Where do I start?
For this book (At the end of Holyrood Lane) I began with sticky notes to create my initial thumbnails. Due to my full life, I set up a folder that I would take with me everywhere so I could use all my available time to jot down my ideas.
From these little ideas I was able to draw more detail. Unlike many other illustrators I don’t seem to be able to sketch small, so I tend to work on A4 size paper…
After discussion with the publishing team I was able to make changes, develop the illustrations further until we were all really happy with them.
For this book, I used watercolour, pencils as well as pastels, so I built a colour palette that would show the style of colours/textures I would use throughout the entire book.
I created a template of colours for the characters that I use as a reference throughout the entire illustrating process.
The front cover…
Some of the spreads…
The book trailer –
Oh, my goodness, Nicky!!! This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing your work flow and process. Your characters are so delightful and their energy makes them pop off the page!