DRAWING A STORY

by Joan Waites

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?  If applying this question to a picture book, which comes first, the words or the illustrations? In the world of traditional publishing, manuscripts are typically written by the author and then assigned to an illustrator by the publisher.  If the illustrator is also the author, sometimes the pictures are imagined first, or the illustrations and text are imagined simultaneously.

In previous posts, I’ve talked about some classroom exercises I’ve used during a school visit where children collaboratively write a story and then come up with illustrations to complement the text. The flip side to this exercise is to have children draw a story in pictures only. This works especially well with younger children who haven’t fully mastered writing and spelling.

Make up a simple storyboard sheet with as many pages as you would like to have the children draw.  Six to eight pages seems to be a number most can work with without getting overwhelmed.  Children can draw a story of their choosing, or use a story prompt (as outlined in previous Pencil Tips posts) to jump start ideas.  When the children have completed their drawings, have them either write the text to accompany the drawings, or give each a turn to orally tell their story. Another fun twist is to collect the storyboards, mix them up, and then redistribute them to the class. Have children write a story based on the pictures their classmates have drawn.

For children that are old enough and have access to a camera, this same exercise could be done using photographs.  Ask children to tell a story using the camera. Have them take a series of pictures at an event. A soccer game, a party, a trip to the zoo or an outing with a pet can all tell a story.  Spread out or mount the pictures in a series and have children write the story to accompany the photos.

It is interesting to see how each child interprets another’s drawings and photos.  Mirroring real world of picture books, this exercise emphasizes the unique and magical collaboration that happens between art and the written word.

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AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR FOR THE DAY

by Joan Waites

One of the most frequent questions I am asked as an illustrator of children’s books is “how does an author get you to illustrate their book?” Most are very surprised to learn that for the majority of picture book projects, (but not all), the author and illustrator do not communicate and collaborate on how the illustrations should look.  The publisher contracts a manuscript from an author and then chooses an illustrator they feel would best suit the story. There are several reasons for this, but mostly because a picture book works best when each creative half is left alone to bring their own vision to the story without restrictions.  As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, the illustrator’s job is to add something more to the story that is not just a reflection of the written word.

I was recently explaining this relationship between author and illustrator to a school representative who has arranged for me to participate in an artist-in-residence program in the coming year. While we were brainstorming activities for the children to participate in while I am there, I suggested using the exercise from my Pencil Tips blog post More Story Starters. Using that idea, we came up with a plan to break the children into smaller groups, one half to be designated authors, the other half illustrators. Authors will be given the task of creating a short manuscript using the story starter prompt cards. Each designated illustrator will then have time to create the illustrations for the manuscript they have been assigned.  Then the group will switch roles so each child gets a turn to be an author or illustrator for the day.

When complete, students will share their books with the group. Some sample questions to ask are:

Are the illustrations successful for this manuscript?

Do they add something new and exciting to the story?

Do the characters come to life in the illustrations?

Do we get a better sense of place and time when looking at the illustrations?

Is the author happy with the way their story has been illustrated?

Is there a way the story could be edited to allow for more exciting illustration opportunities?

Since I'm trying this exercise for this first time, I am excited to see what the students will produce. I’ll be sure to report back in a future blog post!

Wishing all our readers a very happy, healthy, and productive New Year!

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