A New Year, A New book! Welcome to the process of Picture Book Illustration.

Well it is a new year full of possibilities and new challenges. I am in the middle of a brand new project with Pajama Press and Victoria Allenby. Our new picture book is scheduled to release spring 2016 and I have approximately six weeks or less to produce my finished art from my linears! I am so excited.

 I have been working on my roughs for a little bit. Juggling a toddler and a picture book is a little challenging but I wouldn't have it any other way. I thought it might be nice to share the process of how a book is illustrated. The final art is the last stage of the creative process for the illustrator. 

Stage One - researching & keeping track of your references

 Wow the internet and blogs and pinterest boards are really helpful tool for an illustrator. I would have loved to have these things in college. Gone are the days when I would be locked down in the Toronto Reference Library trying to find great original sources! I love libraries but they are tricky to navigate sometimes and only open at certain times. I don't miss photocopies either! What a fortune I spent.

I have two research sites where I bookmark and document everything that I have used, looked at, watched or read. All of my visual reference is saved for the future. Nothing is created in a vacuum and plagiarism is a serious thing. I always remember to account for my sources. I use hundreds of photos to create my reference drawings which I then base my character sketches on. If my publisher ever requests to see my references this makes it really easy. They can just visit my blog! A rhinoceros is quite something to wrap your brain around and this is how I've managed it.

My blogger research site was the first place that I began bookmarking helpful videos and tidbits.  blackrhinocerosjournal.blog.com I love the format of blogger but then I just started pining things because it is so much faster. To check out my pinterest board visit: Tara's Rhino Rumpus Research. I hope you enjoy and learning about these wonderful creatures too! Please enjoy.