Visualizing an author’s “baby” is a big responsibility. Here is the process.
Illustrations are often reserved for books for younger readers, or also for special editions previously published without illustrations. Many publishers are reluctant to illustrate a book as this involves extra costs for the illustrator and makes the book more expensive to print and may make older readers sceptical as the book seems more childish than it might be.
These illustrations are for the upcoming book “The Irritants”, and the style was between eccentric hand-drawn – like Roald Dahl, or a somewhat softer painting style. The choice fell on the latter, which gave a far more magical and realistic feeling.
We at Bait choose to read the book in its entirety, rather than a summary from a publisher or author – if time allows. We then talk to the author about what he/she envisions in terms of details for characters and setting and then begin to sketch ideas, which after the author’s approval are painted in detail.
