have any more tipps for me? I'm also not sure if I illustrate in RGB or in the color format the book shook be printed? Anyone want to give me advice? I would be very grateful for any mentoring.
Nice base playing! Awesome! =)
I love how you just start playing the smashing pumpkins 🎃 🙃 love hearing the personal bits too. Apparently not everyone's cup of tea though lol.
Great work, and inspiring video!
Dope man. Thanks for your time
You make those changes - more room, adding elements, etc. - at the sketch phase hopefully
Yes - all on the sketches.
No worries on the counting. We're here for the pictures 😉
Wow, great video! Thank you 🤗
What procreate brush do you use?
love your videos and your work! I really love this brush, could you share It or let me know the qualities?
It's really cool that you put an illustration on the same page as the copyright.
Amazing artist...how long did all illustrations together take to
Thank you ..interesting points you raised..I have
written my first Childrens
book...and now working on the artwork..".Life sentence " has struck a cord
so yes ...I am proceeding with caution ..thanks for all the info...Ella Fynes......fynesartphotography
I have been watching lots of your videos and learned a lot, but I have to say, I regularly come back to this one XD I kind of use it like a checklist as otherwise I would stay ignorant of many of my mistakes I make. "Oh, Will said he drowned the title in a picture? Let's see if you did too... yes you did, now be a good illustrator trainee and go fix your picture" :D :D Big big thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge with us.
I abhorred comic books! You’re not alone. I was busy with Shakespeare, Camus.......
Looking forward to getting my copy delivered. Congrats on being #1 in new releases on Amazon! Question: Does the publisher request you to produce artwork at the exact trim size or with a bit of bleed? Or do you just get the aspect ratio approximately the same as the trim size and leave it to the graphic designer to size the artwork to specifications?
Hi Joshua - thank you! ...so - if the art bleeds off the page you really need to include bleed image so they can trim it as I'm sure you know - since you mentioned bleed :) ...With less experienced designers they'll muck up the spread by using said bleed - for this reason I make more bleed than I send the art director - if they ever say they need more I can send them the un-edited file.
Will Terry Makes sense. Thanks for the nuts and bolts insight.
hmmm you could have done a really faint full moon in the background as you wanted.... maybe having it faint would have given it more visual depth to the scene? i love your backgrounds on the over pages
Great video, very helpful :)
Subscribed! Hope to see more videos like this
great art work
Do you communicate with the author while doing your work?
I think there's a typo on the title page for one of the names it's dedicated to. It reads as Isael, is it supposed to be Isabel?
No - it's right - it's my Hispanic neighbor's boy... :)
Ooooooh okay. My fault.
good stuff. thanks! I'm working on a kids book as we speak. Would love to share it with you when it's complete
How were your sales?
As a child, I was also fascinated by that same illustration in "Go Dog Go".
LOVED this video! So informative, interesting, and funny too! "I want candy corn. I don't wanna read this dumb book!" 😆 Great vid, thanks for sharing and God bless.