Design process for Illustrating Children’s Books: Part 2

Storyboards, those are important! I presume that most illustrators use these. However, I like them for a variety of reasons. A thumbnail size storyboard for a 32 page picture book fits all on one side of an 8.5”x11” sheet of paper. This gives an “eagle-eye view” of the entire book at a glance. The pages are laid out in “spreads,” which means the left and right page together as the book is laying open. I can see the action movement throughout the pages. If there is something not right and needs to be adjusted, I will know it here in this stage.


A comp sized storyboard is just as effective. Again, it allows you to see the movement and make any changes with ease. I like to post these around the room and feel like I am inside the story. Pixar works this way. Watch the trailers on the DVD’s of how they make the movies. They will talk about this whole creative process.

If you took the storyboard in the comp sizing and put it into book format, it would be a dummy. A DUMMY is an idea for a book that needs to be finished out into final illustrations. When submitting an author/illustrator book idea, you would submit a manuscript along with a dummy. Use pencils or ink to sketch all the pages to the 32 page book. Fully render the cover and 2-3 of the interior spreads. Don’t make it anything too finished. Leave the door open for the editors and art directors to make adjustments. Otherwise, they may reject it quicker, feeling like there is no room for changes or improvements. Make sure the art makes your eyes move across the page and begs your to turn the page. Don’t forget to plan for the text. Don’t send the only dummy. Make Xerox copies and reserve a few for yourself. You never know, you might not get it back or simple need another one.

After you have the final signatures from the editors or author (self-publishing) for the comps you provided, you start on the final illustrations. Take care to do your very best work because this is your image in the public eye. People will know the illustrator by the work in the books they have at home. You may even get to go out and help promote the book. With this comes autographing and meeting children and parents eye to eye.

Submitting your Manuscript

Step 4: Submitting Your Manuscript

It’s now time to submit your manuscript!

If you are not an illustrator and do not plan on illustrating the book, I suggest that you do not try. Drawings that are not professional will give your manuscript an amateur appearance. This may detract from your writings and give the editor the wrong impression. Publishers have a “gallery” of professional illustrators that they like to work with. They will choose one of the artists and assign your manuscript upon acceptance.

Type your manuscript. Double space it with 1” margins on white paper. Center the title about a third of the way down the page. Put your name, address, email address and phone number in the upper left corner. Your name and title of the book should appear on subsequent pages, and all pages should be numbered in order. You may add a blank line where the page turns happen in the real book. Do not add art directions to your text. Your text should be strong enough to stand on its own. The words should evoke a pictoral story line in the editors mind without any prompting.

If you would like to illustrate the book:

Type your manuscript same as above. Include a dummy. Make a “paste up book” with the correct number of pages stapled (picture books are generally 32 pages with about 28 pages of art). Sketch out the pages. Paste up the text blocks on all the page spreads. Consider adding 3 or 4 of the final art pieces in the dummy. This will give the art director an idea of the finished style of art. NEVER send original art.