all about environments

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Meredith Nicholson
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make art that sells illustrating children s books lilla s tips all about environments Week 4 bonus I m very excited to teach you about some powerful tools to make a really fabulous spread. 1.

1 make art that sells illustrating children s books lilla s tips all about environments Week 4 bonus I m very excited to teach you about some powerful tools to make a really fabulous spread. 1. aerial view How about a view from above? You could make the items really small to give a sense of a large area. Isn t this a cool technique? It s unexpected. It s not your classic eye level scene. Nicholas Stevensom Where is the view from? Are we looking from the tops of trees? Tops of skyscrapers? An aerial view is an effective way to show literally an overview. Bonus All About Environments :: 1

Think about how the story is told like stills from a movie.

2 Oamul Lu 2. comic strip Here s another fabulous tool for you. You can divide up your page into squares and tell a story. Think about how the story is told like stills from a movie. You can cram in a lot of action and dialog into a single page. Briony May Smith Bonus All About Environments :: 2

3. cut-away views I love this. Kids love this. It s magical. A cut away view is shows levels. It can be above ground and underground. Here are some examples.

B Kalaushina The following four images aren t literally cut-away views, but they depict varying levels simultaneously. How could you do this?

3 3. cut-away views I love this. Kids love this. It s magical. A cut away view is shows levels. It can be above ground and underground. Here are some examples. Consider this fun graphic technique for your own work. Here, the animal has a magical underground home, with steps and ladders taking it from floor to floor. B Kalaushina The following four images aren t literally cut-away views, but they depict varying levels simultaneously. How could you do this? Grab your text and hunt for a place where you could do this technique. It s not always obvious, so you ll need to do some clever thinking. Below, the character hides below the wolf. Kathy Hare Bonus All About Environments :: 3

Look how Carson uses the stairway to show a lot of action, and even the portion under the stairs has storytelling going on with

4 Below, staircases can be used as a fantastic tool to show various levels at once. Do you have a staircase in your text? Do you have a house or some kind of abode that might have a stairway? A ladder, even? Look how Carson uses the stairway to show a lot of action, and even the portion under the stairs has storytelling going on with the boy and his animal. Carson Ellis Below, I want to show you a fun graphic way to show cut-away. Look how the gem is hidden in the soil. Jon Klassen Bonus All About Environments :: 4

really far away! Cool technique. Look how these gorgeous pieces include small houses in the upper portion of the page. Voila! Depth is created.

5 And finally, below, we have a really decorative approach to the multi-level idea. Neiko uses branches to tell her story in levels. Neiko Ng 4. showing distance with scale When I taught little kids, I told them that as you move higher up on the page, you can make stuff smaller and it looks really far away! Cool technique. Look how these gorgeous pieces include small houses in the upper portion of the page. Voila! Depth is created. Note, too, how the woman in the first picture is very large and standing on the bottom of the page. Yelena Bryksenkova Bonus All About Environments :: 5

Claire Legrand So think of your page as a bunch of levels to be utilized for depth.

6 Nicholas Stevenson In this next image, the house is large, and the person is small. Because the house is in the background, we get the sense that the house is huge. Claire Legrand So think of your page as a bunch of levels to be utilized for depth. Top = far away and smaller Bottom = nearby and larger Bonus All About Environments :: 6

tumblr.com 6. Using color for Contrast It s incredibly important to make sure that the reader can see what you want them to focus on!

7 5. Using color to create a mood Below, the muted colors contribute to the feeling of the cold and wet environment. Think about it: if the colors were bright reds and yellows, it would seem to contradict the concept of the image. What is the mood of your text? Illustratedladies.tumblr.com 6. Using color for Contrast It s incredibly important to make sure that the reader can see what you want them to focus on! You can control using contrast. Below, your eye goes right to the scene of the two on the picnic blanket. This is because all of that is orange and everything else the trees and foliage is green. Abigail Halpin Bonus All About Environments :: 7

