Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle Process

Laura Sassi kindly asked me to discuss my creative process for Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle.

So here we go...

I was delighted when I was asked to illustrate your book. I knew exactly that my illustrations were perfect for this cute story.

When I receive a manuscript, I like to read through the story and art notes slowly and then give it space for a few days. This is because I do not want to overwhelm myself with so many ideas for every page.

Whilst the ideas are simmering away in the background, I start sketching the characters using a pencil and then transfer it over to Procreate (Ipad).

Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle characters:

Boo is a chipmunk and Belle is a rabbit. (My two favourite animals!)

As Boo is going to the pumpkin tea party, I knew he would be wearing his best jacket and matching boots!

Belle had to be wearing her best clothes with a matching hair band. You always have to look you best at your own pumpkin tea party!

Below are my first sketches of Boo and Belle -

With the second sketch characters approved, I began sketching cover ideas.

Initially, I was given the task to sketch three different covers and the first double page spread.

Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle cover process:

I start with sketching tiny thumbnails to get a feel of the story and placement of the characters. This allows me to be very loose and try different compositions quickly.

(Unfortunately, I do not have these thumbnails) But, I take the best thumbnails and transfer them to Procreate and redraw them in detail.

By drawing in detail, I can add in my own personality and sneak little things in. As well as this, it helps me greatly during the final artwork stage!

Below are two out of three different versions of the cover -

Which one is your favourite?

Once the cover has been chosen, tweaked and approved, I can then plan the colours.

With the story based around the fall season, the colour palette had to consist of yellows, oranges and greens. Boo and Belle were based on photo references to add real life colour and characteristics. I.e. Chipmunk having the striped back and the rabbit being light tan colour.

Below is a very rough half colour swatch -

My swatches always change when I get to the final artwork stage. For example, the door was changed to green, the mat changed to blue and Boo became a lighter shade.

Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle cover final artwork:

Creating final artwork for any book is my favourite, as it gives me the excuse to be playful and make a mess with paints and pencils.

Below - I break up the cover sketch in sections and paint them separately or individually using gouache paint for the base and pencil for the textures.

By painting some objects separately, I can then reuse them for the interior pages and keep the same colour consistency throughout the book. I.e. The flowers/pumpkins etc.

The paintings are scanned in and then assembled digitally in Photoshop with more editing and those final touches.

Did you notice that Boo and Belle are painted separately and appear darker? Once scanned in, I can adjust them in Photoshop and make quick changes without touching the background!

Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle interior page:

Reading through the manuscript and art notes again, I made a few quick small thumbnails before I created the detailed sketch (in Ipad) for approval.

Once the sketch was approved; just like the front cover, I did a quick colour swatch before I had the joy of painting some pieces individually for the interior page. As I did not want the book to be too heavily yellow or orange inside, I added in a few softer colours to compliment the colour palette. For example a soft pink for Boo's pumpkin walls and a soft beige for the floors. Having a light coloured background helps the text be clear for readers!

Below is a peek of the interior page -

After the approved interior page, I continued to create the final artwork for the beautiful book that is out today :) Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the cute book by Laura and me!

Click the image below to be taken to the official Pumpkin Page!