8 But if you analyze the piece, you ll see that, without the color differentiation, there s a tremendous amount of detail. Take a moment to imagine that there are a variety of colors throughout the piece. You d be hard-pressed to pull apart the two people on the blanket. So that s using color for contrast. Another tool for you. 7. fantasy and exaggeration Did you know that you don t need to literally illustrate the text? Yup, you knew that! Think about how you can use fantasy to change up how you illustrate the text. Can you use a metaphor? Can you exaggerate? Here, Sonia makes a GIANT cake. Not just a little cake. A huge, three-story cake. Can you find some object in your text that you can emphasize through size? Make something really huge or super-tiny. Again, in real life you d only do this if it contributes to the content of the text. Sonia Cavallini Bonus All About Environments :: 8

Here, Andrew does two things. He both exaggerates and stylizes the wave by drawing it extra huge and in a design-y way. Even with the geometric stylization, the sense of drama is maintained.

Look at what she does: the palette is totally minimal it s only shades of green! This keeps the focus on the giant creepy monster under the bridge, rather than on a bunch of colors.

9 Here, Andrew does two things. He both exaggerates and stylizes the wave by drawing it extra huge and in a design-y way. Even with the geometric stylization, the sense of drama is maintained. Is there something in your text that you can make really design-y? A tree? The sky? Andrew Banneker Below, Nicola creates an incredible story. Look at what she does: the palette is totally minimal it s only shades of green! This keeps the focus on the giant creepy monster under the bridge, rather than on a bunch of colors. Do you see what the lightest, brightest part of this piece is? Look. It s the eyes of the monster! So by using value (light/dark), the eyes pop. They are the most important part of the piece, so that s why they are meant to pop. Nicola L Robinson Bonus All About Environments :: 9

Carson Ellis Is there something in your text that you can add that s unexpected? Use this judiciously. It can be tricky, and I only recommend it if it works with your story.

10 Can you find something in your text that you want to pop? Can you darken the page and then make that key element the lightest part of the page? Below, Carson uses another kind of fantasy: an upside-down coffee cup is part of the landscape. Everything else on the page is pretty normal and then there s that one unexpected part. Carson Ellis Is there something in your text that you can add that s unexpected? Use this judiciously. It can be tricky, and I only recommend it if it works with your story. TIP: Use your accessories to tell about the character. 8. Accessorizing your interior When you design the interior scene from a text, you can accessorize your interior room with all kinds of goodness. You can scour home magazines, or sites like One Kings Lane Bonus All About Environments :: 10

ALERT: Those of you that have taken my courses know that I say to limit your time doing research. It s amazing how fast you can actually get what you need.

Getting lost down a rabbit hole can be a huge detriment to your career, because you re cutting into your worktime, which affects your final product.

11 ALERT: Those of you that have taken my courses know that I say to limit your time doing research. It s amazing how fast you can actually get what you need. Try to limit your search to 15 minutes. Yup, you heard me right. Getting lost down a rabbit hole can be a huge detriment to your career, because you re cutting into your worktime, which affects your final product. I love how Olga styles her rooms like an interior designer. You ve got an oriental rug, a gilded frame, a vintage sewing machine, and more. Olga Demidova Below, I love how Ana shows specific cookware items, even the variety of hanging utensils on the wall. Can you show some extra special details like that? Ana Rudak Bonus All About Environments :: 11

Carson Ellis And finally, my artist Helen Dardik draws not just any rocking horse, but a very cool one! Plus, check out the flowerpots!

12 Here s another kitchen scene. Kids love to look at the picture while the person reads the book to them. They linger over your artwork, so give them something to enjoy. Carson Ellis And finally, my artist Helen Dardik draws not just any rocking horse, but a very cool one! Plus, check out the flowerpots! Helen Dardik NEXT STEPS: Go back over this document and select a few of the eight tools I ve shown you to integrate into your work. Choose the ones that are most exciting to you! Yippie! How fun is this? Xo Bonus All About Environments :: 12

STUDENT eedition HOW-TO GUIDE WELCOME

STUDENT eedition HOW-TO GUIDE WELCOME WELCOME HOW-TO TOPICS Main Navigation ereader Navigation STUDENT eedition Great news! You re using the digital Student eedition for this World History program, so you can access many extra features that